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Dissorophoidea

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Dissorophoidea
Temporal range: Late Carboniferous - Early Triassic, 310–249 Ma
Possible descendant taxon Lissamphibia survives to present.
Life restoration of Zygosaurus
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Order: Temnospondyli
Suborder: Euskelia
Superfamily: Dissorophoidea
Bolt, 1969

Dissorophoideans are a clade of medium-sized, temnospondyl amphibians that appeared during the Late Pennsylvanian in Euramerica, and continued through to the Late Permian and even possibly the Early Triassic of Gondwana (if Micropholis belongs here). They are distinguished by various details of the skull,[1] and many forms seem to have been well adapted for life on land.

It has been suggested that they may be ancestral to the Frogs (Reisz, no date) or even the Lissamphibia as a whole, in which case the latter would be included in this clade.

It is possible that the small Permo-Carboniferous Micromelerpetontidae and the large Late Permian Melosauridae may also belong in this clade.

References

  1. ^ (see Laurin & Steyer, 2000, for list of apomorphies)