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Stereospondyl
The Stereospondyli are a group of extinct temnospondyl amphibians that existed primarily during the Mesozoic period. They are known from all seven continents and were common components of many Triassic ecosystems, likely filling a similar ecological niche to modern crocodilians prior to the diversification of pseudosuchian archosaurs. Classification and anatomy The group was first defined by Zittel (1888) on the recognition of the distinctive vertebral anatomy of the best known stereospondyls of the time, such as ''Mastodonsaurus'' and ''Metoposaurus''. The term 'stereospondylous' as a descriptor of vertebral anatomy was coined the following year by Fraas, referring to a vertebral position consisting largely or entirely of the intercentrum in addition to the neural arch. While the name 'Stereospondyli' is derived from the stereospondylous vertebral condition, there is a diversity of vertebral morphologies among stereospondyls, including the diplospondylous ('tupilakosaurid') co ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Temnospondyli
Temnospondyli (from Greek τέμνειν, ''temnein'' 'to cut' and σπόνδυλος, ''spondylos'' 'vertebra') is a diverse order of small to giant tetrapods—often considered primitive amphibians—that flourished worldwide during the Carboniferous, Permian, and Triassic periods. A few species continued into the Jurassic and Cretaceous periods. Fossils have been found on every continent. During about 210 million years of evolutionary history, they adapted to a wide range of habitats, including freshwater, terrestrial, and even coastal marine environments. Their life history is well understood, with fossils known from the larval stage, metamorphosis, and maturity. Most temnospondyls were semiaquatic, although some were almost fully terrestrial, returning to the water only to breed. These temnospondyls were some of the first vertebrates fully adapted to life on land. Although temnospondyls are considered amphibians, many had characteristics, such as scales and armour-like bo ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Rhinesuchidae
Rhinesuchidae is a family of tetrapods that lived primarily in the Permian period. They belonged to the broad group Temnospondyli, a successful and diverse collection of semiaquatic tetrapods which modern amphibians are probably descended from. Rhinesuchids can be differentiated from other temnospondyls by details of their skulls, most notably the interior structure of their otic notches at the back of the skull. They were among the earliest-diverging members of the Stereospondyli, a subgroup of temnospondyls with flat heads and aquatic habits. Although more advanced stereospondyls evolved to reach worldwide distribution in the Triassic period, rhinesuchids primarily lived in the high-latitude environments of Gondwana (what is now South America and Africa) during the Guadalupian and Lopingian epochs of the Permian. The taxonomy of this family has been convoluted, with more than twenty species having been named in the past; a 2017 review recognized only eight of them (distributed ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Lydekkerinidae
Lydekkerinidae is a family of stereospondyl temnospondyls that lived in the Early Triassic period. During this time period, lydekkerinids were widely distributed, with putative remains reported from Russia, Greenland, India, South Africa, Madagascar, Australia, and Antarctica. In contrast to most other stereospondyls, lydekkerinids were relatively small-bodied (most with skulls less than 10 cm in length). The type genus is '' Lydekkerina'', the namesake of the family and the best-known lydekkerinid. Description The identification of features shared among lydekkerinids (synapomorphies) necessarily varies depending on which taxa are considered to belong to this group (see further in next section). In the most expansive concept, the family includes the eponymous ''Lydekkerina'' (and junior synonyms like '''Broomulus''' and '''Limnoiketes'''), ''Eolydekkerina'' from South Africa, ''Deltacephalus'' from Madagascar, ''Luzocephalus'' from Russia and Greenland (which includes the '''Aq ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Stereospondylomorpha
Stereospondylomorpha is a clade of temnospondyls. It includes the superfamily Archegosauroidea and the more diverse group Stereospondyli. Stereospondylomorpha was first proposed by Yates and Warren (2000), who found Archegosauroidea and Stereospondyli to be sister taxa in their phylogenetic analysis. A similar clade is Archegosauriformes, named by Schoch and Milner (2000), which includes Stereospondyli and some Permian temnospondyls that are similar in appearance to stereospondyls, including the archegosauroids. However, according to Schoch and Milner's phylogeny, Archegosauroidea is a paraphyletic group of taxa that are successively basal to Stereospondyli, rather than a monophyletic sister taxon. ''Chinlestegophis'', a putative Triassic stereospondyl considered to be related to metoposauroids such as '' Rileymillerus'', has been noted to share many features with caecilian Caecilians (; ) are a group of limbless, vermiform or serpentine amphibians. They mostly live hid ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Metoposaurus
''Metoposaurus'' meaning "front lizard" is an extinct genus of stereospondyl temnospondyl amphibian, known from the Late Triassic of Germany, Italy, Poland, and Portugal. https://www.app.pan.pl/archive/published/app47/app47-535.pdf This mostly aquatic animal possessed small, weak limbs, sharp teeth, and a large, flat head. This highly flattened creature mainly fed on fish, which it captured with its wide jaws lined with needle-like teeth. ''Metoposaurus'' was up to 3 m (10 feet) long and weighed about 450 kg (1,000 pounds). Many ''Metoposaurus'' mass graves have been found, probably from creatures that grouped together in drying pools during drought. Discovery and species Discovery The earliest mention of Metoposauridae dates back to 1842 when Von Meyer described the dorsal view of the skull roof of a labyrinthodont from the Keuper Schilfsandstein of Feuerbacher Haide near Stuttgart. Later, Meyer attempted a reconstruction of the same specimen and named it ''Metop ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Arachana
