''Broiliellus'' is an extinct

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus com ...

dissorophoid Dissorophoideans are 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 ...

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 amphi ...

within the

family Family (from la, familia) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its ...

Dissorophidae Dissorophidae is an extinct family of medium-sized, temnospondyl amphibians that flourished during the late Carboniferous and early Permian periods. The clade is known almost exclusively from North America. History of study Dissorophidae is a ...

. ''Broiliellus'' is most closely related to the genus ''

Dissorophus ''Dissorophus'' (DI-soh-ROH-fus) (meaning "double roof" for two layers of armor) is an extinct genus of temnospondyl amphibian that lived during the Early Permian Period about 273 million years ago. Its fossils have been found in Texas and in Ok ...

'', and both have been placed in the subfamily

Dissorophinae Dissorophinae is a subfamily of dissorophid temnospondyls that includes '' Dissorophus'' and '' Broiliellus''. Phylogeny Below is the cladogram A cladogram (from Greek ''clados'' "branch" and ''gramma'' "character") is a diagram used in ...

. ''Broiliellus'' is known from five species from the

Early Permian 01 or '01 may refer to: * The year 2001, or any year ending with 01 * The month of January * 1 (number) Music * '01 (Richard Müller album), 01'' (Richard Müller album), 2001 * 01 (Son of Dave album), ''01'' (Son of Dave album), 2000 * 01 (Urban ...

: the

type species In zoological nomenclature, a type species (''species typica'') is the species name with which the name of a genus or subgenus is considered to be permanently taxonomically associated, i.e., the species that contains the biological type specimen ...

is ''Broiliellus texensis,'' and the other species are ''Broiliellus brevis,'' ''Broiliellus olsoni, Broiliellus arroyoensis,'' and ''Broiliellus reiszi''. An additional species, ''Broiliellus novomexicanus'', which was originally named ''

Aspidosaurus ''Aspidosaurus'' is an extinct genus of dissorophoid temnospondyl within the family Dissorophidae. Description Like other dissorophids, ''Aspidosaurus'' species had a single row of plates formed by expansions of the neural spines.

novomexicanus'', is now thought to fall outside the genus as a member of the subfamily

Eucacopinae Eucacopinae is an extinct clade (evolutionary grouping) of dissorophid temnospondyls. Eucacopines differ from the other main group of dissorophids, the Dissorophinae, in having more lightly built skeletons and more knobby skulls. The subfamily w ...

History of study

''Broiliellus'' was first named by American paleontologist S.W. Williston in 1914 based on two nearly complete skulls in articulation with postcranial material from the early Permian of Texas; this species was given the name ''Broiliellus texensis'', the genus name being for the German paleontologist

Ferdinand Broili Ferdinand Broili (11 April 1874 in Mühlbach – 30 April 1946 in Mühlbach) was a German paleontologist. He studied natural sciences at the universities of Würzburg and Munich, where his influences were Karl von Zittel and August Rothpletz. ...

, and the species name being for the geographic provenance. The holotype is currently reposited in the Field Museum. A second species, ''Broiliellus brevis'', from the Archer City bonebed in Texas was named in 1964 by Canadian paleontologist Robert Carroll; the holotype of this species is currently reposited in the

Museum of Comparative Zoology A museum ( ; plural museums or, rarely, musea) is a building or institution that cares for and displays a collection of artifacts and other objects of artistic, cultural, historical, or scientific importance. Many public museums make these ...

. Two more species were named in 1967 by American paleontologist Robert DeMar, ''Broiliellus olsoni'' and ''Broiliellus arroyoensis'', both from Texas. The most recent species to be described was ''Broiliellus reiszi'' in 2013 by Canadian paleontologist Robert Holmes and colleagues.

Phylogeny

The

phylogenetic In biology, phylogenetics (; from Greek φυλή/ φῦλον [] "tribe, clan, race", and wikt:γενετικός, γενετικός [] "origin, source, birth") is the study of the evolutionary history and relationships among or within groups o ...

analysis of Schoch (2012) found that ''Broiliellus'' was most closely related to ''Dissorophus''. However, the three species of ''Broiliellus'' did not form their own

clade A clade (), also known as a monophyletic group or natural group, is a group of organisms that are monophyletic – that is, composed of a common ancestor and all its lineal descendants – on a phylogenetic tree. Rather than the English term, ...

, but rather a

polytomy An internal node of a phylogenetic tree is described as a polytomy or multifurcation if (i) it is in a rooted tree and is linked to three or more child subtrees or (ii) it is in an unrooted tree and is attached to four or more branches. A tr ...

(unresolved evolutionary relationship) with ''Dissorophus''. Holmes et al. (2013) named a new species of ''Broiliellus'', ''Broiliellus reiszi''. They performed two phylogenetic analyses using the data matrix of Schoch (2012). This analysis yielded more resolved topology and a

monophyletic In cladistics for a group of organisms, monophyly is the condition of being a clade—that is, a group of taxa composed only of a common ancestor (or more precisely an ancestral population) and all of its lineal descendants. Monophyletic gro ...

''Broiliellus.'' Below is the

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 d ...

from that analysis:

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q1965407 Dissorophids Cisuralian amphibians of North America Prehistoric tetrapod genera Fossil taxa described in 1914 Taxa named by Samuel Wendell Williston Prehistoric amphibian genera