Mandagomphodon

Mandagomphodon is an extinct genus of traversodontid cynodonts from the Middle Triassic Lifua Member of the Manda Beds of Ruhuhu Valley, Tanzania. The type species "Mandagomphodon hirschsoni" was named by Crompton in 1972 as a species referable to "Scalenodon". Later studies, including a 2003 phylogenetic analysis of traversodontid relationships, did not find the species of "Scalenodon" from the Manda Formation to form a single clade, meaning that many were not referable to the genus. The study suggested that "S. hirschsoni" had more in common with other traversodontids like "Luangwa". "S. attridgei" was viewed as a possible synonym of "S. charigi", which was also found to be only distantly related to "S. angustifrons". Therefore, a new generic name "Mandagomphodon" was erected for "S. hirschsoni" by James A. Hopson in 2013.