Trematopids ( lat. Trematopidae ) - a family of early Permian dark spondyls . They are part of the superfamily dissorophoid (Dissorophoidea), which includes the most terrestrial of dark spondylae.
| † Trematopids | ||||||||||||||
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 Acheloma cumminsi | ||||||||||||||
| Scientific classification | ||||||||||||||
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| Latin name | ||||||||||||||
| Trematopidae |
Content
Description
Trematopids have a rather high skull with an elongated muzzle. The differences of this group are the presence of extremely elongated external nostrils (perhaps this is due to acute sense of smell and preservation of water), the presence of elongated fanged teeth of the upper jaw, the presence of a median septum on the openers, very deep “ear” notches, and a number of other signs. Unlike dissorophids, trematopids are deprived of powerful skin ossifications. The body is longer than that of the dissorophids, the legs are powerful, the tail is of medium length. The hand is probably four-fingered (although for the genus Acheloma , 5 fingers were depicted on the hand). Length up to 60 cm. These are relatively sedentary land predators.
Evolution
Amphibians Trematopidae appeared on the earth about 300 million years ago. They became one of the first vertebrates of North America , adapted to life on earth.
Classification
The following representatives are most known:
- Acheloma ( Acheloma ) or trematops ( Trematops ). The genus was described by E. D. Cope in 1882, then, on the basis of another material - S.W. Williston in 1909. Later, the identity of both genera was established and the trematops were called Acheloma. However, the name of the family - trematopids - has survived. This is the largest of the trematopids with a skull length of up to 15 cm, the genus is known from the early Permian (Assel - Sakmara era) of Texas, Ohio, Oklahoma. 3-4 species, type species - Acheloma cumminsi (synonym for Trematops milleri ).
- Phonerpeton ( Phonerpeton ) - a small trematopid with a skull length of about 10 cm, with a short muzzle and very large eyes. From the early Perm of Texas.
- Aconastes ( Anconastes ) is also a small short-mouthed trematopid from the early Permian of Texas, sometimes regarded as a synonym for the genus Acheloma.
- Tambachia ( Tambachia trogalles ) - from the early Permian (Wolfcamp) of Germany. This is the only trematopid found outside of North America. Tambahia is part of the famous Bromaker fauna. Small animal, with a skull length of about 5 cm, with a short muzzle and large eyes.
Late carboxylic Fedexia striegeli from Pennsylvania, Actiobates from Texas and Mordex from the Czech Republic can also belong to the family.