Saurodektes

Saurodektes
Temporal range:
Early Triassic,
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Reptilia
Family: Owenettidae
Genus: Saurodektes
Modesto et al., 2004
Type species
Owenetta kitchingorum
Reisz & Scott, 2002
Synonyms
  • Saurodektes rogersorum Modesto et al., 2003

Saurodektes is an extinct genus of owenettid procolophonoid known from the earliest Early Triassic deposits of Eastern Cape Province, South Africa. The genus was named by Sean P. Modesto, Ross J. Damiani, Johann Neveling, and Adam M. Yates in 2003, containing a single species, S. rogersorum. However, this species was based on a specimen nearly identical to "Owenetta" kitchingorum, named the year prior. As such, later researchers synonymized the two species, with S. kitchingorum having priority as the older name.