A diverse dinocephalian fauna from Zimbabwe

Dinocephalian mammal-like reptiles have in the past been known only from Ch ina, Russia and South Africa, with a single taxon reported from Zimbabwe. T he recent discovery of several taxa of dinocephalians in the Madumabisa mud stones around Hwange in Zimbabwe, described briefly below, has important im plications for the global distribution of primitive therapsid faunas, and a lso for the dating and correlation of Lower Beaufort equivalent rocks in th at country.