Gephyrostegus
| Gephyrostegus | |
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| Family: | Gephyrostegidae
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| Genus: | Gephyrostegus
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Gephyrostegus is an extinct genus of reptile like amphibians or possibly an early proto-reptile. It was a small animal of generally lizard-like build and presumably habit. It had large eyes and a large number of small, pointed teeth, indicating it was an active insectivorious hunter. The remains have been found in Nyran, Czech Republic, dating from around 310 million years ago (upper Carboniferous).[1]
Originally thought to have been an seymouriamorph, the phylogenetic position is uncertain, and it now has its own family: Gephyrostegidae.[2] At 22 cm snout-vent length, Gephyrostegus is one of the smallest (if not the smallest) advanced reptiliomrphans found, and is one of several candidates for having evolved an amniote egg, thus being the first reptile. The original find was that of a fairly complete skeleton. The species Diplovertebron watsoni, erected for two smaller, possibly juvenile individuals, have been reassigned to Gephyrostegus.[3] If the two smaller specimen are indeed juveniles of the same general build animals as the first find, it indicates Gephyrostegus did not have a free tadpole stage, with implications for its status as a possible reptile.
References
- ^ Jaeckel, O. (1902): Über Gephyrostegus bohemicus, n.g. n.sp. Zeitschrift der Deutschen Geologischen Gesellschaft no 54: pp. 127–132.
- ^ Margaret C. Brough and J. Brough (June 1, 1967). "The Genus Gephyrostegus". Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London. Series B, Biological Sciences. 252 (776): 147–165. doi:10.1098/rstb.1967.0006. JSTOR 2416682.
- ^ Brough, M.C. and Brough J. (1967): The Genus Gephyrostegus. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London. Series B, Biological Sciences no 252 (776): pp. 147–165. doi:10.1098/rstb.1967.0006