
Lupeosaurus
    
    Encyclopedia
    
        Lupeosaurus is an extinct genus of pelycosaur
ian synapsid
, assigned to the family Lupeosauridae. It is believed to be more closely related to the Edaphosauridae
family than to the Sphenacodontidae
, such as Dimetrodon
.
Pelycosaur
The pelycosaurs  are an informal grouping  composed of basal or primitive Late Paleozoic synapsid amniotes. Some species were quite large and could grow up to 3 meters or more, although most species were much smaller...
ian synapsid
Synapsid
Synapsids  are a group of animals that includes mammals and everything more closely related to mammals than to other living amniotes. They are easily separated from other amniotes by having an opening low in the skull roof behind each eye, leaving a bony arch beneath each, accounting for their name...
, assigned to the family Lupeosauridae. It is believed to be more closely related to the Edaphosauridae
Edaphosauridae
Edaphosauridae is a family of mostly large  advanced, Late Pennsylvanian to  early Permian pelycosaurs.They were the earliest known herbivorous amniotes, and along with the Diadectidae the earliest known herbivorous tetrapods...
family than to the Sphenacodontidae
Sphenacodontidae
Sphenacodontidae is a family of small to large, advanced, carnivorous, Late Pennsylvanian to  middle Permian pelycosaurs.  Primitive forms  were generally small in size , but during the later part of the early Permian these animals grew progressively larger , to become the top predators of their...
, such as Dimetrodon
Dimetrodon
Dimetrodon  was a predatory synapsid genus that flourished during the Permian period, living between 280–265 million years ago ....
.

