The vertebrate fauna of the upper Permian of Niger—IX. The appendicular skeleton ofBunostegos akokanensis(Parareptilia: Pareiasauria)

Pareiasaurs were a group of herbivorous reptiles that lived during the middle to late Permian (˜265–252 Ma) in what is modern-day Europe, Asia, South America, and Africa. Field work in the Moradi Formation of northern Niger has produced multiple elements of the appendicular skeleton of the pareiasaur Bunostegos akokanensis. The considerable size disparity and morphological variation among the elements suggest that they represent ontogenetic...