Eryopiformes is a group of rhachitomi

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 ...

s. Eryopiformes was named by the German paleontologist Rainer R. Schoch in 2013. He defined it as a

node-based taxon Phylogenetic nomenclature is a method of nomenclature for taxon, taxa in biology that uses phylogenetics, phylogenetic definitions for taxon names as explained below. This contrasts with Biological classification, the traditional method, by which ...

to include

Eryopidae Eryopidae were a group of medium to large amphibious temnospondyli, temnospondyls, known from North America and Europe. They are defined as all Eryopoidea, eryopoids with interpterygoid vacuities (spaces in the interpterygoid bone) that are roun ...

and

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 Stereosp ...

. Unlike previous analyses, a

phylogenetic In biology, phylogenetics () is the study of the evolutionary history of life using observable characteristics of organisms (or genes), which is known as phylogenetic inference. It infers the relationship among organisms based on empirical dat ...

analysis he performed found no support for a

monophyletic In biological cladistics for the classification of organisms, monophyly is the condition of a taxonomic grouping being a clade – that is, a grouping of organisms which meets these criteria: # the grouping contains its own most recent co ...

Euskelia Euskelia is a proposed clade of extinct temnospondyl amphibians. The naming derives from the ancient Greek ''eu'', meaning "true", and ''skelos'', meaning "limb", in reference to well-ossified limb bones with crests to which muscles were attached ...

, that is defined to include

Dissorophoidea Dissorophoidea is a clade of medium-sized, temnospondyl amphibians that appeared during the Moscovian in Euramerica, and continued through to the Late Permian and the Early Triassic of Gondwana. They are distinguished by various details of the ...

and

(and also usually includes

Zatracheidae Zatracheidae (sometimes mistakenly spelled Zatrachydidae or Zatrachysdidae) is a family of Late Carboniferous and Early Permian temnospondyls known from North America and Europe. Zatracheidids are distinguished by lateral (sideways) bony protuber ...

), in relation to Stereospondylomorpha. In this analysis, Eryopidae and Stereospondylomorpha usually formed a monophyletic clade that excludes the clade formed by

and

. Thus, he named this newly identified group as Eryopiformes.

References

Temnospondyli Pennsylvanian first appearances Early Cretaceous extinctions {{temnospondyli-stub