Carboniferous Tetrapods include amphibians and reptiles that lived during the Carboniferous Period

Carboniferous

The Carboniferous is a geologic period and system that extends from the end of the Devonian Period, about 359.2 ± 2.5 Mya , to the beginning of the Permian Period, about 299.0 ± 0.8 Mya . The name is derived from the Latin word for coal, carbo. Carboniferous means "coal-bearing"...

.

During this time, amphibian

Amphibian

Amphibians , are a class of vertebrate animals including animals such as toads, frogs, caecilians, and salamanders. They are characterized as non-amniote ectothermic tetrapods...

s (including many extinct groups unrelated to modern forms, referred to as "basal tetrapods") were the predominant tetrapods, and included the Temnospondyli

Temnospondyli

Temnospondyli is a diverse order of small to giant tetrapods—often considered primitive amphibians—that flourished worldwide during the Carboniferous, Permian, and Triassic periods. A few species continued into the Cretaceous. Fossils have been found on every continent...

, Lepospondyli

Lepospondyli

Lepospondyli are a group of small but diverse Carboniferous to early Permian tetrapods. Six different groups are known, the Acherontiscidae, Adelospondyli, Aïstopoda, Lysorophia, Microsauria and Nectridea, and between them they include newt-like, eel- or snake-like, and lizard-like forms, along...

, and Reptiliomorpha

Reptiliomorpha

Reptiliomorpha refers to an order or subclass of reptile-like amphibians, which gave rise to the amniotes in the Carboniferous. Under phylogenetic nomenclature, the Reptiliomorpha includes their amniote descendants though, even in phylogenetic nomenclature, the name is mostly used when referring to...

/Batrachosauria

Batrachosauria

Batrachosauria is a name given either to very reptile-like amphibians dating from the Carboniferous and Permian periods, or to amniotes and those amphibians very closely related to them...

. The first amniote

Amniote

The amniotes are a group of tetrapods that have a terrestrially adapted egg. They include synapsids and sauropsids , as well as their fossil ancestors. Amniote embryos, whether laid as eggs or carried by the female, are protected and aided by several extensive membranes...

s appeared during the middle Carboniferous (Early Pennsylvanian, and included both Sauropsids and Synapsid

Synapsid

Synapsids are a group of animals that includes mammals and everything more closely related to mammals than to other living amniotes. They are easily separated from other amniotes by having an opening low in the skull roof behind each eye, leaving a bony arch beneath each, accounting for their name...

s, but it was not until the very end of the Carboniferous that the reptiles began to diversify.

Classification

The following list of families of Carboniferous tetrapods is based mostly on Benton ed. 1993. The classification follows Benton 2004:

Superclass Tetrapod

Tetrapod

Tetrapods are vertebrate animals having four limbs. Amphibians, reptiles, birds and mammals are all tetrapods; even snakes and other limbless reptiles and amphibians are tetrapods by descent. The earliest tetrapods evolved from the lobe-finned fishes in the Devonian...

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• Basal Tetrapods

• Family Whatcheeriidae
  Whatcheeriidae
  Whatcheeriidae was a family of tetrapods which lived in the Mississippian sub-period, a subdivision of the Carboniferous period. It contains the genera Pederpes and Whatcheeria...
  
  
• Family Crassigyrinidae
  Crassigyrinus
  Crassigyrinus is an extinct genus of carnivorous stem tetrapod from the Early Carboniferous of Scotland and possibly Greer, West Virginia. The type specimen was originally described as Macromerium scoticum and lacked a complete skull...
  
  
• Family Baphetidae
  Loxommatidae
  Baphetidae is an extinct family of early tetrapods. Baphetids were large labyrinthodont predators of the Late Carboniferous period of Europe. Fragmentary remains from the Early Carboniferous of Canada have been tentatively assigned to the group...
  
   (Loxommatidae)
• Family Colosteidae
  Colosteidae
  The Colosteidae are a family of amphibian tetrapods that lived in the Carboniferous period. They appear to be a fairly primitive group, a sister group to the reptile-like amphibians and the other temnospondylans....
  
  
• Family Caerorhachidae
  • Class Amphibia

• Order Temnospondyli
  Temnospondyli
  Temnospondyli is a diverse order of small to giant tetrapods—often considered primitive amphibians—that flourished worldwide during the Carboniferous, Permian, and Triassic periods. A few species continued into the Cretaceous. Fossils have been found on every continent...
  
  

• Family Dendrerpetontidae
  Dendrerpetontidae
  Dendrerpetontidae is a family of Temnospondyli.-References:*Benton, M.J. 2005. Vertebrate Palaeontology, Third Edition. University of Bristol...
  
  
• Family Cochleosauridae
  Cochleosauridae
  Cochleosauridae is a family of Temnospondyli.-External links:*...
  
