Teratophon

{{Short description|Extinct genus of reptiles}}

{{Automatic taxobox

| fossil_range = Middle Triassic, {{fossil_range|245|241}}

| image = Iziko Teratophon skull.JPG

| image_upright = 1.15

| image_caption = Fossil

| taxon = Teratophon

| authority = Modesto & Damiani, 2003

| type_species = {{extinct}}Teratophon spinigenis

| type_species_authority = (Gow, 1977a [originally Thelegnathus spinigenis])

}}

Teratophon is an extinct genus of procolophonine procolophonid parareptile from middle Triassic (early Anisian stage) deposits of Free State Province, South Africa. It is known from the holotype BP/1/4299, a nearly complete skull. It was collected by the South African palaeontologist, James W. Kitching from Hugoskop in the Rouxville District and referred to subzone B of the Cynognathus Assemblage Zone of the Burgersdorp Formation, Beaufort Group (Karoo Basin). It was first named by Sean P. Modesto and Ross J. Damiani in 2003 and the type species is Teratophon spinigenis. It was first assigned to a species of Thelegnathus (now considered to be a nomen dubium), Thelegnathus spinigenis.{{cite journal |author1=Sean P. Modesto |author2=Ross J. Damiani |year=2003 |url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/289895921 |title=Taxonomic status of Thelegnathus browni Broom, a procolophonid reptile from the South African Triassic |journal=Annals of Carnegie Museum |volume=72 |issue=1 |pages=53–64 |doi=10.5962/p.215088 |s2cid=90233554 |doi-access=free }}{{cite journal |author=C. E. Gow |year=1977 |title=New Procolophonids from the Triassic Cynognathus Zone of South Africa |journal=Annals of the South African Museum |volume=72 |issue=6 |pages=109–124 }} The distinguishing feature of this genus is a noticeable posterolateral spine-like process of the quadratojugal.