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Capitosauria
Capitosauria is an extinct group of large temnospondyl amphibians with simplified stereospondyl vertebrae. Mainly living as piscivores in lakes and rivers, the Capitosauria and its sister taxon Trematosauria were the only major labyrinthodonts that existed during the Mesozoic in ecological niches broadly similar to those of modern crocodiles, and some grew to very large sizes. At 6 meters in length, the Mid-Triassic '' Mastodonsaurus giganteus'' is not only thought to have been the largest capitosaur, but possibly also the largest amphibian to have lived. The latest known remains are from the Rhaetian of Germany and are referred to '' Cyclotosaurus''. Capitosauria was first named by Schoch and Milner (2000) and further described by Yates and Warren (2000), who assigned '' Lydekkerina'' and Mastodonsauroidea to it. It was described by Damiani (2001) under the name Mastodonsauroidea. In their phylogenetic analysis of temnospondyls, Ruta ''et al.'' (2007) placed ''Lydekkerina'' ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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 Carboniferous, Permian, and Triassic periods. A few species continued into the Jurassic and Cretaceous periods. Fossils have been found on every continent. During about 210 million years of evolutionary history, they adapted to a wide range of habitats, including freshwater, terrestrial, and even coastal marine environments. Their life history is well understood, with fossils known from the larval stage, metamorphosis, and maturity. Most temnospondyls were semiaquatic, although some were almost fully terrestrial, returning to the water only to breed. These temnospondyls were some of the first vertebrates fully adapted to life on land. Although temnospondyls are considered amphibians, many had characteristics, such as scales and armour-like bony ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Odenwaldia Heidelbergensis
''Odenwaldia'' is an extinct genus of mastodonsauroid temnospondyl within the family Heylerosauridae. History of study ''Odenwaldia'' is only known from one species, ''O. heidelbergensis'', and was named by Morales & Kamphausen (1984). The holotype, a skull roof and counterpiece cast, were collected from the Middle Bundsandstein (Oberes Konglomerat) near Heidelberg, Germany and were first described by Wilhelm Simon in 1961, who thought that the specimen belonged to the trematosaur '' Trematosaurus''. It was then redescribed by Schoch (2008). Description The holotype is the only uncontroversial specimen of this taxon, although others have been referred to the species. ''Odenwaldia'' is diagnosed by several autapomorphies, including (1) small orbits combined with broad interorbital distance; (2) preorbital region slender, with nasals and lacrimals narrower than frontals; and (3) dermal ornament consists of small, similarly sized polygons, but no elongated ridges. In contras ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Vladlenosaurus Alexeyevi
''Vladlenosaurus'' is an extinct genus of capitosaur from Russia. It lived during the late Vetlugian (Early Triassic). Based on the type of deposits it was found in, ''Vladlenosaurus'' probably inhabited lacustrine, or lake, habitats. The type species is ''V. alexeyevi'', named in 2000. Description Unlike the flatter, more rounded snouts of other capitosaurs, ''Vladlenosaurus'' had a wedge-shaped snout. This characteristic is also seen in trematosaurians, although it was independently acquired in both cases as a result of convergent evolution. Classification ''Vladlenosaurus'' is similar in appearance to the benthosuchids, a group of trematosauroid temnospondyls, but is more closely related to mastodonsauroids. Among capitosaurs, it shares many features with the basal form '' Wetlugasaurus'', also from the Early Triassic of Russia. ''Vladlenosaurus alexeyevi'' was even considered to be a species of ''Wetlugasaurus'' in a 2006 study. In a 2011 phylogenetic analysis, the firs ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Vladlenosaurus
