Craniomandibular osteology of <i>Dinodontosaurus isiyavamanda</i> sp. nov. (Therapsida: Anomodontia) from the Manda Beds of Tanzania and new support for a younger age for the alleged oldest dinosaurs

Phylogenetic analyses conducted with Bayesian estimation and parsimony support the inclusion of this species in <i>Dinodontosaurus</i>. The unique palate of <i>D. isiyavamanda</i> is hypothesized to be related to resource partitioning, representing different adaptations for food processing than coeval dicynodonts. The presence of <i>Dinodontosaurus</i> suggests the mid-to-upper Lifua Member of the Manda Beds is equivalent to the <i>Dinodontosaurus</i> Assemblage Zone of Brazil and the Chañares Formation of Argentina.

Consequently, the mid-to-upper Lifua Member, which includes what are possibly the oldest records of dinosaurs globally, can be confidently interpreted as late Ladinian to Carnian in age, supporting recent research questioning its equivalency with the <i>Cynognathus</i> Assemblage Zone of South Africa.</p>