Zatracheidae
| Zatracheidae | ||||||||
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Zatrachys serratus |
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| Temporal occurrence | ||||||||
| Upper carbon to lower perm | ||||||||
| 318.1 to 270.6 million years | ||||||||
| Locations | ||||||||
| Systematics | ||||||||
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| Scientific name | ||||||||
| Zatracheidae | ||||||||
| Williston , 1910 | ||||||||
| Genera | ||||||||
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The Zatracheidae , alternatively also Zatrachydidae , is a family of Temnospondyli , whose fossils were found in the Upper Carboniferous and Lower Permian of the USA and the Lower Permian of Germany. The most basal ( closest to origin) representative is Stegops from upper carbon layers in Ohio .
As synapomorphy of the early true Amphibamiden similar palate with large openings between the wing legs . The orbita of the Zatracheidae are comparatively small. On the course of the lateral line organs, there were low crests of bone, similar to dissorophids . These features suggest an origin at the base of the dissorophoid .
In the case of more derived genera, there was a tendency towards extremely flat skulls and further reduced orbits . Backward-pointing spines formed on the neck and cheeks , possibly to protect against predators.
swell
- ↑ Zatrachydidae. The Palaeobiology Database, accessed December 12, 2010 .
- ^ A b c Robert L. Carroll (2009): The rise of amphibians - 365 million years of evolution , p. 185. Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore. ISBN 0-8018-9140-X