Chelyderpeton
Encyclopedia
Cheliderpeton is an extinct genus of temnospondyl amphibian
. It lived during the Early Permian in what is now Europe
and Germany
. Fossil
s have been found from the Ruprechtice horizon of the Intrasudetic Basin of Bohemia
in the Czech Republic
, as well as the Saar-Nahe Basin of southwestern Germany
.
The type species
of Cheliderpeton is C. vranyi, named in 1877 by the Czech paleontologist Antonin Fritsch
and found from the Czech Republic. A second species named C. latirostre was described in 1993 by J. A. Boy from Germany, after having been assigned to Archegosaurus
. It differs from the type in having a less extensive preorbital region of the skull, a wider cheek region, and a snout tip that is less round and has lateral projections. Currently the two species are the only ones known to belong to Cheliderpeton, although there have been more assigned in the past that are now considered to be synonymous
with the known species. "Actinodon germanicus", described by O. Kuhn in 1939 on the basis of a specimen found from the Czech Republic, is now known to be an unusually large individual of C. vranyi, probably in a late stage of ontogenic development.
It has been suggested that C. latirostre may belong to a separate genus, either to Archegosaurus or a new one that is yet to be named, due to several differences between it and the type species. These differences include the concave outline of the skull roof
, the expanded snout seen in adult individuals (similar to Archegosaurus decheni), and a nasal
-maxilla contact in the adult stage.
Cheliderpeton is closely related to the genus Intasuchus
from the northern pre-Ural
region of Russia
. Both share similarities in skull shape, as well as a short and expanded dorsal branch of the ilium and a premaxilla
-maxilla
suture that is anterior to the choana
. Fossils of temnospondyls similar in appearance to Cheliderpeton have been found from the Autun Basin
and the basin of Bourbon l'Archambault in France
.
Cheliderpeton may be a member of the family
Archegosauridae
or the family Intasuchidae. The family Archegosauridae belongs to the superfamily
Archegosauroidea
, but it is unsure whether Intasuchus, the type species of Intasuchidae, belongs to Archegosauroidea or the family Eryopidae
, within the superfamily Eryopoidea
. Thus it is unsure whether Cheliderpeton is an eryopoid (and perhaps more specifically an eryopid) or an archegosauroid. Cheliderpeton had previously been placed in the family Actinodontidae
along with Actinodon, Syndyodosuchus
and Sclerocephalus
, but because Actinodon, the type genus
of the family, is a junior synonym of the eryopid Onchiodon
, the family is now considered polyphyletic.
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...
. It lived during the Early Permian in what is now Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
and Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
. Fossil
Fossil
Fossils are the preserved remains or traces of animals , plants, and other organisms from the remote past...
s have been found from the Ruprechtice horizon of the Intrasudetic Basin of Bohemia
Bohemia
Bohemia is a historical region in central Europe, occupying the western two-thirds of the traditional Czech Lands. It is located in the contemporary Czech Republic with its capital in Prague...
in the Czech Republic
Czech Republic
The Czech Republic is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Poland to the northeast, Slovakia to the east, Austria to the south, and Germany to the west and northwest....
, as well as the Saar-Nahe Basin of southwestern Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
.
Type species
In biological nomenclature, a type species is both a concept and a practical system which is used in the classification and nomenclature of animals and plants. The value of a "type species" lies in the fact that it makes clear what is meant by a particular genus name. A type species is the species...
of Cheliderpeton is C. vranyi, named in 1877 by the Czech paleontologist Antonin Fritsch
Antonin Fritsch
Antonin Fritsch was a Czech paleontologist, biologist and geologist, living during the Austria–Hungary era. Professor at the Charles University and later became director of the National Museum in Prague...
and found from the Czech Republic. A second species named C. latirostre was described in 1993 by J. A. Boy from Germany, after having been assigned to Archegosaurus
Archegosaurus
Archegosaurus is a genus of temnospondyl amphibian which lived during the Asselian to Wuchiapingian stages of the Permian, around 299-253 million years ago. The remains of this animal, consisting of at least 90 partial skeletons , have been found in Germany. The name Archegosaurus was coined by...
. It differs from the type in having a less extensive preorbital region of the skull, a wider cheek region, and a snout tip that is less round and has lateral projections. Currently the two species are the only ones known to belong to Cheliderpeton, although there have been more assigned in the past that are now considered to be synonymous
Synonym (taxonomy)
In scientific nomenclature, a synonym is a scientific name that is or was used for a taxon of organisms that also goes by a different scientific name. For example, Linnaeus was the first to give a scientific name to the Norway spruce, which he called Pinus abies...
with the known species. "Actinodon germanicus", described by O. Kuhn in 1939 on the basis of a specimen found from the Czech Republic, is now known to be an unusually large individual of C. vranyi, probably in a late stage of ontogenic development.
It has been suggested that C. latirostre may belong to a separate genus, either to Archegosaurus or a new one that is yet to be named, due to several differences between it and the type species. These differences include the concave outline of the skull roof
Skull roof
The skull roof , or the roofing bones of the skull are a set of bones covering the brain, eyes and nostrils in bony fishes and all land living vertebrates. The bones are derived from dermal bone, hence the alternative name dermatocranium...
