Chigutisauridae is an extinct

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 ...

of large

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 ...

amphibians Amphibians are four-limbed and ectothermic vertebrates of the class Amphibia. All living amphibians belong to the group Lissamphibia. They inhabit a wide variety of habitats, with most species living within terrestrial, fossorial, arbore ...

. The only genera recognized as belonging to Chigutisauridae at the current time are all from

Gondwana Gondwana () was a large landmass, often referred to as a supercontinent, that formed during the late Neoproterozoic (about 550 million years ago) and began to break up during the Jurassic period (about 180 million years ago). The final stages ...

. Chigutisaurids first appeared during the Early Triassic in Australia. During the Late Triassic they became widely distributed in Gondwana, with fossils found in South Africa, India and South America. ''

Koolasuchus ''Koolasuchus'' is an extinct genus of brachyopoid temnospondyl in the family Chigutisauridae. Fossils have been found from Victoria, Australia and date back 120 Ma to the Aptian stage of the Early Cretaceous. ''Koolasuchus'' is the youngest kno ...

'' from the Early Cretaceous of Australia represents the youngest known temnospondyl.

List of genera

*'' Chigutisaurus'' *''

Compsocerops ''Compsocerops'' is an extinct genus of temnospondyl amphibians recovered from the Late Triassic Upper Maleri Formation of India, and the Santa Maria Formation of Brazil Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil ...

'' *''

Keratobrachyops ''Keratobrachyops'' is an extinct genus of trematosaurian temnospondyl found in the Arcadia Formation of Queensland, Australia. It had been thought to be a basal chigutisaurid but is now thought to be a basal brachyopomorph closely related to t ...

'' (placement uncertain) *''

'' *''

Kuttycephalus ''Kuttycephalus'' is an extinct genus of temnospondyl amphibians in the family Chigutisauridae from the Upper maleri formation of India. See also * List of prehistoric amphibians This list of prehistoric amphibians is an attempt to create a co ...

'' *''

Pelorocephalus ''Pelorocephalus'' (meaning "monstrous head" in Greek) is an extinct genus of chigutisaurid temnospondyls from the Late Triassic (Carnian) Cacheutá Formation of the Cuyo Basin and the Ischigualasto Formation of the Ischigualasto-Villa Unión ...

'' *''

Siderops ''Siderops'' is an extinct genus of chigutisaurid temnospondyl from Early Jurassic of Australia, containing the species ''S. kehli''. It is solely known from the holotype specimen, which consists of a nearly complete skull with mandible and pos ...

References

*Sengupta, D.P. 1995
Chigutisaurid temnspondyls from the Late Triassic of India and a review of the family Chigutisauridae.
Palaeontology 38: 19-59. *Sengupta, D.P. 2003. Triassic temnospondyls of the Pranhita-Godavari Basin, India. Journal of Asian Earth Sciences 21: 655-662.

External links

Triassic temnospondyls Jurassic temnospondyls Cretaceous temnospondyls Amphibian families Early Triassic first appearances Early Cretaceous extinctions {{temnospondyli-stub