Labidosaurus ( Latin Labidosaurus , from other Greek λᾰβίς - clasp and σαῦρος - pangolin) - a genus of primitive reptiles from the Captorhinidae family who lived during the Lower Permian ( 290.1–273.0 Ma ago ) in the territory of modern USA [2] .
| † Labidosaurus | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Labidosaurus cope , 1896 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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† Labidosaurus hamatus Cope, 1896
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| Geochronology 290.1—273.0 Ma
◄ Nowadays◄ Cretaceous-Paleogene extinction◄ Triassic extinction◄ Mass Permian Extinction◄ Devonian extinction◄ Ordovician-Silurian extinction◄ Cambrian explosion | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Currently, the only recognized species of the genus is Labidosaurus hamatus . Some fossilized remains of the family, previously assigned to the genus Labidosaurus , today are assigned to other genera or to the species L. hamatus . Labidosaurus is one of the first representatives of the family described.
L. hamatus is known for several skulls and postcranial material from the Lower Perm red sandstones of northern Texas .
Structural Features
Labidosaurus is the largest of the captorinids with single-row jaw teeth. The skull reaches about 20 cm in length. With a ratio of skull length to body length of approximately 1: 3.6, the total body length of the labidosaurus was 70–75 cm.
The skull is quite low, greatly expanded in the postorbital region, the bones of the skull with a pitted sculpture. The posterior edge of the skull roof is slightly concave. Small eye sockets directed up and to the sides. A characteristic feature of the structure of the skull is the hooked end of the muzzle, formed by the premaxillary bone and strongly hanging over the front edge of the lower jaw. Most captorinids have such a curved premaxilla, but in the labidosaurus this feature is very pronounced. The function of this toothy beak is unclear. Some scholars have suggested that it served as a digging tool, but the absence of characteristic signs of wear and scratches on the front teeth does not confirm this hypothesis.
According to the morphology of the skull, the labidosaurus is close to representatives of the subfamily Moradisaurinae , large primitive reptiles with multi-row teeth. Since they are considered herbivorous, the diet of the labidosaurus may also have included plants , but the only number of sharp conical teeth more suitable for feeding small animals (e.g. insects and mollusks ) suggests that the labidosaurus was probably omnivorous.
The labidosaurus spine consists of 25 pre-sacral vertebrae , two sacral vertebrae and at least 33 caudal vertebrae. There are two morphotypes of the vertebral labidosaurus: with short and long spinous processes.
Notes
- ↑ Labidosaurus hamatus (English) information on the Paleobiology Database website. (Retrieved February 28, 2018) .
- ↑ Labidosaurus (English) information on the Paleobiology Database website. (Retrieved February 28, 2018) .
Literature
- Fundamentals of paleontology: Handbook for paleontologists and geologists of the USSR: in 15 volumes / chap. ed. Yu. A. Orlov . - M .: Nauka, 1964. - T. 12: Amphibians, reptiles and birds / ed. A.K. Rozhdestvensky , L.P. Tatarinov . - S. 228. - 724 p. - 3000 copies.