Temnospondyli

A NEW SPECIES OF SCLEROCEPHALUS (TEMNOSPONDYLI: STEREOSPONDYLOMORPHA) FROM THE EARLY PERMIAN OF THE BOSKOVICE BASIN (CZECH REPUBLIC)

by J.Sébastien Steyer

A new species of the temnospondyl tetrapod, Sclerocephalus stambergi n. sp., is described from
the early Permian... more A new species of the temnospondyl tetrapod, Sclerocephalus stambergi n. sp., is described from
the early Permian deposits of the Boskovice Basin in Moravia (Czech Republic). The length of the skull of the
only known specimen is about 50 mm. Characters including the well-ossified quadrate, septomaxilla and
scapulocoracoid, presence of the maxilla-nasal suture and a free posterolateral margin of the supratemporal suggest
an early adult age. This new species of Sclerocephalus is distinguished from the others on the basis of the following
characters: nasal and maxillary processes of the premaxilla of equal width; absence of the alary process of the
premaxilla; distinct pointed process on the lacrimal between the maxilla and jugal; narrow interclavicle; and very
peculiar tabular presenting a quadrangular, plate-like process extending from its posterolateral portion, an almost
right angle between its lateral and posterior margins, and a long posteromedial process. The new species represents
the smallest and possibly the most basal Sclerocephalus species. The specimen described here sheds new light on the
anatomy and taxonomy of Sclerocephalus. It completes the biodiversity of the tetrapod fauna from the Boskovice
Basin, and our knowledge on the evolution of the European Paleozoic temnospondyls.

Ontogeny and phylogeny in temnospondyls: a new method of analysis

by J.Sébastien Steyer

The vertebrate fauna of the Upper Permian of Niger. IV. Nigerpeton ricqlesi (Temnospondyli: Cochleosauridae), and the edopoid colonization of Gondwana

by J.Sébastien Steyer

Revision of Cheliderpeton vranyi Fritsch, 1877 (Amphibia, Temnospondyli) from the Lower Permian of Bohemia (Czech Republic)

by J.Sébastien Steyer

Parotosuchus (Temnospondyli: Mastodonsauridae) from the Triassic of Antarctica

by J.Sébastien Steyer

Palaeoecological and palaeoenvironmental influences revealed by long-bone palaeohistology: the example of the Permian branchiosaurid Apateon

by J.Sébastien Steyer

THE VERTEBRATE FAUNA OF THE UPPER PERMIAN OF NIGER. V. THE PRIMITIVE TEMNOSPONDYL SAHARASTEGA MORADIENSIS

by J.Sébastien Steyer

Developmental plasticity of limb bone microstructural organization in Apateon: histological evidence of paedomorphic conditions in branchiosaurs

by J.Sébastien Steyer

An exquisite specimen of Edingerella madagascariensis (Temnospondyli) from the Lower Triassic of NW Madagascar; cranial anatomy, phylogeny, and restorations

by J.Sébastien Steyer

DÉCOUVERTE D’UN NOUVEAU GISEMENT DE STÉGOCÉPHALES D’UNE CONSERVATION EXCEPTIONNELLE DANS LE TRIAS D’IN AMENAS (BASSIN D’ILLIZI, ALGÉRIE)

by J.Sébastien Steyer

THE FIRST ARTICULATED TREMATOSAUR `AMPHIBIAN' FROM THE LOWER TRIASSIC OF MADAGASCAR: IMPLICATIONS FOR THE PHYLOGENY OF THE GROUP

by J.Sébastien Steyer

A REVISION OF THE EARLY TRIASSIC ‘‘CAPITOSAURS’’ (STEGOCEPHALI, STEREOSPONDYLI) FROM MADAGASCAR, WITH REMARKS ON THEIR COMPARATIVE ONTOGENY

by J.Sébastien Steyer

A giant brachyopoid temnospondyl from the Upper Triassic or Lower Jurassic of Lesotho

by J.Sébastien Steyer

FIRST EVIDENCE OF A TEMNOSPONDYL IN THE LATE PERMIAN OF THE ARGANA BASIN, MOROCCO

by J.Sébastien Steyer

Nouvelles données sur les stégocéphales du bassin de Souvigny (Permien Inférieur de l'Allier, Massif Central)

by J.Sébastien Steyer

Redescription of the holotype of Actinodon frossardi (Amphibia, Temnospondyli) from the Lower Permian of the Autun Basin (France)

by J.Sébastien Steyer

First histological and skeletochronological data on temnospondyl growth: palaeoecological and palaeoclimatological implications

by J.Sébastien Steyer

The first temnospondyl amphibian from Japan

by Yasuhisa Nakajima

Nakajima, Y. and Schoch, R. R. 2011. Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology
31(5):1154-1157

