Pteroplax
Pteroplax | ||||||||||||
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Pteroplax |
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Temporal occurrence | ||||||||||||
Upper Carboniferous (Westfalium) | ||||||||||||
313 to 304 million years | ||||||||||||
Locations | ||||||||||||
Systematics | ||||||||||||
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Scientific name | ||||||||||||
Pteroplax | ||||||||||||
Hancock & Atthey , 1868 |
Pteroplax is an extinct, amphibious terrestrial vertebrate that, according to Robert Lynn Carroll , belonged tothe Eogyrinidae , a family of the Reptiliomorpha . It was first mentioned in 1868 by Albany Hancock and Thomas Atthey . The only species described is Pteroplax cornutus . Fossils, including partially preserved skulls, vertebrae and ribs, were found in coal-bearing strata near Blyth in Northumberland, Great Britain.
features
The length of pteroplax is estimated to be two meters, the skull was eight inches long. The legs were stubby and not suitable for walking. The eyes were very high on the skull. The tail was longer than the body and was probably used for steering in the water.
literature
- Thomas Atthey : On Anthracosaurus Russelli (Huxley) . In: The Annals and Magazine of Natural History . 4th series, Volume 18, 1876, p. 166 online .
- MJ Boyd: The Axial Skeleton of the Carboniferous Amphibian Pteroplax cornutus. PDF
- Encyclopedia of Dinosaurs and Prehistoric Life . Dorling Kindersley , 2001. ISBN 3-8310-0342-4
Individual evidence
Web links
Commons : Pteroplax - collection of images, videos and audio files