Cricotus

Cricotus
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Superorder:	Reptiliomorpha
Order:	Anthracosauria
Family:	Archeriidae
Genus:	Cricotus

A skeleton of Cricotus crassidens (specimen AMNH 4550)

Cricotus is an extinct genus of Embolomeri. It was erected by Cope in 1875,^[1] on the basis of fragmentary, not clearly associated remains including caudal vertebrae, on which the name was established (in fact, based on a single intercentrum), as well as a few other postcranial bones. It was little-used in the subsequent literature, contrary to Archeria, which appears to be a junior synonym of Cricotus. However, given that the type species of Cricotus (C. heteroclitus) is a nomen dubium, the name Cricotus is unavailable. This is why Holmes ^[2] suggested using the name Archeria for this taxon, though he provided no evidence that he made a formal appeal to the International Commission on Zoological Nomenclature for this (and presumably did not do it).

References

^ Cope ED. 1875. On fossil remains of reptilia and fishes from Illinois. Proceedings of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia 27: 404-408.
^ Holmes R. 1989. The skull and axial skeleton of the Lower Permian anthracosauroid amphibian Archeria crassidisca Cope. Palaeontographica Abt. A Palaeozoologie – Stratigraphie 207: 161-206.

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[1] Cope ED. 1875. On fossil remains of reptilia and fishes from Illinois. Proceedings of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia 27: 404-408.

[2] Holmes R. 1989. The skull and axial skeleton of the Lower Permian anthracosauroid amphibian Archeria crassidisca Cope. Palaeontographica Abt. A Palaeozoologie – Stratigraphie 207: 161-206.

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