Temnospondyls are the most diverse, speciose, and long-lived
group of early tetrapods. Whereas their first record... more Temnospondyls are the most diverse, speciose, and long-lived
group of early tetrapods. Whereas their first record in the late
Paleozoic is restricted to Euramerica, during the early Mesozoic
they reached an almost worldwide distribution. The large,
crocodiliform stereospondyls in particular experienced a phase
of rapid dispersal across vast areas of the Pangean supercontinent
(Schoch, 2000). Rich deposits have been reported from the
Early and Middle Triassic of Arizona, Argentina, Brazil, Central
Europe, European Russia, South Africa, India, Madagascar,
and Australia (Schoch and Milner, 2000). However, in East Asia
their remains are still very rare and utterly fragmentary (Lucas
and Hunt, 1993; Liu and Wang, 2005). At the same time, the paleogeography
of the eastern Pangean margin is still rather poorly
understood, which hampers a clear picture of migratory patterns
of aquatic tetrapods during the early Mesozoic. In this paper, we
report the occurrence of a capitosauroid taxon in the Lower Triassic
of northeastern Honshu, Japan. This is not only the first
temnospondyl from the Japanese islands but also forms the first
non-marine vertebrate from the Triassic of Japan, which suggests
a migration of aquatic tetrapods across the land bridge between
the North China block and the ancient Japanese islands in pre-
Jurassic time.

Taphonomy of the Lamy amphibian quarry: A Late Triassic bonebed in New Mexico, U.S.A.

by Andrew Heckert

Taphonomy of the metoposaurid bonebed at Lamy, New Mexico. A fascinating assemblage. I incorporated work from the MCZ and USNM into my co-authors work on this one.

Keywords: Taphonomy
Chinle Group
Late Triassic
Adamanian
New Mexico
Metoposaurids

Located in Santa Fe County, New Mexico, USA, the Lamy amphibian quarry is a Late Triassic (Adamanian)
bonebed... more Located in Santa Fe County, New Mexico, USA, the Lamy amphibian quarry is a Late Triassic (Adamanian)
bonebed stratigraphically low in the Garita Creek Formation of the Chinle Group. Well known for its mass
accumulation of metoposaurid amphibians, it was initially interpreted as a drought-induced death
assemblage. Based on microstratigraphic and sedimentological studies, additional and extensive collecting
at the quarry and a revised understanding of the bonebed, we provide a detailed taphonomic analysis of the
Lamy amphibian quarry that identifies it as a low diversity multitaxic and monodominant bonebed in
pedogenically modified floodplain mudstone. The Lamy bonebed shows no evidence of drought and is
characterized by a high density of completely dissociated bones that show clear alignment by current and
sorting (enrichment of Voorhies Group II and III elements). The bones show no significant abrasion or
weathering (stage 0), preserve virtually no evidence of scavenging and show no evidence of trampling. Based
on skull lengths, the metoposaurid assemblage has a type I survivorship curve and lacks juveniles. We thus
posit that the following sequence of events formed the Lamy amphibian bonebed: (1) aggregation (cause
unknown) of a large number of metoposaurid amphibians at a site different from the location of the bonebed,
though not distant; (2) catastrophic mass mortality; (3) complete disarticulation and disassociation of the
skeletons; and (4) rapid transport of the disarticulated bones onto a floodplain surface that was undergoing
pedogenesis. The Lamy amphibian bonebed is representative of the Late Triassic metoposaurid bonebeds from
Morocco and the western USA, which are monodominant and nearly monotaxic. They indicate that
aggregation (probably of breeding populations) and mass death of metoposaurids were relatively common
across the riverine floodplains of Late Triassic Pangea.