Eryops: Difference between revisions

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'''''Eryops''''' ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|ɛ|r|i|.|ɒ|p|s}}; from [[Greek language|Greek]] {{lang|grc|ἐρύειν}}, {{transliteration|grc|eryein}}, 'drawn-out' + {{lang|grc|ὤψ}}, {{transliteration|grc|ops}}, 'face', because most of its skull was in front of its eyes) is a [[genus]] of [[extinct]], amphibious [[temnospondyl]]s. It contains the single species '''{{lang|la|Eryops megacephalus}}''', the [[fossil]]s of which are found mainly in early [[Permian]] (about 295 million years ago) rocks of the [[Red Beds of Texas and Oklahoma|Texas Red Beds]], located in [[Archer County, Texas]]. Fossils have also been found in late [[Carboniferous]] period rocks from [[New Mexico]]. Several complete [[skeleton]]s of ''Eryops'' have been found in lower Permian rocks, but [[skull]] bones and [[teeth]] are its most common fossils.
'''''Eryops''''' ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|ɛ|r|i|.|ɒ|p|s}}; from [[Greek language|Greek]] {{lang|grc|ἐρύειν}}, {{transliteration|grc|eryein}}, 'drawn-out' + {{lang|grc|ὤψ}}, {{transliteration|grc|ops}}, 'face', because most of its skull was in front of its eyes) is a [[genus]] of [[extinct]], amphibious [[temnospondyl]]s. It contains the type species '''{{lang|la|Eryops megacephalus}}''', the [[fossil]]s of which are found mainly in [[Cisuralian|early Permian]] deposits of the [[Red Beds of Texas and Oklahoma|Texas Red Beds]], and ''Eryops grandis'' from New Mexico. Fossils have also been found in [[Pennsylvanian (geology)|late Carboniferous]] rocks from [[New Mexico]] and early Permian deposits of Oklahoma, Utah, the [[Greater Pittsburgh|Pittsburgh tri-state region]], and [[Prince Edward Island]]. Several complete [[skeleton]]s of ''Eryops'' have been found in lower Permian rocks, but [[skull]] bones and [[teeth]] are its most common fossils.


== Description ==
== Description ==
[[File:Eryops1DB.jpg|left|thumb|Life restoration]]
[[File:Eryops1DB.jpg|left|thumb|Life restoration]]
''Eryops'' averaged a little over {{convert|1.5|-|2.0|m|ftin|abbr=on}} long and could grow up to {{convert|3|m|ftin|abbr=on}},<ref name=Schoch2009>{{cite journal|doi=10.1146/annurev.earth.031208.100113|title=Evolution of life cycles in early amphibians|journal=Annual Review of Earth and Planetary Sciences |volume=37 |issue=1|pages=135–162 |year=2009 |last1=Schoch |first1=Rainer R.|bibcode=2009AREPS..37..135S}}</ref> making them among the largest land animals of their time. Adults weighed between {{cvt|102|and|222|kg|lb}}.<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Hart|first1=L.J.|last2=Campione|first2=N.E.|last3=McCurry|first3=M.R.|year=2022|title=On the estimation of body mass in temnospondyls: a case study using the large-bodied Eryops and Paracyclotosaurus|journal=Palaeontology|volume=65|issue=6|pages=e12629|doi=10.1111/pala.12629|doi-access=free}}</ref> The skull was proportionately large, being broad and flat and reaching lengths of {{convert|60|cm|in|abbr=on}}. It had an enormous mouth with many curved teeth, like those of frogs. Its teeth had [[tooth enamel|enamel]] with a folded pattern, leading to its early classification as a "[[labyrinthodont]]" ("maze toothed"). The shape and cross section of ''Eryops'' teeth made them exceptionally strong and resistant to stresses.<ref name= Rinehart&lucas2013/> The palate, or roof of the mouth, contained three pairs of backward-curved fangs, and was covered in backward-pointing bony projections which would have been used to trap slippery prey once caught. This, coupled with the wide gape, suggest an inertial method of feeding, in which the animal would grasp its prey and thrust forward, forcing the prey further back into its mouth.<ref name= Rinehart&lucas2013>{{cite journal|last1=Rinehart, L. F. |last2=Lucas, S. G. |year=2013 |title=Tooth form and function in temnospondyl amphibians: relationship of shape to applied stress |journal=New Mexico Museum of Natural History Bulletin |volume=61 |pages=533–542 |url=http://paleo.cortland.edu/globaltriassic2/Bulletin%2061%20Final/40-Rinehart%20and%20Lucas%20(Metopo%20teeth).pdf}}</ref>
