Laccotriton | |
---|---|
Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Amphibia |
Clade: | Caudata |
Genus: | † Laccotriton Gao et al. 1998 |
Type species | |
†Laccotriton subsolanus Gao et al. 1998 |
Laccotriton is an extinct genus of prehistoric salamanders which lived in Eastern Asia during the Early Cretaceous. [1] [2] A nearly complete skeleton of L. subsolanus was found at Hebei, China. [3]
The Cryptobranchidae are a family of large salamanders that are fully aquatic. The family includes some of the largest living amphibians. They are native to China, Japan, and the eastern United States. Giant salamanders constitute one of two living families—the other being the Asiatic salamanders belonging to the family Hynobiidae—within the Cryptobranchoidea, one of two main divisions of living salamanders.
Weald Clay or the Weald Clay Formation is a Lower Cretaceous sedimentary rock unit underlying areas of South East England, between the North and South Downs, in an area called the Weald Basin. It is the uppermost unit of the Wealden Group of rocks within the Weald Basin, and the upper portion of the unit is equivalent in age to the exposed portion of the Wessex Formation on the Isle of Wight. It predominantly consists of thinly bedded mudstone. The un-weathered form is blue/grey, and the yellow/orange is the weathered form, it is used in brickmaking.
The Salamandroidea are a suborder of salamanders, referred to as advanced salamanders. The members of the suborder are found worldwide except for Antarctica, sub-Saharan Africa, and Oceania. They differ from suborder Cryptobranchoidea as the angular and prearticular bones in their lower jaws are fused, their trunk ribs are bicapitate, and all members use internal fertilization. The female is fertilized by means of a spermatophore, a sperm-containing cap placed by the male in her cloaca. The sperm is stored in spermathecae on the roof of the cloaca until it is needed at the time of oviposition.
The Cryptobranchoidea are a suborder of salamanders found in Asia, European Russia, and the United States. They are known as primitive salamanders, in contrast to Salamandroidea, the advanced salamanders. It has two living subdivisions, Cryptobranchidae, and Hynobiidae, commonly known as Asian salamanders.
Jeholotriton is a genus of primitive salamander from the Daohugou Beds near Daohugou village of Inner Mongolia, China.
Archaeotriton is an extinct genus of prehistoric salamanders. The only identified species in the genus is A. basalticus, which lived during the Oligocene in Central Europe.
Apricosiren is an extinct genus of prehistoric salamander. It is known from the Berriasian aged Lulworth Formation in southern England.
Batrachosauroides is an extinct genus of prehistoric salamander known from several sites across the United States. The two identified species are Batrachosauroides dissimulans and Batrachosauroides gotoi. A proposed, unidentified third species has been proposed by paleontologist James Gardner based on the discovery of a dental fossil in the Bushy Tailed Blowout area of the Lance Formation fossil grounds, but has not been definitively identified as a new species or as part of either of the two identified species.
Galverpeton is an extinct genus of prehistoric salamander. It lived during the Barremian-Aptian stages in the Early Cretaceous, in what is now Western Europe. The type species, Galverpeton ibericum, was described by Estes and Sanchíz in 1982. It was found in the Castellar Formation, part of the Galve fossil assemblage. The fossil is in the Institut Paleontologic Miquel Crusafont, Sabadell.
Eoscapherpeton is an extinct genus of giant salamander, known from the Late Cretaceous of Central Asia. Fossils have been found in the Cenomanian aged Khodzhakul Formation and Dzharakuduk Formation, Turonian aged Bissekty Formation and the Coniacian-Santonian aged Aitym Formation of Uzbekistan, the Santonian aged Yalovach Formation of Tajikistan, and the Santonian-lower Campanian aged Bostobe Formation and Campanian aged Darbasa Formation of Kazakhstan.
Iridotriton is an extinct genus of prehistoric salamander known from a fossil found in stratigraphic zone 6 of the late Jurassic Morrison Formation in the Dinosaur National Monument. One species has been described, Iridotriton hechti. It is likely a member of Cryptobranchoidea.
Hylaeobatrachus is an extinct genus of prehistoric salamander, known from the Early Cretaceous of Europe. The type species H. croyii is known from the Sainte-Barbe Clays Formation at the Iguanodon locality of Belgium, and was described by Louis Dollo. An unnamed Hylaeobatrachus-like taxon has also been reported from Las Hoyas, Spain. Both localities are of Barremian age. Hylaeobatrachus belongs to the crown group of modern salamanders, though its exact relationship with modern salamander groups is uncertain. It was neotenic, llike some modern salamanders.
Liaoxitriton is an extinct genus of prehistoric cryptobranchoid salamanders from the Early Cretaceous of China. It contains one species, L. zhongjiani, from the Aptian aged Yixian Formation. A second species, L. daohugouensis from the Middle/Late Jurassic Tiaojishan Formation, was moved to the genus Neimengtriton in 2021 after a number of studies noted morphological differences between the two genera.
Opisthotriton is an extinct genus of prehistoric salamanders that lived in North America between at least the Upper Cretaceous and the Paleocene.
Megalotriton is an extinct genus of prehistoric salamanders which lived in Europe during the Late Eocene.
Valdotriton is a genus of extinct prehistoric salamanders. Its only known species is Valdotriton gracilis. V. gracilis lived during the Late Barremian in what is now Spain. It was found in the Las Hoyas locality. It represents one of the oldest known members of Salamandroidea.
Sinerpeton is an extinct genus of salamander from the Late Jurassic of China. It is monotypic and consists of one species, S. fengshanense.
Amphidon is an extinct genus of Late Jurassic mammal from the Morrison Formation. It is present in stratigraphic zone five. Two species have been named in the genus: Amphidon superstes and Amphidon aequicrurius, by Simpson in 1925.
Batrachosauroididae is an extinct family of prehistoric salamanders with holarctic distribution. They were paedomorphic and presumably aquatic. They are possibly the sister taxon of Proteidae, an extant family of aquatic salamanders. They are definitively known from the Late Cretaceous to Miocene of North America and Europe. Remains from the earliest Cretaceous (Berriasian) Lulworth Formation of England have tenatively been attributed to this family.