Moschowhaitsia

==Classification and taxonomy==

==Classification and taxonomy==

''Moschowhaitsia'' is a member of the derived therocephalian [[clade]] [[Whaitsiidae]], ranked as a [[Family (biology)|family]] under traditional [[Linnaean taxonomy]]. Tatarinov initially assigned ''Moschowhaitsia'' to its own [[monotypic]] [[subfamily]] of whaitsiids, '''Moschowhaitsiinae''', on the basis that it appeared to him as an intermediate form bridging the anatomy of two other subfamilies of whaitsiids, Whaitsiinae and Moschorhininae.<ref name="Tat63"/> Some later researchers, including Tatarinov himself, would later elevate ''Moschowhaitsia'' to family level distinction ('''Moschowhaitsiidae'''), along with other subtaxa of whaitsiids, although nonetheless retaining the existing close taxonomic relationships under the superfamily [[Whaitsioidea]].<ref name=HA09>{{cite journal |last1=Huttenlocker |first1=A. |year=2009 |title=An investigation into the cladistic relationships and monophyly of therocephalian therapsids (Amniota: Synapsida) |journal=Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society |volume=157 |issue=4 |pages=865–891 |doi=10.1111/j.1096-3642.2009.00538.x |doi-access=free}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Huttenlocker |first1=A.K. |last2=Abdala |first2=F. |year=2015 |title=Revision of the first therocephalian, ''Theriognathus'' Owen (Therapsida: Whaitsiidae), and implications for cranial ontogeny and allometry in nonmammaliaform eutheriodonts |journal=Journal of Paleontology |volume=89 |issue=4 |pages=645–664 |doi=10.1017/jpa.2015.32 |s2cid=87382966}}</ref>

''Moschowhaitsia'' is a member of the derived therocephalian [[clade]] [[Whaitsiidae]], ranked as a [[Family (biology)|family]] under traditional [[Linnaean taxonomy]]. Tatarinov initially assigned ''Moschowhaitsia'' to its own [[monotypic]] [[subfamily]] of whaitsiids, '''Moschowhaitsiinae''', on the basis that it appeared to him as an intermediate form bridging the anatomy of two other subfamilies of whaitsiids, Whaitsiinae and Moschorhininae.<ref name="Tat63"/> Some later researchers, including Tatarinov himself, would later elevate ''Moschowhaitsia'' to family level distinction ('''Moschowhaitsiidae'''), along with other subtaxa of whaitsiids, although nonetheless retaining the existing close taxonomic relationships under the superfamily [[Whaitsioidea]].<ref name=HA09>{{cite journal |last1=Huttenlocker |first1=A. |year=2009 |title=An investigation into the cladistic relationships and monophyly of therocephalian therapsids (Amniota: Synapsida) |journal=Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society |volume=157 |issue=4 |pages=865–891 |doi=10.1111/j.1096-3642.2009.00538.x |doi-access=free|url=http://publication.plazi.org/id/2C380121FFEFFFBAFF8BA23F0D707A61 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Huttenlocker |first1=A.K. |last2=Abdala |first2=F. |year=2015 |title=Revision of the first therocephalian, ''Theriognathus'' Owen (Therapsida: Whaitsiidae), and implications for cranial ontogeny and allometry in nonmammaliaform eutheriodonts |journal=Journal of Paleontology |volume=89 |issue=4 |pages=645–664 |doi=10.1017/jpa.2015.32 |s2cid=87382966}}</ref>

However, later research of therocephalian evolution using [[cladistics]] regardless of taxonomic ranking have found that many of the various whaitsiids/whaitsioids are in fact only distantly related to each other, with many belonging to the earlier-diverging clade [[Akidnognathidae]] instead (including members of Moschorhininae). As a clade, Whaitsiidae has been restricted to therocephalians closest to ''Theriognathus'' (the [[senior synonym]] of ''Whaitsia''). As such, ''Moschowhaitsia'' is a member of Whaitsiidae as cladistically defined, and is one of the clade's only representatives from Laurasia.<ref name=Microwhaitsia>{{cite journal |first1=A.K. |last1=Huttenlocker |first2=R.M.H. |last2=Smith |year=2017 |title=New whaitsioids (Therapsida: Therocephalia) from the Teekloof Formation of South Africa and therocephalian diversity during the end-Guadalupian extinction |journal=PeerJ |volume=5 |pages=e3868 |doi=10.7717/peerj.3868 |doi-access=free |pmc=5632541 |pmid=29018609}}</ref>

However, later research of therocephalian evolution using [[cladistics]] regardless of taxonomic ranking have found that many of the various whaitsiids/whaitsioids are in fact only distantly related to each other, with many belonging to the earlier-diverging clade [[Akidnognathidae]] instead (including members of Moschorhininae). As a clade, Whaitsiidae has been restricted to therocephalians closest to ''Theriognathus'' (the [[senior synonym]] of ''Whaitsia''). As such, ''Moschowhaitsia'' is a member of Whaitsiidae as cladistically defined, and is one of the clade's only representatives from Laurasia.<ref name=Microwhaitsia>{{cite journal |first1=A.K. |last1=Huttenlocker |first2=R.M.H. |last2=Smith |year=2017 |title=New whaitsioids (Therapsida: Therocephalia) from the Teekloof Formation of South Africa and therocephalian diversity during the end-Guadalupian extinction |journal=PeerJ |volume=5 |pages=e3868 |doi=10.7717/peerj.3868 |doi-access=free |pmc=5632541 |pmid=29018609}}</ref>