''Eryops'' averaged a little over {{convert|1.5|-|2.0|m|ftin|abbr=on}} long and could grow up to {{convert|3|m|ftin|abbr=on}},<ref name=Schoch2009>{{cite journal|doi=10.1146/annurev.earth.031208.100113|title=Evolution of life cycles in early amphibians|journal=Annual Review of Earth and Planetary Sciences |volume=37 |issue=1|pages=135–162 |year=2009 |last1=Schoch |first1=Rainer R.|bibcode=2009AREPS..37..135S}}</ref> making them among the largest land animals of their time. Adults have been estimated to weigh between {{cvt|102|and|222|kg|lb}}.<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Hart|first1=L.J.|last2=Campione|first2=N.E.|last3=McCurry|first3=M.R.|year=2022|title=On the estimation of body mass in temnospondyls: a case study using the large-bodied Eryops and Paracyclotosaurus|journal=Palaeontology|volume=65|issue=6|article-number=e12629|doi=10.1111/pala.12629|doi-access=free}}</ref> The skull was large and relatively broad compared to coeval temnospondyls; the skull reached lengths of around {{convert|45|cm|in|abbr=on}}.<ref name=":0">{{Cite journal |last=Sawin |first=Horace J. |date=1941 |title=The cranial anatomy of Eryops megacephalus |journal=Bulletin of the Museum of Comparative Zoology |volume=88 |issue=5 |pages=405–463}}</ref><ref name=":3" />


''Eryops'' was much more strongly built and sturdy than its relatives, and had the most massive and heavily ossified skeleton of all known temnospondyls.<ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=0ps6AwAAQBAJ&dq=%22Eryops+the+most+heavily+ossified+one%22&pg=PT237 Amphibian Evolution: The Life of Early Land Vertebrates]</ref> The limbs were especially large and strong. The [[pectoral girdle]] was highly developed, with a larger size for increased [[muscle]] attachments. Most notably, the shoulder girdle was disconnected from the skull, resulting in improved terrestrial locomotion. The crossopterygian [[cleithrum]] was retained as the [[clavicle]], and the [[interclavicle]] was well-developed, lying on the underside of the chest. In primitive forms, the two clavicles and the interclavicle could have grown ventrally in such a way as to form a broad chest plate, although that was not the case in ''Eryops''. The upper portion of the girdle had a flat scapular blade, with the [[glenoid]] cavity situated below performing as the articulation surface for the [[humerus]], while ventrally there was a large flat [[coracoid]] plate turning in toward the midline.<ref name=appendicular_eryops>{{cite journal|last1=Pawley|first1=Kat|last2=Warren|first2=Anne |year=2006 |title=The appendicular skeleton of ''Eryops megacephalus'' Cope, 1877 (Temnospondyli: Eryopoidea) from the Lower Permian of North America |journal=Journal of Paleontology |volume=80 |issue=3 |pages=561–580 |doi=10.1666/0022-3360(2006)80[561:TASOEM]2.0.CO;2 |jstor=4095151|s2cid=56320401 }}</ref>
The postcranial skeleton of ''Eryops'' is among the most completely known of all temnospondyls.<ref>{{cite journal |last=Cope |first=E. D. |title=Article VI. On the Shoulder Girdle and Extremities of Eryops |journal=Transactions of the American Philosophical Society |volume=16 |issue=2 |year=1888 |pages=362–380 |publisher=The American Philosophical Society Press |doi=10.70249/9798893985061-005 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last=Miner |first=Roy W. |date=1925 |title=The pectoral limb of Eryops and other primitive tetrapods |journal=Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History |volume=145 |pages=145–312}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last=Moulton |first=James