| Trematosaurids Temporal range: Triassic (Possible Jurassic record), | |
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| Fossil of Trematolestes hagdorni in the State Museum of Natural History Stuttgart | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Order: | † Temnospondyli |
| Suborder: | † Stereospondyli |
| Superfamily: | † Trematosauroidea |
| Family: | † Trematosauridae Watson, 1919 |
Trematosauridae is a family of large marine temnospondyls with several included genera.
Trematosaurids are one of the most derived families of the Trematosauroidea superfamily in that they are the only family that have fully marine lifestyles. [1] Long, slender snouts that are characteristic of the trematosaurids, with some members having rostra resembling those of modern-day gavials.
Traditionally, two subfamilies within Trematosauridae can be identified, the relatively short-nosed Trematosaurinae and the long-nosed Lonchorhynchinae. [2] A third subfamily, Tertreminae, was named in 2000 and includes broad-snouted forms like Tirraturhinus .
Trematsaurids first appeared during the Induan [3] age (Wordie Creek Formation, Greenland) of the Early Triassic epoch. The family existed until around the Carnian age of the Late Triassic epoch, [4] although by then they were very rare. By the Middle Triassic they had become widespread throughout Laurasia and Gondwana with fossils being found in Europe, Asia, Madagascar, and Australia. A possible trematosaurid has been found in the Toutunhe Formation in the Junggar Basin. If this analysis is accurate, it renders Trematosauridae one of the longest lived lineages of the Temnospondyli, having lasted as recently as the late Jurassic. [5]
In 2006, a new Middle Triassic genus Trematolestes from southern Germany has been reported. It was the sister taxon of the subfamily Lonchorhynchinae and its closest relative was Tertremoides . [6]
Below is a cladogram from Steyer (2002) showing the phylogenetic relationships of trematosaurids: [1]
| Trematosauridae | |
A cladogram after Novikov (2018) with only Early Triassic Eastern Europe taxa included: [7]
| Trematosauridae | |
Temnospondyli or temnospondyls is a diverse ancient order of small to giant tetrapods—often considered primitive amphibians—that flourished worldwide during the Carboniferous, Permian and Triassic periods, with fossils being found on every continent. A few species continued into the Jurassic and Early Cretaceous periods, but all had gone extinct by the Late Cretaceous. During about 210 million years of evolutionary history, they adapted to a wide range of habitats, including freshwater, terrestrial, and even coastal marine environments. Their life history is well understood, with fossils known from the larval stage, metamorphosis and maturity. Most temnospondyls were semiaquatic, although some were almost fully terrestrial, returning to the water only to breed. These temnospondyls were some of the first vertebrates fully adapted to life on land. Although temnospondyls are amphibians, many had characteristics such as scales and armour-like bony plates that distinguish them from the modern soft-bodied lissamphibians.
The Stereospondyli are a group of extinct temnospondyl amphibians that existed primarily during the Mesozoic period. They are known from all seven continents and were common components of many Triassic ecosystems, likely filling a similar ecological niche to modern crocodilians prior to the diversification of pseudosuchian archosaurs.
Wetlugasaurus is an extinct genus of temnospondyl from the Early Triassic (Olenekian) Charkabozh, Kzylsaiskaya, Petropavlovka, Kamennyi Yar and Vetluga Series Formations of northern Russia and Greenland. It had a 22 centimetres (8.7 in) long skull, and reached a total length of 1 metre.
Trematolestes is an extinct genus of temnospondyl amphibian from the Lower Keuper of southern Germany. It was first named by Rainer R. Schoch in 2006 and the type species is Trematolestes hagdorni. It is the first trematosaurid represented by a nearly complete skeleton.
Trematosaurus is an extinct genus of trematosaurid temnospondyl amphibian found in Germany and Russia. It was first named by Hermann Burmeister in 1849 and the type species is Trematosaurus brauni.
Brachyopoidea is a superfamily of temnospondyls that lived during the Mesozoic. It contains the families Brachyopidae and Chigutisauridae. The earliest records of brachyopids are from the Lower Triassic in Australia. The latest-surviving member of the superfamily is the chigutisaurid Koolasuchus from the Early Cretaceous of Australia.
Lydekkerinidae is a family of stereospondyl temnospondyls that lived in the Early Triassic period. During this time period, lydekkerinids were widely distributed, with putative remains reported from Russia, Greenland, India, South Africa, Madagascar, Australia, and Antarctica. In contrast to most other stereospondyls, lydekkerinids were relatively small-bodied. The type genus is Lydekkerina, the namesake of the family and the best-known lydekkerinid.
Mastodonsauridae is a family of capitosauroid temnospondyls. Fossils belonging to this family have been found in North America, Greenland, Europe, Asia, and Australia. The family Capitosauridae is synonymous with Mastodonsauridae.