''Arachana'' is an extinct genus of rhinesuchid-like temnospondyl known from the Early Triassic Buena Vista Formation of northeastern Uruguay. ''Arachana'' was first named by Graciela Piñeiro, Alejandro Ramos and Claudia Marsicano in 2012 and the type species is ''A. nigra''. It shares characteristics with both rhinesuchids and lydekkerinids, making it a transitional form between basal and more advanced stereospondyls. Description ''Arachana'' is known from the holotype FC-DPV 1369, a three-dimensionally preserved nearly complete skull that has not been distorted. It was collected in the Colonia Orozco locality from the Buena Vista Formation of the Norte Basin. The formation spans the boundary between the Permian and the Triassic, and it is uncertain whether FC-DPV 1369 was found in rocks above or below the boundary. ''Arachana'' shares several characters with rhinesuchids. For example, it has a large head with orbits or eye sockets placed slightly behind the m ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Capulomala
''Capulomala'' is an extinct genus of stereospondyl temnospondyl known from the Early Triassic. Separate species are recognised, ''C. panchetensis'' found in the Panchet Formation of India and ''C. arcadiaensis'' from the Arcadia Formation The Arcadia Formation and its sub-unit, the Tampa Member, are Late Oligocene geologic formations in North Florida, United States. It is part of the Hawthorn Group. Age Period: Paleogene to Neogene Epoch: Early Late Oligocene through Pliocene F ... of Australia.Warren, Anne & Damiani, R. & Sengupta, Dhurjati. (2009). Unique stereospondyl mandibles from the early triassic panchet formation of India and the Arcadia Formation of Australia. Special Papers in Palaeontology. 161-173. 10.1111/j.1475-4983.2009.00865.x. Description ''Capulomala'' is described on the basis of postglenoid areas of the mandible, which possess a uniquely hypertrophied postglenoid process. ''Capulomala'' cannot be reliably associated with any known cranial material. ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Lapillopsidae
Lapillopsidae is a family of Temnospondyli Temnospondyli (from Greek τέμνειν, ''temnein'' 'to cut' and σπόνδυλος, ''spondylos'' 'vertebra') is a diverse order of small to giant tetrapods—often considered primitive amphibians—that flourished worldwide during the Carb .... ''Lapillopsis'' was found as the sister to ''Rotaurisaurus'' in a 1999 analysis that found the Lapillopsidae as basal stereospondyls. ''Lapillopsis'' was found as a sister to Dissorophoidea by a 2017 analysis. Another relative of ''Lapillopsis'', ''Manubrantlia'' was described from the Early Triassic of India. Yates & Sengupta, 2002. A lapillopsid temnospondyl from the Early Triassic of India. Alcheringa 26: 201-208. https://doi.org/10.1080/03115510208619252 References * Stereospondyls Triassic temnospondyls {{triassic-animal-stub ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Capitosauria
Capitosauria is an extinct group of large temnospondyl amphibians with simplified stereospondyl vertebrae. Mainly living as piscivores in lakes and rivers, the Capitosauria and its sister taxon Trematosauria were the only major labyrinthodonts that existed during the Mesozoic in ecological niches broadly similar to those of modern crocodiles, and some grew to very large sizes. At 6 meters in length, the Mid-Triassic '' Mastodonsaurus giganteus'' is not only thought to have been the largest capitosaur, but possibly also the largest amphibian to have lived. The latest known remains are from the Rhaetian of Germany and are referred to ''Cyclotosaurus''. Capitosauria was first named by Schoch and Milner (2000) and further described by Yates and Warren (2000), who assigned '' Lydekkerina'' and Mastodonsauroidea to it. It was described by Damiani (2001) under the name Mastodonsauroidea. In their phylogenetic analysis of temnospondyls, Ruta ''et al.'' (2007) placed ''Lydekkerina'' and ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Trematosauria
Trematosauria is one of two major groups of temnospondyl amphibians that survived the Permian-Triassic extinction event, the other (according to Yates and Warren 2000) being the Capitosauria. The trematosaurs were a diverse and important group that included many medium-sized to large forms that were semi-aquatic to totally aquatic. The group included long-snouted forms such as the trematosauroids and short, broad-headed forms such as the metoposaurs.Brusatte, S. L., Butler R. J., Mateus O., & Steyer S. J. (2015). A new species of Metoposaurus from the Late Triassic of Portugal and comments on the systematics and biogeography of metoposaurid temnospondyls. Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology. e912988., 2015: Although most groups did not survive beyond the Triassic, one lineage, the brachyopoids, continued until the Cretaceous period. Trematosauria is defined as all stereospondyls more closely related to ''Trematosaurus'' than to ''Parotosuchus'', a capitosaurian. Classificatio ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Amphibian
Amphibians are four-limbed and ectothermic vertebrates of the class Amphibia. All living amphibians belong to the group Lissamphibia. They inhabit a wide variety of habitats, with most species living within terrestrial, fossorial, arboreal or freshwater aquatic ecosystems. Thus amphibians typically start out as larvae living in water, but some species have developed behavioural adaptations to bypass this. The young generally undergo metamorphosis from larva with gills to an adult air-breathing form with lungs. Amphibians use their skin as a secondary respiratory surface and some small terrestrial salamanders and frogs lack lungs and rely entirely on their skin. They are superficially similar to reptiles like lizards but, along with mammals and birds, reptiles are amniotes and do not require water bodies in which to breed. With their complex reproductive needs and permeable skins, amphibians are often ecological indicators; in recent decades there has been a dramat ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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