Owenetta kitchingorum, sp. nov., a small parareptile (Procolophonia: Owenettidae) from the Lower Triassic of South Africa

The parareptile Owenetta rubidgei is known from several skulls, all found in Upper Permian sediments of South Africa. The anatomy of a new species of Owenetta, O. kitchingorum, from the Early Triassic is described here on the basis of three nearly complete skeletons. This new species is distinguished from O. rubidgei on the basis of three dental and three cranial features. Postcranial features cannot be used in the diagnosis because the postcranial anatomy of O. rubidgei is unknown. The small parareptile Barasaurus from the Late Permian of Madagascar and Owenetta are united in the clade Owenettidae, as the sister-taxon of Procolophonidae. Controversies surrounding parareptilian phylogeny are discussed as they relate to Owenetta.