M. |date=1974 |title=A description of the vertebral column of Eryops, based on the notes and drawings of A.S. Romer |journal=Breviora |volume=428 |pages=1–44}}</ref><ref name="appendicular_eryops">{{cite journal |last1=Pawley |first1=Kat |last2=Warren |first2=Anne |year=2006 |title=The appendicular skeleton of ''Eryops megacephalus'' Cope, 1877 (Temnospondyli: Eryopoidea) from the Lower Permian of North America |journal=Journal of Paleontology |volume=80 |issue=3 |pages=561–580 |doi=10.1666/0022-3360(2006)80[561:TASOEM]2.0.CO;2 |jstor=4095151 |s2cid=56320401}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last=Dilkes |first=David |date=2014 |title=Carpus and tarsus of Temnospondyli |url=https://journals.library.ualberta.ca/vamp/index.php/VAMP/article/view/25234 |journal=Vertebrate Anatomy Morphology Palaeontology |language=en |volume=1 |pages=51–87 |doi=10.18435/B5MW2Q |issn=2292-1389|doi-access=free }}</ref> The configuration of the postcrania is similar to that of other temnospondyls, but the relative degree of ossification and overall size of the animal produce some of the sturdiest and most robust postcrania among Paleozoic temnospondyls.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Pawley |first=Kat |date=June 2007 |title=The postcranial skeleton of Temnospondyls (Tetrapoda: Temnospondyli) |journal=Journal and Proceedings of the Royal Society of New South Wales |volume=140 |issue=1–2 |pages=24–25 |doi=10.5962/p.361587 |issn=0035-9173}}</ref>
 
The [[Pelvis|pelvic]] girdle was much larger than the simple plate found in fishes, accommodating more muscles. It extended far dorsally and was joined to the backbone by one or more specialized sacral [[rib]]s. The hind legs were somewhat specialized in that they not only supported weight, but also provided propulsion. The dorsal extension of the pelvis was the ''[[ilium (bone)|ilium]]'', while the broad ventral plate was composed of the [[pubis (bone)|pubis]] in front and the [[ischium]] behind. The three bones met at a single point in the center of the pelvic triangle, called the ''acetabulum'', providing a surface of articulation for the [[femur]].<ref name=appendicular_eryops/>


The texture of ''Eryops'' skin was revealed by a fossilized "mummy" described in 1941. This mummy specimen showed that the body in life was covered in a pattern of oval bumps.<ref name=romerwitter1941>{{cite journal|last1=Romer|first1=A. S.|last2=Witter|first2=R. V. |year=1941 |title=The skin of the rachitomous amphibian ''Eryops'' |journal=American Journal of Science |volume=239 |issue=11 |pages=822–824 |doi=10.2475/ajs.239.11.822|bibcode=1941AmJS..239..822R|doi-access=free }}</ref>
The texture of ''Eryops'' skin was revealed by a fossilized "mummy" described in 1941. This mummy specimen showed that the body in life was covered in a pattern of oval bumps.<ref name=romerwitter1941>{{cite journal|last1=Romer|first1=A. S.|last2=Witter|first2=R. V. |year=1941 |title=The skin of the rachitomous amphibian ''Eryops'' |journal=American Journal of Science |volume=239 |issue=11 |pages=822–824 |doi=10.2475/ajs.239.11.822|bibcode=1941AmJS..239..822R|doi-access=free }}</ref>
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==Discovery and species==
==Discovery and species==
[[File:Eryops megacephalus (cast) at Göteborgs Naturhistoriska Museum 2355.jpg|thumb|Cast of the skull]]
[[File:Eryops megacephalus (cast) at Göteborgs Naturhistoriska Museum 2355.jpg|thumb|Cast of the skull]]
''Eryops'' is currently thought to contain only one species, ''E. megacephalus'', which means "large-headed ''Eryops''". ''E. megacephalus'' fossils have been found only in rocks dated to the early [[Permian]] period ([[Sakmarian]] age, about 295 million years ago) in the southwestern United States, primarily in the [[Admiral Formation]] of the [[Red Beds of Texas and Oklahoma|Texas Red Beds]].<ref>Gould, Stephen Jay, ed.