Microposaurus is an extinct genus of trematosaurid temnospondyl. Fossils are known from the Cynognathus Assemblage Zone of the Beaufort Group in South Africa and the Rouse Hill Siltstone of Australia that date back to the Anisian stage of the Middle Triassic. These aquatic creatures were the short snouted lineage from Trematosaurinae.
Trematosaurinae is a subfamily of temnospondyl amphibians within the family Trematosauridae. Like all trematosaurids, they were marine piscivores, resembling crocodiles in their general build. Unlike the long, almost gharial-like snouts of the Lonchorhynchinae, the Trematosaurinae had more "normal" crocodile-like skulls.
Lonchorhynchinae is a subfamily of temnospondyl amphibians within the family Trematosauridae.
Almasaurus is an extinct genus of trematosaurian temnospondyl within the family Latiscopidae. It is known from several skulls and some postcranial material found from the Argana Formation in Morocco, which dates back to the Late Triassic.
Bukobaja is an extinct genus of mastodonsaurid temnospondyl from the middle Triassic of Russia. It contains a single species, Bukobaja enigmatica. Bukobaja mainly occurs in the Bukobay Svita as part of the Ladinian?-age "Mastodonsaurus fauna", a section of Russian Triassic biostratigraphy characterized by "Mastodonsaurus" torvus. It was also present in the underlying Donguz Svita. Bukobaja appears to be a valid genus similar to, yet distinct from, Mastodonsaurus. Despite appearing to possess several unique features, Bukobaja is still known from very few remains. This has led to difficulties in determining its relations more precisely than "Mastodonsauridae incertae sedis". It has also been compared to trematosaurids.
Hyperokynodon is an extinct genus of trematosaurian temnospondyl within the family Trematosauridae. Fossils have been found in Germany. While most trematosaurids existed during the Early Triassic, Hyperokynodon has been found in Late Triassic deposits, making it the youngest known trematosaurid. Hyperokynodon was known since 1852, but it was not identified as a trematosaurid until 1987. The type and only species is H. keuperinus.
Cosgriffius is an extinct genus of trematosaurian temnospondyl within the family Trematosauridae. It was described in 1993 by Samuel P. Welles based on a single partial skull from the well-known Meteor Crater Quarry in Arizona that also produced more abundant remains of the capitosaur Wellesaurus peabodyi. The skull was long and slender, features typically associated with the trematosaurid subfamily Lonchorhynchinae. This is the only trematosaurid known from western North America.
Gonioglyptus is an extinct genus of trematosaurian temnospondyl within the family Trematosauridae. It is known from the Early Triassic Panchet Formation of India. It contains two species: G. longirostris and G. fragilis. The species G. kokeni from Pakistan has since been reclassified into Aphaneramma.
Trematosuchus is an extinct genus of trematosaurian temnospondyl within the family Trematosauridae from South Africa. The type species was first named by Haughton in 1915 as Trematosaurus sobeyi. It was assigned to its own genus, Trematosuchus, by D.M.S. Watson in 1919.
Tertrema is an extinct genus of trematosaurian temnospondyl within the family Trematosauridae. It is known from skull material from the Vikinghøgda Formation on Spitsbergen Island in Svalbard. Relative to most trematosaurids, Tertrema has a proportionally short snout and widely spaced occipital condyles. While typically placed in the subfamily Trematosaurinae, a 2021 phylogenetic analysis suggested that it was actually nested among the long-snouted lonchorhynchine trematosaurids.
Tertremoides is an extinct genus of trematosaurian temnospondyl within the family Trematosauridae from Madagascar. It was first named by Lehman, J-P. in 1966 as Trematosaurus madagascariensis but renamed to Tertremoides ambilobensis by Lehman in 1979. Its closest relative was Trematolestes.
Stanocephalosaurus is an extinct genus of large-sized temnospondyls living through the early to mid Triassic. The etymology of its name most likely came from its long narrow skull when compared to other temnospondyls. Stanocephalosaurus lived an aquatic lifestyle, with some species even living in salt lakes. There are currently three recognized species and another that needs further material to establish its legitimacy. The three known species are Stanocephalosaurus pronus from the Middle Triassic in Tanzania, Stanocephalosaurus amenasensis from the Lower Triassic in Algeria, and Stanocephalosaurus birdi, from the middle Triassic in Arizona. Stanocephalosaurus rajareddyi from the Middle Triassic in central India needs further evidence in order to establish its relationship among other Stanocephalosaurs. Like other temnospondyls, Stanocephalosaurus was an aquatic carnivore. Evidence of multiple species discovered in a wide range of localities proves that Stanocephalosaurus were present all across Pangea throughout the early to mid Triassic.
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