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Megalophthalma
''Megalophthalma'' (meaning "large eye" from the Greek ''megale'' large"and ''ophthalmós'' eye" is an extinct genus of temnospondyl amphibian belonging to the family Plagiosauridae. It is represented by the single type species ''Megalophthalma ockerti'' from the Middle Triassic Erfurt Formation in southern Germany, which is itself based on a single partial skull and a fragment of the lower jaw. ''Megalophthalma'' is distinguished from other temnospondyls by its very large orbits or eye sockets, which occupy most of the skull and are bordered by thin struts of bone. Like those of most plagiosaurids, the skull flat, wide, and roughly triangular. The orbits are pentagon-shaped. The bones at the back of the skull (the occiput) are highly modified and show similarities with those of the plagiosaurid ''Plagiosternum''. Both ''Megalophthalma'' and ''Plagiosternum'' lack prefrontal and postfrontal bones. In fact, ''Megalophthalma'' and ''Plagiosternum'' are thought to form their own cl ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Megalophthalma
''Megalophthalma'' (meaning "large eye" from the Greek ''megale'' large"and ''ophthalmós'' eye" is an extinct genus of temnospondyl amphibian belonging to the family Plagiosauridae. It is represented by the single type species ''Megalophthalma ockerti'' from the Middle Triassic Erfurt Formation in southern Germany, which is itself based on a single partial skull and a fragment of the lower jaw. ''Megalophthalma'' is distinguished from other temnospondyls by its very large orbits or eye sockets, which occupy most of the skull and are bordered by thin struts of bone. Like those of most plagiosaurids, the skull flat, wide, and roughly triangular. The orbits are pentagon-shaped. The bones at the back of the skull (the occiput) are highly modified and show similarities with those of the plagiosaurid ''Plagiosternum''. Both ''Megalophthalma'' and ''Plagiosternum'' lack prefrontal and postfrontal bones. In fact, ''Megalophthalma'' and ''Plagiosternum'' are thought to form their own cl ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Erfurt Formation
The Erfurt Formation, also known as the Lower Keuper (German: ''Untere Keuper'', ''Lettenkeuper'', ''Lettenkohle'' or ''Lettenkohlenkeuper''), is a stratigraphic formation of the Keuper group and the Germanic Trias supergroup. It was deposited during the Ladinian stage of the Triassic period.Erfurt Formation at .org It lies above the and below the . [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
2014 In Paleontology
Plants Cnidarians Newly described cnidarians Arthropods Bryozoans Newly described bryozoans Brachiopods Molluscs Echinoderms Conodonts Newly described conodonts Fishes Amphibians Basalmost tetrapods Temnospondyls Research * Specimens of ''Micromelerpeton crederni'' with abnormalities in their limbs interpreted as a result of limb regeneration are described by Fröbisch, Bickelmann and Witzmann (2014). * Redescription of '' Mahavisaurus dentatus'' and '' Lyrosaurus australis'' and a study on the phylogenetic relationships of the rhytidosteids is published by Maganuco, Pasini & Auditore (2014). New taxa Chroniosuchians Lissamphibians Research * The humerus bone of a large calyptocephalellid anuran, apparently one of the largest fossil anurans known to date, is described by Otero ''et al.'' (2014) from the Eocene of Chile. New taxa Reptiles Synapsids Non-mammalian synapsids Research * A study on the diel activity patterns of non-mammalian syn ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Plagiosauridae
Plagiosauridae is a clade of temnospondyl amphibians of the Middle to Late Triassic The Triassic ( ) is a geologic period and system (stratigraphy), system which spans 50.6 million years from the end of the Permian Period 251.902 million years ago (Year#Abbreviations yr and ya, Mya), to the beginning of the Jurassic Period 201.36 .... Deposits of the group are most commonly found in non-marine aquatic depositional environments from central Europe and Greenland, but other remains have been found in Russia, Scandinavia, and possibly Thailand. Material The majority of plagiosaurid remains are of the genus ''Gerrothorax'', which have been recovered from the Fleming Fjord Formation of Jameson Land, East Greenland, and from many localities in southern Germany. All of this material is currently assigned to a single species, ''pulcherrimus''. ''Plagiosuchus'' material is also very abundant, though poorly preserved and has been found only from Germany. Additional material, including t ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Middle Triassic
In the geologic timescale, the Middle Triassic is the second of three epochs of the Triassic period or the middle of three series in which the Triassic system is divided in chronostratigraphy. The Middle Triassic spans the time between Ma and Ma (million years ago). It is preceded by the Early Triassic Epoch and followed by the Late Triassic Epoch. The Middle Triassic is divided into the Anisian and Ladinian ages or stages. Formerly the middle series in the Triassic was also known as Muschelkalk. This name is now only used for a specific unit of rock strata with approximately Middle Triassic age, found in western Europe. Middle Triassic fauna Following the Permian–Triassic extinction event, the most devastating of all mass-extinctions, life recovered slowly. In the Middle Triassic, many groups of organisms reached higher diversity again, such as the marine reptiles (e.g. ichthyosaurs, sauropterygians, thallatosaurs), ray-finned fish and many invertebrate groups like ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Basal (phylogenetics)
In phylogenetics, basal is the direction of the ''base'' (or root) of a phylogenetic tree#Rooted tree, rooted phylogenetic tree or cladogram. The term may be more strictly applied only to nodes adjacent to the root, or more loosely applied to nodes regarded as being close to the root. Note that extant taxa that lie on branches connecting directly to the root are not more closely related to the root than any other extant taxa. While there must always be two or more equally "basal" clades sprouting from the root of every cladogram, those clades may differ widely in taxonomic rank, Phylogenetic diversity, species diversity, or both. If ''C'' is a basal clade within ''D'' that has the lowest rank of all basal clades within ''D'', ''C'' may be described as ''the'' basal taxon of that rank within ''D''. The concept of a 'key innovation' implies some degree of correlation between evolutionary innovation and cladogenesis, diversification. However, such a correlation does not make a given ca ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Triassic Temnospondyls
