Chigutisauridae is an extinct

family Family (from la, familia) is a group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its members and of society. Idea ...

of large

temnospondyl 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 ...

amphibians 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, arb ...

. The only genera recognized as belonging to Chigutisauridae at the current time are all from

Gondwana Gondwana () was a large landmass, often referred to as a supercontinent, that formed during the late Neoproterozoic (about 550 million years ago) and began to break up during the Jurassic period (about 180 million years ago). The final st ...

. Chigutisaurids first appeared during the Early Triassic in Australia. During the Late Triassic they became widely distributed in Gondwana, with fossils found in South Africa, India and South America. ''

Koolasuchus ''Koolasuchus'' is an extinct genus of brachyopoid temnospondyl in the family Chigutisauridae. Fossils have been found from Victoria, Australia and date back 120 Ma to the Aptian stage of the Early Cretaceous. ''Koolasuchus'' is the youngest kno ...

'' from the Early Cretaceous of Australia represents the youngest known temnospondyl.

List of genera

*'' Chigutisaurus'' *'' Compsocerops'' *'' Keratobrachyops'' (placement uncertain) *''

'' *'' Kuttycephalus'' *'' Pelorocephalus'' *''

Siderops ''Siderops'' is an extinct genus of chigutisaurid temnospondyl from Early Jurassic of Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (co ...

References

*Sengupta, D.P. 1995
Chigutisaurid temnspondyls from the Late Triassic of India and a review of the family Chigutisauridae.
Palaeontology 38: 19-59. *Sengupta, D.P. 2003. Triassic temnospondyls of the Pranhita-Godavari Basin, India. Journal of Asian Earth Sciences 21: 655-662.

External links

Triassic temnospondyls Jurassic temnospondyls Cretaceous temnospondyls Amphibian families Early Triassic first appearances Early Cretaceous extinctions {{temnospondyli-stub