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Metoposaurid
Metoposauridae is an extinct family of trematosaurian temnospondyls. The family is known from the Triassic period. Most members are large, approximately long and could reach 3 m long.Brusatte, S. L., Butler R. J., Mateus O., & Steyer S. J. (2015). A new species of Metoposaurus from the Late Triassic of Portugal and comments on the systematics and biogeography of metoposaurid temnospondyls. Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology. e912988., 2015: Metoposaurids can be distinguished from the very similar mastodonsauroids by the position of their eyes, placed far forward on the snout. Taphonomy Several mass accumulations of metoposaurid fossils are known from the southwestern United States and Morocco. These have often been interpreted as the result of mass deaths from droughts. Many individuals would have died in one area, creating a dense bone bed once fossilized. These mass accumulations of metoposaurids are often dominated by one taxa, such as ''Anaschisma'' or ''Metoposaurus''. Re ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Anaschisma
''Anaschisma'' is an extinct genus of large temnospondyl amphibians. These animals were part of the family called Metoposauridae, which filled the crocodile-like predatory niches in the late Triassic. It had large skull about long, and possibly reached long. It was an ambush hunter, snapping up anything small enough to fit in its huge jaws. It was very common during the Late Triassic (Norian age) in what is now the American Southwest. History of discovery ''Anaschisma'' was erected by Branson (1905) for two metoposaurid skulls from the Popo Agie Formation of Wyoming. The type species, ''A. browni'', was coined for the skull UC 447, while a second nominal species, ''A. brachygnatha'', was erected for the skull UC 448. Moodie (1908) considered ''A. brachygnatha'' a junior synonym of ''A. browni'', although Branson and Mehl (1929) retained the two species as distinct.Branson, E. B. & Mehl, M. G. 1929. Triassic amphibians from the Rocky Mountain region. The University of Missouri S ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Temnospondyl
Temnospondyli (from Greek language, Greek τέμνειν, ''temnein'' 'to cut' and σπόνδυλος, ''spondylos'' 'vertebra') is a diverse order (biology), order of small to giant tetrapods—often considered Labyrinthodontia, 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 cha ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Metoposaurus
''Metoposaurus'' meaning "front lizard" is an extinct genus of stereospondyl temnospondyl amphibian, known from the Late Triassic of Germany, Italy, Poland, and Portugal. https://www.app.pan.pl/archive/published/app47/app47-535.pdf This mostly aquatic animal possessed small, weak limbs, sharp teeth, and a large, flat head. This highly flattened creature mainly fed on fish, which it captured with its wide jaws lined with needle-like teeth. ''Metoposaurus'' was up to 3 m (10 feet) long and weighed about 450 kg (1,000 pounds). Many ''Metoposaurus'' mass graves have been found, probably from creatures that grouped together in drying pools during drought. Discovery and species Discovery The earliest mention of Metoposauridae dates back to 1842 when Von Meyer described the dorsal view of the skull roof of a labyrinthodont from the Keuper Schilfsandstein of Feuerbacher Haide near Stuttgart. Later, Meyer attempted a reconstruction of the same specimen and named it ''Metopias ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Arganasaurus
''Arganasaurus'' is an extinct genus of prehistoric temnospondyl amphibian belonging to the family Metoposauridae that lived in Morocco during the Late Triassic (Carnian). Taxonomy The type species of ''Arganasaurus'', ''A. lyazidi'', was originally described as ''Metoposaurus lyazidi'' by Dutuit (1976) on the basis of skulls found in the Argana Formation of northern Morocco. Hunt (1993) found the species generically distinct from the ''Metoposaurus'' type species to warrant its own genus, which he named ''Arganasaurus''. The nominal species ''"Metoposaurus" azerouali'' Dutuit, 1976, treated as a ''nomen dubium'' by Hunt (1993), was referred to ''Arganasaurus'' by Buffa ''et al.'' (2019).Valentin Buffa; Nour‐Eddine Jalil; J.‐Sebastien Steyer (2019). "Redescription of ''Arganasaurus (Metoposaurus) azerouali'' (Dutuit) comb. nov. from the Upper Triassic of the Argana Basin (Morocco), and the first phylogenetic analysis of the Metoposauridae (Amphibia, Temnospondyli)". Papers i ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Dutuitosaurus
''Dutuitosaurus'' is a genus of metoposaurids, a group of amphibians that lived during the Late Triassic period. ''Dutuitosaurus'' was discovered in the early 1960s in Morocco and is known from the lower t5 units of the Timezgadiouine Formation exposures in the Argana Basin of the High Atlas Mountains and was first described in 1976 by French paleontologist Jean-Michel Dutuit. Material of ''Dutuitosaurus'' is currently held in the Muséum national d'histoire naturelle (MNHN) in Paris, France. It was originally placed within '' Metoposaurus'' as ''M. ouazzoui'' but was subsequently placed in its own genus, ''Dutuitosaurus'', by Hunt (1993), who identified a number of differences between ''Metoposaurus'' (classically a European genus) and the Moroccan metoposaurids. Features that differentiate ''Dutuitosaurus'' from other metoposaurids include relative elongate intercentra and a maxilla that enters the orbit. Although many metoposaurids are known from so-called mass death assembla ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Eupelor
