Trematosaurids
Temporal range: Triassic (Possible Jurassic record),
Fossil of Trematolestes hagdorni in the State Museum of Natural History Stuttgart
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Amphibia
Order: †Temnospondyli
Suborder: †Stereospondyli
Superfamily: †Trematosauroidea
Family: †Trematosauridae
Watson, 1919

Trematosauridae is a family of large marine temnospondyl amphibians with several included genera.

Life restoration of Trematosaurus


Appearance and lifestyle

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.

Fossil record

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]

Phylogeny

Below is a cladogram from Steyer (2002) showing the phylogenetic relationships of trematosaurids:[1]

Trematosauridae 
 Trematosaurinae 

Tertrema

Lyrocephaliscus

Platystega

Luzocephalus

Trematosaurus

Trematosuchus

 Lonchorhynchinae 

Aphaneramma

Erythrobatrachus

Cosgriffius

Stoschiosaurus

Wantzosaurus

References

  1. 1 2 Steyer, J. S. (2002). "The first articulated trematosaur 'amphibian' from the Lower Triassic of Madagascar: implications for the phylogeny of the group". Palaeontology. 45 (4): 771–793. Bibcode:2002Palgy..45..771S. doi:10.1111/1475-4983.00260. S2CID 83515233.
  2. ↑ Damani, Ross (2004). "Cranial anatomy and relationships of Microposaurus casei, a temnospondyl from the Middle Triassic of South Africa". Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology'. 24 (3): 533–541. doi:10.1671/0272-4634(2004)024[0533:CAAROM]2.0.CO;2. S2CID 131215804.
  3. ↑ Scheyer, Torsten M.; Romano, Carlo; Jenks, Jim; Bucher, Hugo (19 March 2014). "Early Triassic Marine Biotic Recovery: The Predators' Perspective". PLOS ONE. 9 (3): e88987. Bibcode:2014PLoSO...988987S. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0088987. PMC 3960099. PMID 24647136.
  4. ↑ Schoch, Rainer R.; Milner, Andrew R.; Hellrung, Hannah (2002). "The last trematosaurid amphibian Hyperokynodon keuperinus revisited" (PDF). Stuttgarter Beiträge zur Naturkunde, Serie B (Geologie und Paläontologie). 321: 1–9. ISSN 0341-0153.
  5. ↑ (Maisch et al. 2004, p. 582)
  6. ↑ Rainer R. Schoch (2006). "A Complete Trematosaurid Amphibian From The Middle Triassic Of Germany". Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology. 26 (1): 29–43. doi:10.1671/0272-4634(2006)26[29:ACTAFT]2.0.CO;2. S2CID 85829091.


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