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Asaphestera
''Asaphestera'' is an extinct genus of a synapsid described on the basis of fossils from the Carboniferous of the Joggins locality in Nova Scotia, Canada. It was originally described as an undetermined lepospondyl and subsequently classified as a microsaur within the family Tuditanidae. A study published in 2020 found that specimens referred to ''Asaphestera'' represented several unrelated species. Steen (1934)'s original species name ''Asaphestera platyris'' was retained for a skull which has been re-evaluated as the earliest known synapsid. The type species of ''Asaphestera'' is ''Asaphestera platyris'', named by Steen (1934) based on three skulls. Carroll & Gaskill (1978) noted that one of the skulls was briefly named as the species ''" Hylerpeton" intermedium'' by Dawson (1894), though it is no longer consider related to the genus ''Hylerpeton''. According to Dawson's species name, they renamed ''Asaphestera platyris'' to ''Asaphestera intermedia''. Mann ''et al.'' (2020) r ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Synapsid
Synapsida is a diverse group of tetrapod vertebrates that includes all mammals and their extinct relatives. It is one of the two major clades of the group Amniota, the other being the more diverse group Sauropsida (which includes all extant reptiles and therefore, birds). Unlike other amniotes, synapsids have a single temporal fenestra, an opening low in the skull roof behind each eye socket, leaving a zygomatic arch, bony arch beneath each; this accounts for the name "synapsid". The distinctive temporal fenestra developed about 318 million years ago during the Late Carboniferous period, when synapsids and sauropsids diverged, but was subsequently merged with the orbit in early mammals. The basal (phylogenetics), basal amniotes (reptiliomorphs) from which synapsids evolved were historically simply called "reptiles". Therefore, stem group synapsids were then described as mammal-like reptiles in classical systematics, and non-therapsid synapsids were also referred to as pelyco ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Microsaur
Microsauria is an extinct, possibly polyphyletic order of tetrapods from the late Carboniferous and early Permian periods. It is the most diverse and species-rich group of lepospondyls. Recently, Microsauria has been considered paraphyletic, as several other non-microsaur lepospondyl groups such as Lysorophia seem to be nested in it. Microsauria is now commonly used as a collective term for the grade of lepospondyls that were originally classified as members of Microsauria. The microsaurs all had short tails and small legs, but were otherwise quite varied in form. The group included lizard-like animals that were relatively well-adapted to living on dry land, burrowing forms, and others that, like the modern axolotl, retained their gills into adult life, and so presumably never left the water. Their skeleton was heavily ossified, and their development was likely gradual with no metamorphosis. Distribution Microsaur remains have been found from Europe and North America in Late ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Joggins Formation
The Joggins Formation is a Formation (geology), geologic formation in Nova Scotia. It preserves fossils dating back to the Westphalian stage or Moscovian (Carboniferous), Moscovian stage of the Upper Carboniferous Period (geology), period or Pennsylvanian (geology), Pennsylvanian Period (geology), period, including ''Hylonomus'', the earliest known reptile. In addition to fossils, the Joggins Formation was a valuable source of coal from the 17th century until the mid-20th century. The Joggins Formation's spectacular coastal Outcrop, exposure, the Joggins#Joggins Fossil Cliffs, Joggins Fossil Cliffs at Coal Mine Point, was named a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2008. History Early mining Prior to European colonization, the Joggins Formation and surrounding territory was part of the Miꞌkmaꞌki, the traditional homeland of the Mi'kmaq nation. French colonization city of the Bay of Fundy began in 1604. Acadian miners from Beaubassin were the first Europeans to mine the cliffs ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Lepospondyli
Lepospondyli is a diverse clade of early tetrapods. With the exception of one late-surviving lepospondyl from the Late Permian of Morocco ('' Diplocaulus minimus''), lepospondyls lived from the Visean stage of the Early Carboniferous to the Early Permian and were geographically restricted to what is now Europe and North America. Five major groups of lepospondyls are known: Adelospondyli; Aïstopoda; Lysorophia; Microsauria; and Nectridea. Lepospondyls have a diverse range of body forms and include species with newt-like, eel- or snake-like, and lizard-like forms. Various species were aquatic, semiaquatic, or terrestrial. None were large (the biggest genus, the diplocaulid '' Diplocaulus'', reached a meter in length, but most were much smaller), and they are assumed to have lived in specialized ecological niches not taken by the more numerous temnospondyl amphibians that coexisted with them in the Paleozoic. Lepospondyli was named in 1888 by Karl Alfred von Zittel, who coi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Eothyrididae
Eothyrididae is an extinct family of very primitive, insectivorous synapsids. Only three genera are known, '' Eothyris'', '' Vaughnictis'' and '' Oedaleops'', all from the early Permian of North America. Their main distinguishing feature is the large caniniform tooth in front of the maxilla. Eothyridids share with the Caseidae a number of specialised features associated with the morphology of the snout and external naris and it is likely that their common ancestor was close in build to ''Eothyris''. The two together form the clade Caseasauria. ''Eothyris'' is known from a single skull specimen; ''Oedaleops'' is known from three partial skulls and some parts of some limbs. ''Vaughnictis'' is known from a partial skull, six dorsal vertebrae and some hind-limb bones. The skulls are approximately six centimeters in length, suggesting that the total length of the animals was under one meter. The species were found in the lower Permian in what is today North America. In modern cladist ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Carboniferous