''Vladlenosaurus'' is an extinct genus of capitosaur from Russia. It lived during the late Vetlugian (Early Triassic). Based on the type of deposits it was found in, ''Vladlenosaurus'' probably inhabited lacustrine, or lake, habitats. The type species is ''V. alexeyevi'', named in 2000. Description Unlike the flatter, more rounded snouts of other capitosaurs, ''Vladlenosaurus'' had a wedge-shaped snout. This characteristic is also seen in trematosaurians, although it was independently acquired in both cases as a result of convergent evolution. Classification ''Vladlenosaurus'' is similar in appearance to the benthosuchids, a group of trematosauroid temnospondyls, but is more closely related to mastodonsauroids. Among capitosaurs, it shares many features with the basal form '' Wetlugasaurus'', also from the Early Triassic of Russia. ''Vladlenosaurus alexeyevi'' was even considered to be a species of ''Wetlugasaurus'' in a 2006 study. In a 2011 phylogenetic analysis, the firs ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Stereospondyli
The Stereospondyli are a group of extinct temnospondyl amphibians that existed primarily during the Mesozoic period. They are known from all seven continents and were common components of many Triassic ecosystems, likely filling a similar ecological niche to modern crocodilians prior to the diversification of pseudosuchian archosaurs. Classification and anatomy The group was first defined by Zittel (1888) on the recognition of the distinctive vertebral anatomy of the best known stereospondyls of the time, such as '' Mastodonsaurus'' and ''Metoposaurus''. The term 'stereospondylous' as a descriptor of vertebral anatomy was coined the following year by Fraas, referring to a vertebral position consisting largely or entirely of the intercentrum in addition to the neural arch. While the name 'Stereospondyli' is derived from the stereospondylous vertebral condition, there is a diversity of vertebral morphologies among stereospondyls, including the diplospondylous (' tupilakosaurid') ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Rhytidostea
Rhytidostea is a clade of stereospondyl temnospondyls. It was erected in 2000 to include several temnospondyl groups distinct from the "higher" group of capitosaurs, including lydekkerinids, brachyopoids, and rhytidosteids. Rhytidosteans first appeared in the Permian period and underwent an evolutionary radiation during the Induan stage of the Early Triassic. Along with capitosaurs, rhytidosteans comprise much of the larger suborder Stereospondyli. Rhytidostea has often been considered the sister group of the clade Capitosauria, but has been placed in various other phylogenetic positions. In many studies, members of Rhytidostea are split, with lydekkerinids having a more basal position among stereospondyls while rhytidosteids and brachyopoids form a group placed among the more derived trematosaurian stereospondyls. Classification Schoch and Milner (2000) erected the clade Rhytidostea to include lydekkerinids, brachyopoids, and rhytidosteids. The clade was the sister taxon ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Cyclotosaurus
''Cyclotosaurus'' is an extinct genus of temnospondyl within the family Mastodonsauridae. It was of great size for an amphibian, had an elongated skull up to . Etymology The name means "round eared lizard" in Ancient Greek, derived from round openings or fenestrae in the cheeks, which are thought to contain structures of the middle ear. History German naturalist Eberhard Fraas erected the genus ''Cyclotosaurus'' in 1889, with ''C. robustus'' (previously ''Mastodonsaurus robustus'') as the type species. Several species are known, mainly from Germany and Poland in Central Europe, as well as East Greenland and Thailand. The relationships between species is unclear. ''"Labyrinthodon" pachygnathus'' Owen, 1842 and ''"L." leptognathus'' Owen, 1842 were transferred to ''Cyclotosaurus'', as ''C. pachygnathus'' and ''C. leptognathus'', by Paton (1974). However, Damiani (2001) assigned the two species to Mastodonsauroidea indeterminate and Stereospondyli indeterminate. Palaeontology ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Stereospondyl
