''Archegosaurus'' is a
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 bino ...
of
temnospondyl
Temnospondyli (from Greek language, Greek τέμνειν, ''temnein'' 'to cut' and σπόνδυλος, ''spondylos'' 'vertebra') or temnospondyls is a diverse ancient order (biology), order of small to giant tetrapods—often considered Labyrinth ...
amphibian
Amphibians are ectothermic, anamniote, anamniotic, tetrapod, four-limbed vertebrate animals that constitute the class (biology), class Amphibia. In its broadest sense, it is a paraphyletic group encompassing all Tetrapod, tetrapods, but excl ...
which lived during the
Asselian to
Wuchiapingian
In the geologic timescale, the Wuchiapingian or Wujiapingian (from in the Liangshan area of Hanzhong, Shaanxi Province ) is an age or stage of the Permian. It is also the lower or earlier of two subdivisions of the Lopingian Epoch or S ...
stages of the
Permian
The Permian ( ) is a geologic period and System (stratigraphy), stratigraphic system which spans 47 million years, from the end of the Carboniferous Period million years ago (Mya), to the beginning of the Triassic Period 251.902 Mya. It is the s ...
, around 299-253 million years ago. The remains of this animal, consisting of at least 90 partial skeletons (mostly skulls), have been found in
Germany
Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...
. The name ''Archegosaurus'' was coined by Goldfuss in 1847. ''Archegosaurus'' is a member of
Archegosauridae and is that
family
Family (from ) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). It forms the basis for social order. Ideally, families offer predictabili ...
's
type genus
In biological taxonomy, the type genus (''genus typica'') is the genus which defines a biological family and the root of the family name.
Zoological nomenclature
According to the International Code of Zoological Nomenclature, "The name-bearin ...
.
Classification

In 1938, paleontologist Margaret C. Steen described a temnospondyl from the Permian-age Ruprechtice assemblage in northeast
Bohemia
Bohemia ( ; ; ) is the westernmost and largest historical region of the Czech Republic. In a narrow, geographic sense, it roughly encompasses the territories of present-day Czechia that fall within the Elbe River's drainage basin, but historic ...
. Steen named it ''Memonomenos dyscriton'' on the basis of a skull that was narrower than others in the Ruprechtice. It was classified as an
anthracosaur, a group closely related to reptiles. Both ''Memonomenos'' and
embolomere anthracosaurs had vertebrae that were divided into several parts, including a pleurocentrum and intercentrum. Animals with this type of divided vertebrae were said to be
rachitomi. During the early twentieth century, paleontologists considered rhachitomous temnospondyls to be the descendants of embolomeres, and Steen considered ''Memonomenos'' to be a link between these two groups. Steen also noted that ''Memonomenos'' had large
tabular horns, a feature shared with anthracosaurs. Temnospondyls and anthracosaurs were later found to be two distantly related groups, and paleontologist
Alfred Romer placed ''Memonomenos'' within Anthracosauria. This placement was accepted until 1978 when ''Memonomenos'' was reassigned to the genus ''Archegosaurus'' and classified as a temnospondyl. ''Memonomenos dyscriton'' became a second species of ''Archegosaurus'', ''A. dyscriton''.
Biology

''Archegosaurus'' was a fully aquatic animal. A study regarding its metabolism, gas exchange, osmoregulation, and digestion suggest that it was rather similar to
fish
A fish (: fish or fishes) is an aquatic animal, aquatic, Anamniotes, anamniotic, gill-bearing vertebrate animal with swimming fish fin, fins and craniate, a hard skull, but lacking limb (anatomy), limbs with digit (anatomy), digits. Fish can ...
, rather than modern aquatic amphibians like salamanders.
[Florian Witzmann; Elizabeth Brainerd (2017). "Modeling the physiology of the aquatic temnospondyl Archegosaurus decheni from the early Permian of Germany". Fossil Record. 20 (2): 105–127. doi:10.5194/fr-20-105-2017.]
References
*
External links
Archegosauroideafrom Palaeos.com
{{Taxonbar, from=Q748733
Permian temnospondyls of Europe
Stereospondylomorpha
Fossil taxa described in 1847
Prehistoric amphibian genera
Taxa named by Georg August Goldfuss