The Carboniferous ( ) is a Geologic time scale, geologic period and System (stratigraphy), system of the Paleozoic era (geology), era that spans 60 million years, from the end of the Devonian Period Ma (million years ago) to the beginning of the Permian Period, Ma. It is the fifth and penultimate period of the Paleozoic era and the fifth period of the Phanerozoic eon (geology), eon. In North America, the Carboniferous is often treated as two separate geological periods, the earlier Mississippian (geology), Mississippian and the later Pennsylvanian (geology), Pennsylvanian. The name ''Carboniferous'' means "coal-bearing", from the Latin ("coal") and ("bear, carry"), and refers to the many coal beds formed globally during that time. The first of the modern "system" names, it was coined by geologists William Conybeare (geologist), William Conybeare and William Phillips (geologist), William Phillips in 1822, based on a study of the British rock succession. Carboniferous is the per ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Genus
Genus (; : genera ) is a taxonomic rank above species and below family (taxonomy), family as used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In binomial nomenclature, the genus name forms the first part of the binomial species name for each species within the genus. :E.g. ''Panthera leo'' (lion) and ''Panthera onca'' (jaguar) are two species within the genus ''Panthera''. ''Panthera'' is a genus within the family Felidae. The composition of a genus is determined by taxonomy (biology), taxonomists. The standards for genus classification are not strictly codified, so different authorities often produce different classifications for genera. There are some general practices used, however, including the idea that a newly defined genus should fulfill these three criteria to be descriptively useful: # monophyly – all descendants of an ancestral taxon are grouped together (i.e. Phylogeneti ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Nova Scotia, Canada
Nova Scotia is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada, located on its east coast. It is one of the three Maritime Canada, Maritime provinces and Population of Canada by province and territory, most populous province in Atlantic Canada, with an estimated population of over 1 million as of 2024; it is also the second-most densely populated province in Canada, and second-smallest province by area. The province comprises the Nova Scotia peninsula and Cape Breton Island, as well as 3,800 other coastal islands. The province is connected to the rest of Canada by the Isthmus of Chignecto, on which the province's land border with New Brunswick is located. Nova Scotia's Capital city, capital and largest municipality is Halifax, Nova Scotia, Halifax, which is home to over 45% of the province's population as of the 2021 Canadian census, 2021 census. Halifax is the List of census metropolitan areas and agglomerations in Canada, twelfth-largest census metropolitan area in ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Family (biology)
Family (, : ) is one of the eight major hierarchical taxonomic ranks in Linnaean taxonomy. It is classified between order and genus. A family may be divided into subfamilies, which are intermediate ranks between the ranks of family and genus. The official family names are Latin in origin; however, popular names are often used: for example, walnut trees and hickory trees belong to the family Juglandaceae, but that family is commonly referred to as the "walnut family". The delineation of what constitutes a family—or whether a described family should be acknowledged—is established and decided upon by active taxonomists. There are not strict regulations for outlining or acknowledging a family, yet in the realm of plants, these classifications often rely on both the vegetative and reproductive characteristics of plant species. Taxonomists frequently hold varying perspectives on these descriptions, leading to a lack of widespread consensus within the scientific community ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Tuditanidae
Tuditanidae is an extinct family (biology), family of microsaurian tetrapods. Fossils have been found from Nova Scotia, Ohio, and the Czech Republic and are Late Carboniferous in age. Tuditanids were medium-sized terrestrial microsaurs that resembled lizards. Postcranial material is best known from the genus ''Tuditanus'', showing that it had size, proportions, and skull configuration that were similar to Captorhinidae, captorhinids. Tuditanids have also developed an Talus bone, astragalus in the ankle (a reptilian feature) from the fusion of several other bones. In comparison to other microsaurs, tuditanids were short-bodied, with fewer than 30 presacral vertebrae. The limbs are large and well developed. Unlike other microsaurs such as Gymnarthridae, gymnarthrids, the jaw articulation is at the posterior margin of the skull. The teeth are blunt and peg-like. Tuditanids are thought to have had a similar lifestyle to reptiles such as captorhinids. They were terrestrial and likel ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Hylerpeton
''Hylerpeton'' is an extinct genus of microsaurian tetrapods belonging to the family Gymnarthridae from the late Carboniferous The Carboniferous ( ) is a Geologic time scale, geologic period and System (stratigraphy), system of the Paleozoic era (geology), era that spans 60 million years, from the end of the Devonian Period Ma (million years ago) to the beginning of the ... period. The nominal species ''"Hylerpeton" longidentatum'' Dawson, 1876 was considered possibly non-microsaurian by Steen (1934) and Carroll (1966), and was eventually recognized as a member of Aistopoda and renamed '' Andersonerpeton longidentatum'' by Pardo and Mann (2018) as the type species of a new genus.Jason D. Pardo and Arjan Mann, 2018. A basal aïstopod from the earliest Pennsylvanian of Canada, and the antiquity of the first limbless tetrapod lineage5Royal Society Open Science http://doi.org/10.1098/rsos.181056 References Gymnarthrids Carboniferous tetrapods of North America Fossil ta ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Nomen Dubium
In binomial nomenclature, a ''nomen dubium'' (Latin for "doubtful name", plural ''nomina dubia'') is a scientific name that is of unknown or doubtful application. Zoology In case of a ''nomen dubium,'' it may be impossible to determine whether a specimen belongs to that group or not. This may happen if the original type series (i. e. holotype, isotype, syntype or paratype) is lost or destroyed. The zoological and botanical codes allow for a new type specimen, or neotype, to be chosen in this case. A name may also be considered a ''nomen dubium'' if its name-bearing type is fragmentary or lacking important diagnostic features (this is often the case for species known only as fossils). To preserve stability of names, the ''International Code of Zoological Nomenclature'' allows a new type specimen, or neotype, to be chosen for a ''nomen dubium'' in this case. 75.5. Replacement of unidentifiable name-bearing type by a neotype. When an author considers that the taxonomic identity ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