''Eryops'' is currently thought to contain two presently valid species. The type species, ''E. megacephalus'', refers to the "large-headed" aspect of the genus. Remains of ''E. megacephalus'' have been found in rocks dated to the early [[Permian]] period ([[Sakmarian]] age, about 295 million years ago) in the southwestern United States. Most of these specimens, including the type material, have little to no locality information other than that they are from the early Permian of Texas,<ref name=":1">{{Cite book |last1=Schoch |first1=Rainer R. |title=Temnospondyli I |last2=Milner |first2=Andrew R. |date=2014 |publisher=Verlag Dr. Friedrich Pfeil |isbn=978-3-89937-170-3 |editor-last=Sues |editor-first=Hans-Dieter |series=Handbuch der Paläoherpetologie / Begr. von Oskar Kuhn. Hrsg. von Peter Wellnhofer. [Fortges. von Hans-Dieter Sues]. Unter Mitarb. von R. M. Appleb ... = Encyclopedia of Paleoherpetology |location=München}}</ref> but more definitively placed specimens are recorded for much of the Cisuralian, including the Putnam, Admiral, Belle Plains, and Clyde Formations.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=ROMER |first=A. S. |date=1935-11-30 |title=Early history of Texas redbeds vertebrates |journal=Geological Society of America Bulletin |volume=46 |issue=11 |pages=1597–1657 |doi=10.1130/gsab-46-1597 |issn=0016-7606}}</ref><ref name=":0" /><ref>{{Cite journal |last=Sander |first=P.Martin |date=January 1987 |title=Taphonomy of the Lower Permian Geraldine Bonebed in Archer County, Texas |journal=Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology |volume=61 |pages=221–236 |doi=10.1016/0031-0182(87)90051-4 |issn=0031-0182}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last=Martin Sander |first=P. |date=January 1989 |title=Early permian depositional environments and pond bonebeds in central archer County, Texas |journal=Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology |volume=69 |pages=1–21 |doi=10.1016/0031-0182(89)90153-3 |issn=0031-0182}}</ref><ref name="appendicular_eryops" /> The second nominal species is ''Eryops grandis'', which was described from the Cutler Formation of New Mexico and also known from Colorado.<ref name="werneburgetal2010a">{{cite book |last1=Werneburg |first1=R. |title=Carboniferous-Permian transition in Canõn del Cobre, northern New Mexico |author2=S.G. Lucas |author3=J.W. Schneider |author4=L.F. Rinehart |year=2010 |editor1=Lucas, S.G. |series=New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science Bulletin |volume=49 |pages=129–135 |chapter=First Pennsylvanian ''Eryops'' (Temnospondyli) and its Permian record from New Mexico |editor2=J.W. Schneider |editor3=J.A. Spielmann}}</ref><ref name=":1" /><ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Lewis |first1=G.E. |last2=Vaughn |first2=P.P. |date=1965 |title=Early Permian vertebrates from the Culter Formation of the Placerville area, Colorado, with a section on footprints from the Cutler Formation |journal=Professional Paper |doi=10.3133/pp503c |issn=2330-7102}}</ref>
[https://books.google.com/books?id=9DIloiBThhIC&dq=eryops+archer+county&pg=PA94 The Book Of Life: An Illustrated History of the Evolution of Life on Earth.] W.W. Norton: 2001, pg. 94. Retrieved August 28, 2017.</ref> During the mid-20th century, some older fossils were classified as a second species of ''Eryops'', ''E. avinoffi''. This species, known from [[Carboniferous]] period fossil found in [[Pennsylvania]], had originally been classified in the genus ''[[Glaukerpeton]]''.<ref>{{cite journal| last1=Romer |first1=Alfred S. |year=1952 |title=Late Pennsylvanian and Early Permian vertebrates in the Pittsburgh-West Virginia region |journal=Annals of Carnegie Museum |volume=33 |pages=47–113}}</ref> Beginning in the late 1950s, some scientists concluded that ''Glaukerpeton'' was too similar to ''Eyrops'' to deserve its own genus. However, later studies supported the original classification of ''Glaukerpeton'', finding it was more primitive than ''Eryops'' and other early temnospondyls.