rhynchocephalian

[ring-koh-suh-feyl-yuhn, -fey-lee-uhn]

adjective

1. belonging or pertaining to the Rhynchocephalia, an order of lizardlike reptiles that are extinct except for the tuatara.

noun

1. a rhynchocephalian reptile.

rhynchocephalian

/ ˌrɪŋkəʊsɪˈfælɪən /

adjective

1. of, relating to, or belonging to the Rhyncocephalia , an order of lizard-like reptiles common in the Mesozoic era but today represented only by the tuatara

noun

1. any reptile belonging to the order Rhyncocephalia

rhynchocephalian

1. Any of various mostly extinct lizardlike reptiles of the order Rhynchocephalia, whose only living representative is the tuatara (Sphenodon punctatus and S. guntheri). Rhynchocephalians have several primitive skeletal features, including two temporal arches on each side of the skull rather than one, and teeth attached to the edge of the jaw rather than set in sockets. Most rhynchocephalians died out by the end of the Jurassic Period.

Word History and Origins

Origin of rhynchocephalian¹

1865–70; < New Latin Rhynchocephali ( a ) name of the order (< Greek rhýncho ( s ) snout + New Latin -cephalia; cephal-, -ia ) + -an

Word History and Origins

Origin of rhynchocephalian¹

C19: from New Latin Rhynchocephalia , from Greek rhunkhos a snout + kephalē head

Example Sentences

And unlike its cousins, the specific rhynchocephalian lineage that led to today’s tuatara had “exceptionally low rates of evolution,” notes Harvard University herpetologist Tiago Simões, who was not involved in the new study.

Read more on Scientific American

Both Megachirella’s appearance in the middle Triassic and the later remains of rhynchocephalian fossils make a strong case that the earliest squamates emerged toward the end of the Permian, a period 270 million years ago that was abruptly shattered by one of the worst known mass extinctions.

Read more on New York Times

The sphenacodonts possess the primitive rhynchocephalian kind of palate.

Read more on Project Gutenberg