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''Microbrachis'' is an extinct genus of
''Microbrachis'' was an elongated, salamander-like creature, about long, with over 40 vertebrae instead of the average 15–26 in its living relatives. It had minute limbs, and probably swam using fish-like lateral body movements. ''Microbrachis'' probably fed on fresh water plankton such as
Microbrachis, The Type Microsaur (abstract)
* Microsauria Carboniferous amphibians of Europe Kasimovian genus first appearances Gzhelian genus extinctions Prehistoric amphibian genera Fossils of the Czech Republic Fossil taxa described in 1875 {{Lepospondyli-stub
lepospondyl
Lepospondyli is a diverse taxon of early tetrapods. With the exception of one late-surviving lepospondyl from the Late Permian of Morocco (''Diplocaulus minumus''), lepospondyls lived from the Early Carboniferous ( Mississippian) to the Early Per ...
amphibian
Amphibians are tetrapod, four-limbed and ectothermic vertebrates of the Class (biology), class Amphibia. All living amphibians belong to the group Lissamphibia. They inhabit a wide variety of habitats, with most species living within terres ...
from the Carboniferous
The Carboniferous ( ) is a geologic period and system of the Paleozoic that spans 60 million years from the end of the Devonian Period million years ago ( Mya), to the beginning of the Permian Period, million years ago. The name ''Carbonifero ...
Kladno Formation
Kladno (; german: Kladen) is a city in the Central Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 67,000 inhabitants. It is the largest city in the region and together with its adjacent suburban areas has a population of more than 110,000.
...
of the Czech Republic.
Description
''Microbrachis'' was an elongated, salamander-like creature, about long, with over 40 vertebrae instead of the average 15–26 in its living relatives. It had minute limbs, and probably swam using fish-like lateral body movements. ''Microbrachis'' probably fed on fresh water plankton such as shrimp
Shrimp are crustaceans (a form of shellfish) with elongated bodies and a primarily swimming mode of locomotion – most commonly Caridea and Dendrobranchiata of the decapod order, although some crustaceans outside of this order are refer ...
. ''Microbrachis'' was pedomorphic
Neoteny (), also called juvenilization,Montagu, A. (1989). Growing Young. Bergin & Garvey: CT. is the delaying or slowing of the Physiology, physiological, or Somatic (biology), somatic, development of an organism, typically an animal. Neoteny is ...
, retaining its larval gills in adulthood. Similar traits are found in the extant axolotl.
References
Further reading
* Andrew R. Milner, "The Tetrapod Assemblage from Nýrany, Czechoslovakia", in Systematics Association Special Volume No.15, "The Terrestrial Environment and the Origin of Land Vertebrates", ed. by A. L. Panchen, 1980, pp. 439–496, Academic Press, London and New YorkExternal links
Microbrachis, The Type Microsaur (abstract)
* Microsauria Carboniferous amphibians of Europe Kasimovian genus first appearances Gzhelian genus extinctions Prehistoric amphibian genera Fossils of the Czech Republic Fossil taxa described in 1875 {{Lepospondyli-stub