''Erpetosaurus'' is an extinct

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 ...

dvinosauria Dvinosaurs are one of several new clades of temnospondyls named in the phylogenetic review of the group by Yates and Warren 2000. They represent a group of primitive semi-aquatic to completely aquatic temnospondyls, and are known from the Late C ...

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 ...

within the

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 ...

Eobrachyopidae Dvinosaurs are one of several new clades of temnospondyls named in the cladistics, phylogenetic review of the group by Yates and Warren 2000. They represent a group of primitive semi-aquatic to completely aquatic temnospondyls, and are known fro ...

. Erpetosaurus is only known from the Upper Freeport Coal,

Allegheny Group The Allegheny Group, often termed the Allegheny Formation, is a Pennsylvanian (geology), Pennsylvanian-age geological unit in the Appalachian Plateau. It is a major coal-bearing unit in the eastern United States, extending through western and cen ...

Middle Pennsylvanian The Pennsylvanian ( , also known as Upper Carboniferous or Late Carboniferous) is, on the ICS geologic timescale, the younger of two subperiods of the Carboniferous Period (or the upper of two subsystems of the Carboniferous System). It last ...

Linton, Ohio Yellow Creek (previously also known as Linton) is an unincorporated community in Saline Township, Jefferson County, Ohio, United States. It is located northwest of Hammondsville at the intersection of Ohio State Route 7 and Ohio State Route 21 ...

, USA. Some unique features of the

temnospondyls Temnospondyli (from Greek τέμνειν, ''temnein'' 'to cut' and σπόνδυλος, ''spondylos'' 'vertebra') or temnospondyls is a diverse ancient order of small to giant tetrapods—often considered primitive amphibians—that flourished wo ...

are that they have a single fang on each

premaxilla The premaxilla (or praemaxilla) is one of a pair of small cranial bones at the very tip of the upper jaw of many animals, usually, but not always, bearing teeth. In humans, they are fused with the maxilla. The "premaxilla" of therian mammals h ...

on the anterior maxilla for the reception of two

dentary In jawed vertebrates, the mandible (from the Latin ''mandibula'', 'for chewing'), lower jaw, or jawbone is a bone that makes up the lowerand typically more mobilecomponent of the mouth (the upper jaw being known as the maxilla). The jawbone ...

fangs; and an elongate, tube-like backside extension of the

parasphenoid The parasphenoid is a bone which can be found in the cranium of many vertebrates. It is an unpaired dermal bone which lies at the midline of the roof of the mouth. In many reptiles (including birds), it fuses to the endochondral (cartilage-derived ...

, both hinting to an aquatic hunting lifestyle.

References

Sources

# https://www.palass.org/publications/special-papers-palaeontology/archive/86/article_pp57-73 # https://kb.osu.edu/dspace/bitstream/handle/1811/23240/V088N1_055.pdf
Paleobiology Database
Dvinosauria {{temnospondyli-stub

See also

References

Sources