  
• Family Trimerorhachidae
  Trimerorhachidae
  Trimerorhachidae is a family of dvinosaurian temnospondyls....
  
  
• Family Eugyrinidae
• Family Saurerpetontidae
• Family Eryopidae
  Eryopidae
  Eryopidae are a family of medium to large Permian temnospondyli amphibians, known from North America and Europe. They are defined cladistically as all Eryopoidea with interpterygoid vacuities that are rounded at the front; and large external nares...
  
  
• Family Trematopidae
• Family Dissorophidae
  Dissorophidae
  Dissorophidae is an extinct family of medium-sized, temnospondyl amphibians that flourished during the Late Pennsylvanian and early Permian periods in what is now North America and Europe...
  
  
• Family Micromelerpetontidae
  Micromelerpetontidae
  The Micromelerpetontidae was a family of Temnospondyli....
  
  
• Family Branchiosauridae
• Family Amphibamidae
  Amphibamidae
  Amphibamidae is an extinct family of dissorophoid euskelian temnospondyls. The earliest amphibamids such as Amphibamus are known from Early Permian strata in the United States, while the last known amphibamid, Micropholis, is known from the Early Triassic Karoo Basin of South Africa...
  
  

• Superorder Lepospondyli
  Lepospondyli
  Lepospondyli are a group of small but diverse Carboniferous to early Permian tetrapods. Six different groups are known, the Acherontiscidae, Adelospondyli, Aïstopoda, Lysorophia, Microsauria and Nectridea, and between them they include newt-like, eel- or snake-like, and lizard-like forms, along...
  
  

• Order Aïstopoda
  Aïstopoda
  Aïstopoda is an order of highly specialised snake-like amphibians known from the Carboniferous and Early Permian of Europe and North America, ranging from tiny forms only , to nearly in length...
  
  

• Family Ophiderpetontidae
• Family Phlegethontiidae

• Order Incertae Sedis

• Family Acherontiscidae
• Family Adelogyrinidae

• Order Nectridea
  Nectridea
  Nectridea is an extinct order of lepospondyl amphibians from the Carboniferous and Permian periods, which included animals such as Diplocaulus. In appearance, they would have resembled modern newts or aquatic salamanders. They had long flattened tails to aid in swimming, and well-developed hind...
  
  

• Family Diplocaulidae
• Family Scincosauridae
• Family Urocordylidae

• Order Microsauria
  Microsauria
  Microsauria is an extinct order of lepospondyl amphibians from the late Carboniferous and early Permian periods. It is the most diverse and species-rich group of lepospondyls. Recently, Microsauria has been considered paraphyletic, as several other non-microsaur lepospondyl groups such as...
  
  

• Utaherpeton
  Utaherpeton
  Utaherpeton is an extinct genus of prehistoric amphibian.-See also:* Prehistoric amphibian* List of prehistoric amphibians...
  
  
• Family Microbrachidae
• Family Hyloplesiontidae
• Family Odonterpetontidae
• Family Tuditanidae
  Tuditanidae
  Tuditanidae is an extinct family of tuditanomorph microsaurs. Fossils have been found from Nova Scotia, Ohio, and the Czech Republic and are Late Carboniferous in age.Tuditanids were medium-sized terrestrial microsaurs that resembled lizards...
  
  
• Family Pantylidae
• Family Gymnarthridae
  Gymnarthridae
  Gymnarthridae is an extinct family of tuditanomorph microsaurs. Gymnarthrids are known from Europe and North America and existed from the Late Carboniferous through the Early Permian. Remains have been found from the Czech Republic, Nova Scotia, Illinois, Texas, and Oklahoma.Gymnarthrids are...
  
  
• Family Trihecatontidae
• Family Cocytinidae

• Superorder Reptiliomorpha
  Reptiliomorpha
  Reptiliomorpha refers to an order or subclass of reptile-like amphibians, which gave rise to the amniotes in the Carboniferous. Under phylogenetic nomenclature, the Reptiliomorpha includes their amniote descendants though, even in phylogenetic nomenclature, the name is mostly used when referring to...
  
  

• Order Anthracosauria
  Anthracosauria
  Anthracosauria is an order of extinct reptile-like amphibians that flourished during the Carboniferous and early Permian periods, although precisely which species are included depends on one's definition of the taxon.-Various definitions:...
  
  

• Family Eoherpetontidae
• Family Proterogyrinidae
  Proterogyrinidae
  The Proterogyrinidae was a family of Embolomeri that lived in the Carboniferous period. Typical genus was Proterogyrinus....
  
  
• Family Anthracosauridae
• Family Eogyrinidae
  Eogyrinidae
  Eogyrinidae is an extinct family of large, long-bodied tetrapods that lived in the rivers of the Late Carboniferous period....
  
