New and modified scores in the phylogenetic matrix from Schoch (2013)
Temnospondyl amphibians are a common component of non-marine Triassic assemblages, including in the Fremouw Formation (Lower to Middle Triassic) of Antarctica. Temnospondyls were among the first tetrapods to be collected from Antarctica, but their record from the lower Fremouw Formation has long bee...
| Main Author: | |
|---|---|
| Format: | Dataset |
| Language: | unknown |
| Published: |
2021
|
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://zenodo.org/record/5637305 https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.j3tx95xfm |
| Summary: | Temnospondyl amphibians are a common component of non-marine Triassic assemblages, including in the Fremouw Formation (Lower to Middle Triassic) of Antarctica. Temnospondyls were among the first tetrapods to be collected from Antarctica, but their record from the lower Fremouw Formation has long been tenuous. One taxon, 'Austrobrachyops jenseni,' is represented by a type specimen comprising only a partial pterygoid, which is now thought to belong to a dicynodont. A second taxon, 'Cryobatrachus kitchingi,' is represented by a type specimen comprising a nearly complete skull, but the specimen is only exposed ventrally, and uncertainty over its ontogenetic maturity and some aspects of its anatomy has led it to be designated as a nomen dubium by previous workers. Here we redescribe the holotype of 'C. kitchingi,' an undertaking that is augmented by tomographic analysis. Most of the original interpretations and reconstructions cannot be substantiated, and some are clearly erroneous. Although originally classified as a lydekkerinid, the purported lydekkerinid characteristics are shown to be unfounded or no longer diagnostic for the family. We instead identify numerous features shared with highly immature capitosaurs, a large-bodied clade documented in the upper Fremouw Formation of Antarctica and elsewhere in the Lower Triassic. Additionally, we describe a newly collected partial skull from the lower Fremouw Formation that represents a relatively mature, small-bodied individual and that we provisionally refer to Lydekkerinidae; this specimen represents the most confident identification of a lydekkerinid from Antarctica to date. Funding provided by: National Science FoundationCrossref Funder Registry ID: http://dx.doi.org/10.13039/100000001Award Number: NSF ANT-1341304Funding provided by: National Science FoundationCrossref Funder Registry ID: http://dx.doi.org/10.13039/100000001Award Number: NSF ANT-1341645Funding provided by: National Science FoundationCrossref Funder Registry ID: ... |
|---|