Caseasauria
Caseasauria is one of the two main clades of early synapsids, the other being the Eupelycosauria. Caseasaurs are currently known only from the Late Carboniferous and the Permian, and include two superficially different families, the small insectivorous or carnivorous Eothyrididae, and the large, herbivorous, potentially aquatic Caseidae. These two groups share a number of specialised features associated with the morphology of the snout and external naris.

The ancestor of caseasaurs can be traced back to an insect eating or an omnivorous reptile-like synapsid from the Pennsylvanian time of the Carboniferous, possibly resembling "Archaeothyris", the earliest known synapsid. The caseasaurs were abundant during the later part of the Early Permian, but by the Middle Permian caseasaur diversity declined because the group was outcompeted by the more successful therapsids. The last caseasaurs became extinct at the end of the Guadelupian (Middle Permian).
Q713623
clade
Concept
Q189069
synapsids
Concept
Q1349838
Eupelycosauria
Concept
Q373772
Late Carboniferous
TIME
Q76402
Permian
LOC
Q136601
Eothyrididae
Concept
Q59099
herbivorous
Concept
Q1756633
aquatic
Concept
Q132725
Caseidae
Concept
Q858590
naris
Concept
Q10811
reptile
Concept
Q189069
synapsid
Concept
Q373772
Pennsylvanian
TIME
Q133738
Carboniferous
LOC
Q133034
Archaeothyris
Concept
Q642169
Early Permian
Concept
Q1077376
Middle Permian
Concept
Q322241
therapsid
Concept
Q131807
Caseasauria
Concept
parent taxon
part of
follows