Dendrerpeton

Dendrerpeton
Temporal range: Westphalian
~318–315 Ma
↓
Skull of Dendrerpeton on display at the Redpath Museum, Montreal
Scientific classification
Kingdom:Animalia
Phylum:Chordata
Order:†Temnospondyli
Family:†Dendrerpetontidae
Genus:†Dendrerpeton
Owen, 1853
Type species
†Dendrerpeton acadianum
Owen, 1853
Synonyms

Erpetocephalus Huxley 1867

Restoration

Dendrerpeton is an extinct genus of temnospondyl amphibian from the Carboniferous of Nova Scotia and Ireland.[1] They are generally found associated with hollows of the Lepidodendron and Sigillaria tree genera, for which their fossils are contained within. These fossils are disarticulated and flattened providing poor specimens. In this species the stapes was used as a support structure for the ear than for hearing as in later tetrapods.[1]

The specimens are generally 1 metre (3.3 ft) and possess large otic notch in the back of the skull.[2]

Fossils have been found in the Parrsboro and Joggins Formations of Nova Scotia and in Jarrow Colliery, Ireland.[3]

References

  1. 1 2 "Dendrerpeton and Joggins, Nova Scotia". 11 May 2008.
  2. ↑ "Temnospondyli section on Dendrerpeton". 11 May 2008.
  3. ↑ Dendrerpeton at Fossilworks.org

Further reading

  • Holmes, R. B., Carroll, R. L. & Reisz, R. R. 1998. The first articulated skeleton of Dendrerpeton acadianum (Temnospondyli, Dendrerpetontidae) from the lower Pennsylvanian locality of Joggins, Nova Scotia, and a review of its relationships. Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology 18, 64-79.
  • Milner A. R. (1980) The temnospondyl amphibian Dendrerpeton from the Upper Carboniferous of Ireland. Palaeontology 23 125–141
  • Robinson, J., Ahlberg, P. E. & Koentges, G. 2005. The braincase and middle ear region of Dendrerpeton acadianum (Tetrapoda: Temnospondyli). Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society 143, 577-597.


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