''Clepsydrops'' is an extinct genus of primitive

synapsid Synapsids + (, 'arch') > () "having a fused arch"; synonymous with ''theropsids'' (Greek, "beast-face") are one of the two major groups of animals that evolved from basal amniotes, the other being the sauropsids, the group that includes reptil ...

s from the early

Late Carboniferous Late may refer to: * LATE, an acronym which could stand for: ** Limbic-predominant age-related TDP-43 encephalopathy, a proposed form of dementia ** Local-authority trading enterprise, a New Zealand business law ** Local average treatment effect, ...

that was related to ''

Archaeothyris ''Archaeothyris'' is an extinct genus of ophiacodontid synapsid that lived during the Late Carboniferous and is known from Nova Scotia. Dated to 306 million years ago, ''Archaeothyris'', along with a more poorly known synapsid called '' Echinerpe ...

''. The name means 'hour-glass appearance' (Greek ''klepsydra'' = "hourglass" + Greek ''ops'' = "eye, face, appearance").http://dinosaurmailinglist.cmnh.org/2016Jun/msg00013.html

Synapsid Synapsids + (, 'arch') > () "having a fused arch"; synonymous with ''theropsids'' (Greek, "beast-face") are one of the two major groups of animals that evolved from basal amniotes, the other being the sauropsids, the group that includes reptil ...

a is the group (or clade) that includes mammals, but the term is mainly used to refer to its earliest members. Like many other early terrestrial amniotes, it probably had the diet of

insect Insects (from Latin ') are pancrustacean hexapod invertebrates of the class Insecta. They are the largest group within the arthropod phylum. Insects have a chitinous exoskeleton, a three-part body ( head, thorax and abdomen), three ...

s and smaller

animal Animals are multicellular, eukaryotic organisms in the Kingdom (biology), biological kingdom Animalia. With few exceptions, animals Heterotroph, consume organic material, Cellular respiration#Aerobic respiration, breathe oxygen, are Motilit ...

s. It probably laid eggs on land rather than in the water, as most amniote

tetrapod Tetrapods (; ) are four-limbed vertebrate animals constituting the superclass Tetrapoda (). It includes extant and extinct amphibians, sauropsids ( reptiles, including dinosaurs and therefore birds) and synapsids ( pelycosaurs, extinct t ...

s did. A paleobiological inference model for the femur suggests a terrestrial lifestyle for ''Clepsydrops'', as for its more recent relative ''Ophiacodon''. This is consistent with its rather thin, compact cortex. Its jaws were slightly more advanced than those of other early amniote

tetrapods Tetrapods (; ) are four-limbed vertebrate animals constituting the superclass Tetrapoda (). It includes extant and extinct amphibians, sauropsids (reptiles, including dinosaurs and therefore birds) and synapsids ( pelycosaurs, extinct therapsi ...

like '' Paleothyris'' and ''

Hylonomus ''Hylonomus'' (; ''hylo-'' "forest" + ''nomos'' "dweller") is an extinct genus of reptile that lived 312 million years ago during the Late Carboniferous period. It is the earliest unquestionable reptile (''Westlothiana'' is older, but in fact it ...

''.

References

Prehistoric synapsid genera Ophiacodontids Carboniferous synapsids Carboniferous synapsids of North America Transitional fossils Taxa named by Edward Drinker Cope Fossil taxa described in 1875 Paleozoic life of Nova Scotia {{Paleo-Synapsid-stub

See also

References