<ref name=werneburg&berman2012>{{cite journal|doi=10.2992/007.081.0103|title=Revision of the aquatic eryopid temnospondyl ''Glaukerpeton avinoffi'' Romer, 1952, from the Upper Pennsylvanian of North America|journal=Annals of Carnegie Museum|volume=81|pages=33–60 |year=2012|last1=Werneburg|first1=Ralf|last2=Berman|first2=David S|s2cid=83566130}}</ref> Supposed ''Eryops'' fossils found in older [[Pennsylvanian (geology)|Pennsylvanian]] epoch rocks of the [[Conemaugh Group]] in West Virginia<ref>{{cite journal| last1=Murphy |first1=James L. |year=1971 |title=Eryopsid Remains from the Conemaugh Group, Braxton County, West Virginia |journal=Southeastern Geology |volume=13 |issue=4 |pages=265–273}}</ref> also turned out to be remains of ''Glaukerpeton''.<ref name=werneburg&berman2012/> In 2005, a skull clearly belonging to ''Eryops'' was found in upper [[Pennsylvanian (geology)|Pennsylvanian]] epoch rocks of the [[El Cobre Canyon Formation]] in [[New Mexico]], representing the oldest known specimen.<ref name=werneburgetal2010a>{{cite book| last1=Werneburg |first1=R. |author2=S.G. Lucas |author3=J.W. Schneider |author4=L.F. Rinehart |year=2010 |chapter=First Pennsylvanian ''Eryops'' (Temnospondyli) and its Permian record from New Mexico |pages=129–135 |editor1=Lucas, S.G. |editor2=J.W. Schneider |editor3=J.A. Spielmann |title=Carboniferous-Permian transition in Canõn del Cobre, northern New Mexico |series=New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science Bulletin |volume=49}}</ref>
 
Various other valid temnospondyl taxa were previously placed in the genus. During the mid-20th century, some older fossils were classified as a second species of ''Eryops'', ''E. avinoffi''. This species, known from [[Carboniferous]] period fossil found in [[Pennsylvania]], had originally been classified in the genus ''[[Glaukerpeton]]''.<ref>{{cite journal| last1=Romer |first1=Alfred S. |year=1952 |title=Late Pennsylvanian and Early Permian vertebrates in the Pittsburgh-West Virginia region |journal=Annals of Carnegie Museum |volume=33 |pages=47–113 |doi=10.5962/p.215221 |doi-access=free }}</ref> Beginning in the late 1950s,<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Vaughn |first=Peter Paul |date=1958 |title=On the Geologic Range of the Labyrinthodont Amphibian Eryops |journal=Journal of Paleontology |volume=32 |issue=5 |pages=918–922 |jstor=1300709 |issn=0022-3360}}</ref><ref name=":2" /> some scientists concluded that ''Glaukerpeton'' was too similar to ''Eyrops'' to merit taxonomic distinction. However, revision of the material confirmed that it could be differentiated from ''Eryops'' based on various morphological features.<ref name="werneburg&berman2012">{{cite journal|doi=10.2992/007.081.0103|title=Revision of the aquatic eryopid temnospondyl ''Glaukerpeton avinoffi'' Romer, 1952, from the Upper Pennsylvanian of North America|journal=Annals of Carnegie Museum|volume=81|pages=33–60 |year=2012|last1=Werneburg|first1=Ralf|last2=Berman|first2=David S|s2cid=83566130}}</ref> '<nowiki/>''Eryops'' ''anatinus''<nowiki/>' and '<nowiki/>''Eryops latus''<nowiki/>' are both junior synonyms of ''E. megacephalus''. '<nowiki/>''Eryops''<nowiki/>' ''ferricolus'' is now recognized as a [[Dissorophidae|dissorophid]], ''[[Parioxys]]'',<ref name=":1" /><ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Schoch |first1=Rainer R. |last2=Sues |first2=Hans-Dieter |date=July 2022 |title=The dissorophoid temnospondyl Parioxys ferricolus from the early Permian (Cisuralian) of Texas |url=https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/journal-of-paleontology/article/abs/dissorophoid-temnospondyl-parioxys-ferricolus-from-the-early-permian-cisuralian-of-texas/5F70A7FA3C5C905CA40DF33135B10FE7 |journal=Journal of Paleontology |language=en |volume=96 |issue=4 |pages=950–960 |doi=10.1017/jpa.2022.10 |issn=0022-3360|url-access=subscription }}</ref> '<nowiki/>''Eryops platypus''<nowiki/>' is a junior synonym of the [[Amphibamidae|amphibamid]] ''[[Platyrhinops|Platyrhinops lyelli]]'',<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Clack |first1=J. A. |last2=Milner |first2=A. R. |date=September 2009 |title=Morphology and systematics of the Pennsylvanian amphibian ''Platyrhinops lyelli'' (Amphibia: Temnospondyli) |journal=Earth and Environmental Science Transactions of the Royal Society of Edinburgh |volume=100 |issue=3 |pages=275–295 |doi=10.1017/s1755691010009023 |issn=1755-6910}}</ref> and ''<nowiki/>'Eryops africanus''<nowiki/>' and '''Eryops oweni''<nowiki/>' are [[Rhinesuchidae|rhinesuchids]].