Platyhystrix

Platyhystrix
	Live reconstruction of Platyhystrix
Temporal occurrence
	Upper carbon to lower perm
	301 to 298 million years
Locations
	Texas ( USA );
Systematics
	Land vertebrates (Tetrapoda)
	Temnospondyli
	Dissorophoidea
	Olsoniformes
	Dissorophidae
	Platyhystrix
Scientific name
	Platyhystrix
	Case , 1910
Art
	Platyhystrix rugosus;

Platyhystrix (" flat porcupine ") is a genus of amphibian-like primeval terrestrial vertebrates from the extinct group of Temnospondyli and the family of Dissorophidae . It was typical for Platyhystrix that it had a back sail, similar to the synapsids Dimetrodon and Edaphosaurus, which are not closely related. Fossils of platyhystrix were in Texas ( USA found); these are dated to the upper carbon and lower perm. Paltyhystrix was firstdescribedby Ermine Cowles Case in1910. The only species is Platyhystrix rugosus (" wrinkled P. ").

description

Platyhystrix (small, in the foreground) and Edaphosaurus

Platyhystrix had a compact body that reached about 1 m in length including the tail. The short, stocky legs suggest a terrestrial (land-dwelling) way of life. The skull was large and strongly built. Platyhystrix was a rather unusual dissorophid. The vertebrae were elongated and probably carried a back sail. Similar to Dimetrodon and Edaphosaurus , it was probably used for heat regulation. The back was covered with skin plates ( osteoderms ), which were also present in close relatives such as Cacops .

Systematics

Platyhystrix was a basal Dissorophidae. Its closest relative was likely Ecolsonia . Derived Dissorophidae are Dissorophus and Broiliellus as well as Kamacops and Cacops . A cladogram according to Reisz et al. (2009):

Dissorophoidea

Amphibamidae

Olsoniformes

Trematopidae

Dissorophidae

Platyhystrix

Ecolsonia

Dissorophinae

	Broiliellus

	Dissorophus

Cacopinae

	Cacops

	Kamacops

swell

Michael J. Benton and John Sibbick: Vertebrate Palaeontology
Barry Cox, Colin Harrison, RJG Savage, and Brian Gardiner: The Simon & Schuster Encyclopedia of Dinosaurs and Prehistoric Creatures: A Visual Who's Who of Prehistoric Life
CI Camp: Bibliography Of Fossil Vertebrates

↑ Palmer, D. (Ed.): The Marshall Illustrated Encyclopedia of Dinosaurs and Prehistoric Animals . Marshall Editions, London 1999, ISBN 1-84028-152-9 , p. 52.
^ RR Reisz, Schoch, RR; and Anderson, JS: The armored dissorophid Cacops from the Early Permian of Oklahoma and the exploitation of the terrestrial realm by amphibians . In: Natural Sciences . 96, No. 7, 2009, pp. 789-796. doi : 10.1007 / s00114-009-0533-x .

Web links

Commons : Platyhystrix - collection of images, videos and audio files

[EoDP-1] Palmer, D. (Ed.): The Marshall Illustrated Encyclopedia of Dinosaurs and Prehistoric Animals . Marshall Editions, London 1999, ISBN 1-84028-152-9 , p. 52.

[RSA09-2] RR Reisz, Schoch, RR; and Anderson, JS: The armored dissorophid Cacops from the Early Permian of Oklahoma and the exploitation of the terrestrial realm by amphibians . In: Natural Sciences . 96, No. 7, 2009, pp. 789-796. doi : 10.1007 / s00114-009-0533-x .