Genus: Thabanchuia WARREN, 1999
Etymology: From the locality Thaba N’chu, which means “black mountain’ in the African Sutu language.

Species: oomie WARREN, 1999
Etymology: The species is named for Professor James Kitching, called ‘oomie’ by many of his South African colleagues. Oomie is the Afrikaans name for ‘uncle’ and James may be thought of as the uncle of Karroo Vertebrate Paleontology, having generously guided innumerable visiting collegues around the Karroo exposures, and written the definitive guide to them (Kitching, 1997). I (Ann Warren) attempted to construct a specific name to honour Profesesor Kitcing in the Sutu language with the help of Dr. Bernard Battail, but the resultant ‘mketuyamalome’ meaing ‘the frog of my maternal uncle’ would not have endeared me to my collegues.

Holotype: UCMP 42780

Locality: UCMP locality V4744, Thaba N’chu, 50 km E of bloemfontein, Orange Free State, South Africa.

Horizon: Lystrosaurus zone, Early Triassic.

Material: An almost-complete skull, attached mandibular rami and pectoral girdle with several centra, branchial arches and a median branchial element.

Referred material:

UCMP 42777, 42781: Partial skulls and associated postcranial elemetns.

UCMP 42778: A string of articulated vertebrae and ribs.