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Diadectids
Diadectidae is an extinct family (biology), family of early tetrapods that lived in what is now North America and Europe during the Late Carboniferous and Early Permian, and in Asia during the Late Permian. They were the first herbivorous tetrapods, and also the first fully terrestrial animals to attain large sizes. Footprints indicate that diadectids walked with an erect posture. They were the first to exploit plant material in terrestrial food chains, making their appearance an important stage in both vertebrate evolution and the development of terrestrial ecosystems. The best known and largest representative of the family is ''Diadectes'', a heavily built animal that attained a maximum length of several metres. Several other genera and various fragmentary fossil remains are also known. Although well known genera like ''Diadectes'' first appear in the Late Pennsylvanian, fragmentary remains of possible diadectids are known from much earlier deposits, including a piece of lower j ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ambedus
''Ambedus'' is an extinct genus of possible diadectid reptiliomorph. Fossils have been found from the Early Permian Dunkard Group of Monroe County, Ohio, Monroe County, Ohio. The type species ''A. pusillus'' was named in 2004. The genus name comes from the Latin word ''ambedo'' meaning "to nibble", in reference to its herbivorous diet. The specific name ''pusillus'' means "tiny" in Latin. Description ''Ambedus'' is a small tetrapod, possible Diadectid, known only from maxillae and dentary bones. It is usually considered the most primitive diadectid because unlike other forms it had a small, shallow lower jaw and many simple, conical teeth. It was also smaller than the later, rather bulky diadectids. Later diadectids have deep jaws with few teeth and forward-projecting incisor, incisiforms at the tips of the jaws for consuming plant material, and a corresponding greater girth. Phylogeny David Berman's 2013 paper argued against the inclusion of Ambedus in Diadectidae. He stated in ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
