Eothyris

Eothyris
Temporal range: Early Permian,[1] Artinskian
Holotype skull
Scientific classification
Kingdom:Animalia
Phylum:Chordata
Clade:†Caseasauria
Family:†Eothyrididae
Genus:†Eothyris
Type species
Eothyris parkeyi
Romer, 1937

Eothyris is an extinct genus of synapsids in the family Eothyrididae. It was an insectivorous animal, closely related to Oedaleops. Only the skull of Eothyris, first described in 1937, is known. It had a 6 centimetres (2.4 inches) long skull, and its total estimated length is 30 centimetres (12 inches).

Description

Restoration

Eothyris is only known from its skull, which is short and broad. With a total skull length of 5.7 cm (2.25 in), Benson et al. estimated the body to be 30 cm (12 in) long. The major distinguishing features of the skull are that it possessed a pair of long, large, fang-like teeth on each side of the upper jaw. The use for these teeth is not known, but Eothyris might have used them to eat small prey. All teeth in its mouth were sharp and pointed, with all but the enlarged four fangs being small and short. The skull is short and broad, two features which suggest that Eothyris had a snapping, rapid bite, similar to the Memeitis' bite.[1] The Eothyris lived during the Permian time period.

Classification

Eothyris is classified in the monophyletic family Eothyrididae. It is one of two genera in the family, the other being Oedaleops. The family is grouped in Caseasauria, and only cranial remains are known from it. The family is greatly supported, with nine dental and cranial features. Below is the cladogram of the analysis of Riez et al. (2009).[2]

 

 

Diadectomorpha

 
 

 

Reptilia

 
Synapsida

Caseasauria

Caseidae

 

Casea broili

 
 

 

Casea rutena

 
 

Cotylorhynchus

 
 
 
Eothyrididae

 

Eothyris

 
 

Oedaleops

 
 
 
Eupelycosauria

 

 

Archaeothyris

 
 

Ophiacodon

 
 
 

 

 

 

Mesenosaurus

 
 

Mycterosaurus

 
 
 

Varanops

 
 
 

Archaeovenator

 
 
 
 
 
 

References

Footnotes

  1. 1 2 Benson et al. 2012, p. 191.
  2. ↑ Riez et al. 2009.

Citations

  • Benson, R.; Brusatte, S.; Hone, D.; Naish, D.; Xu, X.; Anderson, J.; Clack, J.; Duffin, C.; Milner, A.; Parsons, K.; Prothero, D.; Johanson, Z.; Dennis-Bryan, K. (2012) [2009]. Ambrose, Jamie; Gilpin, David; Hirani, Salima; Jackson, Tom; Joyce, Nathan; Maiklem, Lara; Marriott, Emma; Nottage, Claire; van Zyl, Meizan, eds. Prehistoric Life: A Definitive Visual History of Life on Earth. Dorling Kindersley. pp. 1–512. ISBN 978-0-7566-9910-9. OCLC 444710202.
  • Reisz, R. R.; Godfrey, S. J.; Scott, D. (2009). "Eothyris and Oedaleops: Do these Early Permian synapsids from Texas and New Mexico form a clade?". Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology. 29: 39. doi:10.1671/039.029.0112.
  • Ali, Taha (2012), "Facts on the Eothyris", http://taha.ir/


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