, the expanded snout seen in adult individuals (similar to Archegosaurus decheni), and a nasal
Nasal bone
The nasal bones are two small oblong bones, varying in size and form in different individuals; they are placed side by side at the middle and upper part of the face, and form, by their junction, "the bridge" of the nose.Each has two surfaces and four borders....
-maxilla contact in the adult stage.
Cheliderpeton is closely related to the genus Intasuchus
Intasuchus
Intasuchus is an extinct genus of temnospondyl amphibian....
from the northern pre-Ural
Ural (region)
Ural is a geographical region located around the Ural Mountains, between the East European and West Siberian plains. It extends approximately from north to south, from the Arctic Ocean to the bend of Ural River near Orsk city. The boundary between Europe and Asia runs along the eastern side of...
region of Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
. Both share similarities in skull shape, as well as a short and expanded dorsal branch of the ilium and a premaxilla
Premaxilla
The incisive bone is the portion of the maxilla adjacent to the incisors. It is a pair of small cranial bones at the very tip of the jaws of many animals, usually bearing teeth, but not always. They are connected to the maxilla and the nasals....
-maxilla
Maxilla
The maxilla is a fusion of two bones along the palatal fissure that form the upper jaw. This is similar to the mandible , which is also a fusion of two halves at the mental symphysis. Sometimes The maxilla (plural: maxillae) is a fusion of two bones along the palatal fissure that form the upper...
suture that is anterior to the choana
Choana
Choana is the posterior nasal aperture.The choanae are separated by the vomer.- Boundaries :It is the opening between the nasal cavity and the nasopharynx....
. Fossils of temnospondyls similar in appearance to Cheliderpeton have been found from the Autun Basin
Autun
Autun is a commune in the Saône-et-Loire department in Burgundy in eastern France. It was founded during the early Roman Empire as Augustodunum. Autun marks the easternmost extent of the Umayyad campaign in Europe.-Early history:...
and the basin of Bourbon l'Archambault in France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
.
Cheliderpeton may be a member of the family
Family (biology)
In biological classification, family is* a taxonomic rank. Other well-known ranks are life, domain, kingdom, phylum, class, order, genus, and species, with family fitting between order and genus. As for the other well-known ranks, there is the option of an immediately lower rank, indicated by the...
Archegosauridae
Archegosauridae
Archegosauridae is a family of relatively large and long snouted temnospondyls that lived in the Permian period. Most appeared and probably behaved like crocodiles.-References:...
or the family Intasuchidae. The family Archegosauridae belongs to the superfamily
Taxonomic rank
In biological classification, rank is the level in a taxonomic hierarchy. Examples of taxonomic ranks are species, genus, family, and class. Each rank subsumes under it a number of less general categories...
Archegosauroidea
Archegosauroidea
Archegosauroidea is an extinct superfamily of Permian temnospondyls. The superfamily is assigned to the clade Stereospondylomorpha and is the sister taxon to the suborder Stereospondyli. It includes the families Actinodontidae and Archegosauridae, and possibly the genus Intasuchus, which is placed...
, but it is unsure whether Intasuchus, the type species of Intasuchidae, belongs to Archegosauroidea or the 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...
, within the superfamily Eryopoidea
Eryopoidea
Eryopoidea are a taxon of late Carboniferous and Permian temnospondyli amphibians, known from North America and Europe. Carroll includes no less than ten families, but Yates and Warren replace this with a cladistic approach and include only two Permian families, the Eryopidae and Zatrachydidae...
. Thus it is unsure whether Cheliderpeton is an eryopoid (and perhaps more specifically an eryopid) or an archegosauroid. Cheliderpeton had previously been placed in the family Actinodontidae
Actinodontidae
Actinodontidae is a family of Temnospondyli of the superfamily Archegosauroidea that lived in the Permian period....
along with Actinodon, Syndyodosuchus
Syndyodosuchus
Syndyodosuchus is an extinct genus of stereospondylomorph temnospondyl within the family Actinodontidae.-See also:* Prehistoric amphibian* List of prehistoric amphibians...
and Sclerocephalus
Sclerocephalus
Sclerocephalus is an extinct genus of temnospondyl amphibian from the lowermost Permian of Germany with four valid species, including the type species S. haeuseri...
, but because Actinodon, the type genus
Type genus
In biological classification, a type genus is a representative genus, as with regard to a biological family. The term and concept is used much more often and much more formally in zoology than it is in botany, and the definition is dependent on the nomenclatural Code that applies:* In zoological...
of the family, is a junior synonym of the eryopid Onchiodon
Onchiodon
Onchiodon is an extinct genus of temnospondyl amphibian....
, the family is now considered polyphyletic.
External links
- Cheliderpeton in the Paleobiology DatabasePaleobiology Database' is an online resource for information on the distribution and classification of fossil animals, plants, and microorganisms.-History:The Paleobiology Database was founded in 2000. It has been funded by the National Science Foundation and the Australian Research Council...