  
• Family Archeriidae
  Archeriidae
  Archeriidae is a family of embolomeres that lived in the Permian period. Archeria is a well known genus of archeriid....
  
  

• Order Gephyrostegida

• Family Gephyrostegidae

• Order Seymouriamorpha
  Seymouriamorpha
  Seymouriamorpha were a small but widespread group of reptiliomorphs. Many seymouriamorphs were terrestrial or semi-aquatic. However, aquatic larvae bearing external gills and grooves from the lateral line system has been found, making them unquestionably amphibians. The adults were terrestrial...
  
  

• Family Discosauriscidae
  Discosauriscidae
  Discosauriscidae is a family of reptiliomorphs of the early Permian group Seymouriamorpha....
  
  

Orders/Suborders Uncertain

• Family Solenodonsauridae
• Westlothiana
  Westlothiana
  Westlothiana lizziae was a reptile-like amphibian or possibly early reptile that bore a superficial resemblance to modern-day lizards. It lived during the Carboniferous period, about 350 million years ago. The type specimen was discovered in East Kirkton Quarry, Bathgate, Scotland, in 1984, and was...
  
  

• Order Diadectomorpha
  Diadectomorpha
  Diadectomorpha are a clade of large reptile-like amphibians that lived in Euramerica during the Carboniferous and Early Permian periods, and are very close to the ancestry of the Amniota. They include both large carnivorous and even larger herbivorous forms, some semi-aquatic and others fully...
  
  

• Family Limnoscelididae
• Family Diadectidae
  Diadectidae
  Diadectidae is an extinct family of large diadectomorph reptiliomorphs. Diadectids lived in North America and Europe during the Late Carboniferous and Early Permian. They were the first herbivorous tetrapods, and also the first fully terrestrial animals to attain large sizes. Footprints indicate...
  
  

Series Amniota

• Class Sauropsida
  Sauropsida
  Sauropsida is a group of amniotes that includes all existing reptiles and birds and their fossil ancestors, including the dinosaurs, the immediate ancestors of birds...
  
  
• Basal Eureptilia
  Eureptilia
  Eureptilia is one of the two major clades of the Sauropsida, the other being Anapsida . Eureptilia includes not only all Diapsids, but also a number of primitive Permo-Carboniferous forms previously classified under the Anapsida, in the old order "Cotylosauria".Primitive eureptilians were all...
  
  

• Family Captorhinidae
  Captorhinidae
  Captorhinidae is one of the earliest and most basal reptile families.-Description:...
  
  
• Family Protorothyrididae
  Protorothyrididae
  Protorothyrididae is a family of small, lizard-like reptiles. Their skulls did not have fenestrae, as is also true of modern turtles and tortoises. Protorothyridids lived from the Late Carboniferous to Early Permian periods, in what is now North America. Many genera of primitive reptiles were...
  
  
  • Subclass Diapsida

• Order Araeoscelidia
  Araeoscelidia
  Araeoscelidia or Araeoscelida is a clade of extinct diapsid reptiles superficially resembling lizards, extending from the Late Carboniferous to the Early Permian....
  
  

• Family Petrolacosauridae
  • Class Synapsida

• Order Pelycosaur
  Pelycosaur
  The pelycosaurs are an informal grouping composed of basal or primitive Late Paleozoic synapsid amniotes. Some species were quite large and could grow up to 3 meters or more, although most species were much smaller...
  
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• Family Varanopidae
  Varanopidae
  Varanopidae was a family of synapsid "pelycosaurs" that resembled monitor lizards and might have had the same lifestyle, hence their name. No known varanopids developed a sail like Dimetrodon. Their size varied from lizard-sized to dog-sized creatures. Varanopids already showed some advanced...
  
  
• Family Ophiacodontidae
  Ophiacodontidae
  Ophiacodontidae were pelycosaur synapsids. They appeared in the late Carboniferous period. Archaeothyris, and Clepsydrops were among the earliest Ophiacodontids. Archaeothyris and its relatives were the members of this family. Some ophiacodonts were semi-aquatic, and few were fully aquatic, but...
  
  
• Family Edaphosauridae
  Edaphosauridae
  Edaphosauridae is a family of mostly large advanced, Late Pennsylvanian to early Permian pelycosaurs.They were the earliest known herbivorous amniotes, and along with the Diadectidae the earliest known herbivorous tetrapods...
  
  
• Family Sphenacodontidae
  Sphenacodontidae
  Sphenacodontidae is a family of small to large, advanced, carnivorous, Late Pennsylvanian to middle Permian pelycosaurs. Primitive forms were generally small in size , but during the later part of the early Permian these animals grew progressively larger , to become the top predators of their...