The Triassic ( ) is a geologic period and system which spans 50.6 million years from the end of the Permian Period 251.902 million years ago ( Mya), to the beginning of the Jurassic Period 201.36 Mya. The Triassic is the first and shortest period of the Mesozoic Era. Both the start and end of the period are marked by major extinction events. The Triassic Period is subdivided into three epochs: Early Triassic, Middle Triassic and Late Triassic. The Triassic began in the wake of the Permian–Triassic extinction event, which left the Earth's biosphere impoverished; it was well into the middle of the Triassic before life recovered its former diversity. Three categories of organisms can be distinguished in the Triassic record: survivors from the extinction event, new groups that flourished briefly, and other new groups that went on to dominate the Mesozoic Era. Reptiles, especially archosaurs, were the chief terrestrial vertebrates during this time. A specialized subgroup of archosaurs ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ipnops
''Ipnops'' is a genus of deep-sea fish in the family Ipnopidae, which also includes the better-known tripodfish (''Bathypterois grallator''). ''Ipnops'' are small, slender fish that live close to the ocean floor in the bathyal and abyssal zones. The genus is notable for its unusual eyes. Species There are currently three recognized species in this genus: * '' Ipnops agassizii'' Garman, 1899 (grideye fish) * ''Ipnops meadi'' J. G. Nielsen, 1966 * ''Ipnops murrayi'' Günther, 1878 Distribution Specimens of ''I. murrayi'' and ''I. agassizi'' have been caught at depths of 1392–3475 m; ''I. murrayi'' occurs in the Atlantic Ocean while ''I. agassizi'' occurs in the Indo-Pacific region. ''I. meadi'' is also found in the Indo-Pacific, but occurs deeper at 3310–4970 m. Biology ''Ipnops'' has only recently been observed in the wild, so details of their life history has mostly been inferred from the characteristics of captured specimens. They have large mouths with numerous small te ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Pipid
The Pipidae are a family of primitive, tongueless frogs. The 41 species in the family Pipidae are found in tropical South America (genus ''Pipa'') and sub-Saharan Africa (the three other genera). Description Pipid frogs are highly aquatic and have numerous morphological modifications befitting their habitat. For example, the feet are completely webbed, the body is flattened, and a lateral line system is present in adults. In addition, pipids possess highly modified ears for producing and receiving sound under water. They lack a tongue or vocal cords, instead having bony rods in the larynx that help produce sound. They range from in body length. Taxonomy Family Pipidae * '' Hymenochirus'' - dwarf clawed frogs (4 species) * ''Pipa'' - Surinam toads (7 species) * ''Pseudhymenochirus'' - Merlin's dwarf gray frog or Merlin's clawed frog (1 species) * ''Xenopus'' - clawed frogs (29 species)Evans et al., 2015 ** Subgenus ''(Silurana)'' - common clawed frogs ** Subgenus ''(Xen ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Cryptobranchid
The Cryptobranchidae are a family of fully aquatic salamanders commonly known as the giant salamanders. They include the largest living amphibians. The family is native to China, Japan, and the eastern United States. They constitute one of two living families within the Cryptobranchoidea, one of two main divisions of living salamanders, the other being the Asiatic salamanders belonging to the family Hynobiidae. The largest species are in the genus ''Andrias,'' native to east Asia''.'' The South China giant salamander (''Andrias sligoi''), can reach a length of .Andrias davidianus AmphibiaWeb: Information on amphibian biology and conservation. 2012. Berkeley, California: AmphibiaWeb. Retrieved 13 December 2012. The |
Retina
The retina (from la, rete "net") is the innermost, light-sensitive layer of tissue of the eye of most vertebrates and some molluscs. The optics of the eye create a focused two-dimensional image of the visual world on the retina, which then processes that image within the retina and sends nerve impulses along the optic nerve to the visual cortex to create visual perception. The retina serves a function which is in many ways analogous to that of the film or image sensor in a camera. The neural retina consists of several layers of neurons interconnected by synapses and is supported by an outer layer of pigmented epithelial cells. The primary light-sensing cells in the retina are the photoreceptor cells, which are of two types: rods and cones. Rods function mainly in dim light and provide monochromatic vision. Cones function in well-lit conditions and are responsible for the perception of colour through the use of a range of opsins, as well as high-acuity vision used for task ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Gerrothorax
''Gerrothorax'' ("wicker chest") is an extinct genus of temnospondyl amphibian from the Triassic period of Greenland, Germany, Poland, Sweden, and possibly Thailand. It is known from a single species, ''G. pulcherrimus'', although several other species such as ''G. pustuloglomeratus'' have been named in the past. ''Gerrothorax'' was about long, and had a remarkably flattened body. It probably hid under sand or mud on river and lake bottoms, scanning for prey with its large, upward-facing eyes. ''Gerrothorax'' had an unusually shaped skull with angular protrusions on the sides. This looked vaguely similar to the skull of the earlier, unrelated, amphibian ''Diplocaulus'', but was not so developed. Some ''Gerrothorax'' fossils preserved hypobranchials anceratobranchials(bony gill arches) near the neck. This shows that ''Gerrothorax'' was pedomorphic, retaining its larval gills as an adult. When originally described in 1946, these bones were considered to correspond to feather-lik ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
