A peculiar procolophonid lower jaw from the Sanga do Cabral Formation (Lower Triassic, Brazil)

In Brazil, the Lower Triassic is represented by the Sanga do Cabral Formation, known for its fragmented fossil tetrapods. However, in the last decade, some outcrops have revealed well-preserved remains, providing information about the first Triassic faunas of Western Gondwana. The Sanga do Cabral Formation fauna includes temnospondyls, procolophonids, and archosauromorphs. In this study, we describe a new procolophonid left hemimandible (UNIPAMPA 916) from the Sanga do Cabral Formation. The specimen differs from previously reported species for the site (Procolophon trigoniceps and Oryporan insolitus) in dental morphology, indicating a still hidden diversity of these parareptiles for the Brazilian Lower Triassic. The presence of a new procolophonoid morphotype for the Sanga do Cabral Formation underlines the importance of the Brazilian fossil record for understanding the recovery of ecosystems after the End-Permian Mass Extinction.