The Stereospondyli are a group of extinct temnospondyl amphibians that existed primarily during the Mesozoic period. They are known from all seven continents and were common components of many Triassic ecosystems, likely filling a similar ecological niche to modern crocodilians prior to the diversification of pseudosuchian archosaurs. Classification and anatomy The group was first defined by Zittel (1888) on the recognition of the distinctive vertebral anatomy of the best known stereospondyls of the time, such as ''Mastodonsaurus'' and ''Metoposaurus''. The term 'stereospondylous' as a descriptor of vertebral anatomy was coined the following year by Fraas, referring to a vertebral position consisting largely or entirely of the intercentrum in addition to the neural arch. While the name 'Stereospondyli' is derived from the stereospondylous vertebral condition, there is a diversity of vertebral morphologies among stereospondyls, including the diplospondylous (' tupilakosaurid') co ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Rhinesuchidae
Rhinesuchidae is a family of tetrapods that lived primarily in the Permian period. They belonged to the broad group Temnospondyli, a successful and diverse collection of semiaquatic tetrapods which modern amphibians are probably descended from. Rhinesuchids can be differentiated from other temnospondyls by details of their skulls, most notably the interior structure of their otic notches at the back of the skull. They were among the earliest-diverging members of the Stereospondyli, a subgroup of temnospondyls with flat heads and aquatic habits. Although more advanced stereospondyls evolved to reach worldwide distribution in the Triassic period, rhinesuchids primarily lived in the high-latitude environments of Gondwana (what is now South America and Africa) during the Guadalupian and Lopingian epochs of the Permian. The taxonomy of this family has been convoluted, with more than twenty species having been named in the past; a 2017 review recognized only eight of them (distribute ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Mastodonsaurus
''Mastodonsaurus'' (meaning "teat tooth lizard") is an extinct genus of temnospondyl amphibian from the Middle Triassic of Europe. It belongs to a Triassic group of temnospondyls called Capitosauria, characterized by their large body size and presumably aquatic lifestyles. ''Mastodonsaurus'' remains one of the largest amphibians known, and may have exceeded 6 meters (20 feet) in length. Description Like those of many other capitosaurs, the head of ''Mastodonsaurus'' was triangular, reaching about in the largest specimens. Narrow grooves on the surface of the skull bones called sulci show it had sensory organs that could detect vibrations and pressure under water, similar to the lateral lines on fish. The large, oval eye sockets are midway along the skull with the nostrils near the tip of the snout. Small ear holes (otic notches) are indented on either side of the back of the skull. The upper surface of the skull bones of ''Mastodonsaurus'' bore an intricate pattern of pits a ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Warrenisuchus
''Warrenisuchus'' is an extinct genus of temnospondyl amphibian from the Early Triassic of Queensland, Australia. It belongs to a diverse group of Triassic temnospondyls called Capitosauria. The type species ''Warrenisuchus aliciae'' was erected in 2009. ''W. aliciae'' was originally described as a species of '' Parotosuchus'' in 1988, which is known from other species that have been found in Europe, Africa, and Antarctica. In 2000 it was then assigned to a new genus called ''Rewanobatrachus'' along with the newly named species ''R. gunganj'', which was declared the type species of the genus. However, ''R. gunganj'' was later reclassified as a species of '' Watsonisuchus'', invalidating the name ''Rewanobatrachus'' and requiring that ''R. aliciae'' be placed in its own genus, which was named ''Warrenisuchus''. However, several studies suggest that ''Warrenisuchus aliciae'' may be a species of ''Watsonisuchus'' as well. Unlike most capitosaurs, ''Warrenisuchus'' is known from man ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Edingerella
''Edingerella'' is an extinct genus of temnospondyl amphibian from the Early Triassic of Madagascar. It is a basal capitosaur closely related to '' Watsonisuchus''. Phylogeny Below is a cladogram A cladogram (from Greek ''clados'' "branch" and ''gramma'' "character") is a diagram used in cladistics to show relations among organisms. A cladogram is not, however, an evolutionary tree because it does not show how ancestors are related to ... from Fortuny ''et al.'' (2011): References Triassic temnospondyls of Africa Prehistoric animals of Madagascar Capitosaurs Early Triassic amphibians of Africa Prehistoric amphibian genera {{triassic-animal-stub ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
