| Discosauriscus Fossil range: Early Permian | |
|---|---|
 Discosauriscus pulherrimus | |
| Scientific classification
| |
|
Discosauriscus Kuhn, 1933 | |
| |
Discosauriscus was a small reptiliomorph that lived in Central and Western Europe in the Lower Permian Period. Its best fossils have been found in Boskovice Furrow, in the Czech Republic.
Classification[]
Discosauriscus belongs in alternative classifications to the order Anthracosauria or Seymouriamorpha, and is the type genus of the family Discosauriscidae. Currently recognised are two valid species - Discosauriscus austriacus and Discosauriscus pulcherrimus. Letoverpeton is a junior synonym of Discosauriscus.[1]
Characteristics[]
Discosauriscids are only known from juvenile forms[2] and three ontogenetic stages can be distinguished. [3]Discosauriscus had wide jaws with sharp teeth, short limbs and relatively long tail.[4] The phalangeal formula was 2-3-4-5-3 for both hind- and forelimbs. The body was covered with rounded scales with concentric rings, and a well preserved lateral-line system has been described.[5]
It has been suggested that Discosauriscus may have had electroreceptive organs[6].
References[]
- ^ Klembara J. 1997. The cranial anatomiy of the Permian Tetrapod Discosauriscus, Kuhn 1933 from the Boskovice Forrow (Czech Republic)
- ^ Carroll, R.L. 1988. Vertebrate Paleontology and Evolution, pp 176. WH Freeman and Company, New York ISBN 0-7167-1822-7
- ^ Klembara, Jozef. 1996. Discosauriscus. Version 01 January 1996. http://tolweb.org/Discosauriscus/17544/1996.01.01 in The Tree of Life Web Project, http://tolweb.org/
- ^ dinosaurier-news - Discosauriscus: Ein Amphibium aus der Permzeit
- ^ Klembara, Jozef. 1996. Discosauriscus. Version 01 January 1996. http://tolweb.org/Discosauriscus/17544/1996.01.01 in The Tree of Life Web Project, http://tolweb.org/
- ^ Klembara, J, Electroreceptors in the Lower Permian tetrapod Discosauriscus austriacus,Palaeontology, Vol 37, part 3, (1994)