''Eupelor'' is a dubious genus of prehistoric amphibian belonging to the temnospondyl family Metoposauridae. Fossils have been found in present-day Pennsylvania, within the Newark Supergroup, dating to the Late Triassic ( Norian). Taxonomy The ''Eupelor'' type species, ''E. durus'', was named ''Mastodonsaurus durus'' by Edward Drinker Cope in 1866 on the basis of AMNH 3927, a number of clavicles and the tooth AMNH 2333 (which could have belonged to a different temnospondyl apart from ''Eupelor''), from the Lockatong Formation (Phoenixville Tunnel site) of Phoenixville, Pennsylvania Phoenixville is a borough in Chester County, Pennsylvania, United States. It is located northwest of Philadelphia at the junction of French Creek and the Schuylkill River. It is in the Philadelphia metropolitan area. The population is 18,616 .... In 1868 Cope allocated the species to its own genus, ''Eupelor'', based on differences from ''Metoposaurus'' (then known as ''Metopias''). Colbe ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Panthasaurus
''Panthasaurus'' is an extinct genus of large temnospondyl amphibian belonging to the family Metoposauridae that lived in India during the Late Triassic (Norian) of central India. It contains one species, ''Panthasaurus maleriensis'' from the Lower Maleri Formation of India. Taxonomy ''Metoposaurus maleriensis'' was coined by Chowdbury (1965) for metoposaurid remains from the Maleri Formation in the Pranhita–Godavari Basin of eastern India. Later, Hunt (1993) transferred the species to the genus '' Buettneria'', which was followed by Sulej (2002). In a paper published in 2018, Chakravorti and Sengupta concluded that specimens of ''Metoposaurus maleriensis'' formed a morphospace and morphotype distinct from metoposaurids found in Laurasia. They erected a new genus, ''Panthasaurus'', for ''M. maleriensis''. See also * Triassic–Jurassic extinction event * Timeline of paleontology Timeline of paleontology Antiquity – 16th century * 6th century B.C. — The pre-Socrat ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Trematosauria
Trematosauria is one of two major groups of temnospondyl amphibians that survived the Permian-Triassic extinction event, the other (according to Yates and Warren 2000) being the Capitosauria. The trematosaurs were a diverse and important group that included many medium-sized to large forms that were semi-aquatic to totally aquatic. The group included long-snouted forms such as the Trematosauroidea, trematosauroids and short, broad-headed forms such as the Metoposauridae, metoposaurs.Brusatte, S. L., Butler R. J., Mateus O., & Steyer S. J. (2015). A new species of Metoposaurus from the Late Triassic of Portugal and comments on the systematics and biogeography of metoposaurid temnospondyls. Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology. e912988., 2015: Although most groups did not survive beyond the Triassic, one lineage, the Brachyopoidea, brachyopoids, continued until the Cretaceous period. Trematosauria is defined as all Stereospondyli, stereospondyls more closely related to ''Trematosauru ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Trematosaurs
Trematosauria is one of two major groups of temnospondyl amphibians that survived the Permian-Triassic extinction event, the other (according to Yates and Warren 2000) being the Capitosauria. The trematosaurs were a diverse and important group that included many medium-sized to large forms that were semi-aquatic to totally aquatic. The group included long-snouted forms such as the trematosauroids and short, broad-headed forms such as the metoposaurs.Brusatte, S. L., Butler R. J., Mateus O., & Steyer S. J. (2015). A new species of Metoposaurus from the Late Triassic of Portugal and comments on the systematics and biogeography of metoposaurid temnospondyls. Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology. e912988., 2015: Although most groups did not survive beyond the Triassic, one lineage, the brachyopoids, continued until the Cretaceous period. Trematosauria is defined as all stereospondyls more closely related to ''Trematosaurus'' than to ''Parotosuchus'', a capitosaurian. Classificatio ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Apachesaurus
''Apachesaurus'' is an extinct genus of metoposaurid temnospondyl amphibian from western North America. Description and taxonomy ''Apachesaurus'' was described from the Late Triassic (late Norian-Rhaetian The Rhaetian is the latest age of the Triassic Period (in geochronology) or the uppermost stage of the Triassic System (in chronostratigraphy). It was preceded by the Norian and succeeded by the Hettangian (the lowermost stage or earliest age ...) Redonda Formation of eastern New Mexico as a small, diminutive genus of metoposaurid. The small elongate centra were used by Hunt (1993) to consider ''Apachesaurus'' a small species of metoposaurid. However, Gee ''et al.'' (2017, 2018) demonstrated that centra referred to ''Apachesaurus'' are juveniles rather than small adults, concluding that ''Apachesaurus'' specimens are juveniles, though they cautioned they could not determine whether these are ''Anaschisma'' or a distinct taxon in its own right.Gee, B.M., and Parker, W.G. ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
David Meredith Seares Watson
Prof David Meredith Seares Watson FRS FGS HFRSE LLD (18 June 1886 – 23 July 1973) was the Jodrell Professor of Zoology and Comparative Anatomy at University College, London from 1921 to 1951. Biography Early life Watson was born in the Higher Broughton district of Salford, Lancashire, the only son of David Watson, a chemist and pioneering metallurgist, and his wife, Mary Louise Seares. He was educated at Manchester Grammar School 1899 to 1904 then studied Sciences at the University of Manchester. He specialised in geology and began to study plant fossils in coal deposits. In 1907, his final year, he published an important paper on coal balls with Marie Stopes (who had an early career as a paleobotanist); after graduating with first class honours he was appointed as a Beyer fellow at Manchester and went on to complete his MSc in 1909. After his MSc, Watson continued to develop his wide interest in fossils and studied intensively at the British Museum of Natural History in ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Triassic
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 archo ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