<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Marsicano |first1=Claudia A. |last2=Latimer |first2=Elizabeth |last3=Rubidge |first3=Bruce |last4=Smith |first4=Roger M.H. |date=2017-05-29 |title=The Rhinesuchidae and early history of the Stereospondyli (Amphibia: Temnospondyli) at the end of the Palaeozoic |journal=Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society |doi=10.1093/zoolinnean/zlw032 |issn=0024-4082}}</ref> ''<nowiki/>'Eryops reticulatus''<nowiki/>' is regarded as a ''nomen vanum'',<ref name="werneburgetal2010a" /> though it is alternatively regarded as a junior synonym of ''E. grandis''.<ref name=":1" />
 
Material only tentatively referred to ''E. megacephalus'' or only to the genus has been reported from Kansas,<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Aber |first1=Susan W. |last2=Peterson |first2=Naomi |last3=May |first3=William J. |last4=Johnston |first4=Paul |last5=Aber |first5=James S. |date=September 2014 |title=First Report of Vertebrate Fossils in the Snyderville Shale (Oread Formation; Upper Pennsylvanian), Greenwood County, Kansas |journal=Transactions of the Kansas Academy of Science |volume=117 |issue=3 & 4 |pages=193–202 |doi=10.1660/062.117.0304 |issn=0022-8443}}</ref> New Mexico,<ref name="werneburgetal2010a" /> Utah,<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Vaughn |first=Peter Paul |date=1964 |title=Vertebrates from the Organ Rock Shale of the Cutler Group, Permian of Monument Valley and Vicinity, Utah and Arizona |journal=Journal of Paleontology |volume=38 |issue=3 |pages=567–583 |jstor=1301529 |issn=0022-3360}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Huttenlocker |first1=Adam K. |last2=Henrici |first2=Amy |last3=John Nelson |first3=W. |last4=Elrick |first4=Scott |last5=Berman |first5=David S |last6=Schlotterbeck |first6=Tyler |last7=Sumida |first7=Stuart S. |date=June 2018 |title=A multitaxic bonebed near the Carboniferous–Permian boundary (Halgaito Formation, Cutler Group) in Valley of the Gods, Utah, USA: Vertebrate paleontology and taphonomy |journal=Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology |volume=499 |pages=72–92 |doi=10.1016/j.palaeo.2018.03.017 |issn=0031-0182}}</ref> Oklahoma,<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Moodie |first=Roy L. |date=1911 |title=The temnospondylous amphibia and a new species of Eryops from the Permian of Oklahoma |journal=The Kansas University Science Bulletin |volume=5 |issue=13 |pages=235–253}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last=Olson |first=Everett C. |date=1991-03-28 |title=An eryopid (Amphibia: Labyrinthodontia) from the Fort Sill fissures, Lower Permian, Oklahoma |journal=Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology |volume=11 |issue=1 |pages=130–132 |doi=10.1080/02724634.1991.10011379 |issn=0272-4634}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last1=KISSEL |first1=RICHARD A. |last2=LEHMAN |first2=THOMAS M. |date=May 2002 |title=Upper Pennsylvanian Tetrapods from the Ada Formation of Seminole County, Oklahoma |journal=Journal of Paleontology |volume=76 |issue=3 |pages=529–545 |doi=10.1666/0022-3360(2002)076<0529:uptfta>2.0.co;2 |issn=0022-3360}}</ref> and Prince Edward Island.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Langston |first=Wann J. |date=1963 |title=Fossil vertebrates and the Late Palaeozoic red beds of Prince Edward Island |journal=National Museum of Canada Bulletin |volume=187 |pages=1–36}}</ref> The primary material of ''Eryops'' that has been reported from the [[Conemaugh Group]] in West Virginia<ref name=":2">{{cite journal| last1=Murphy |first1=James L. |year=1971 |title=Eryopsid Remains from the Conemaugh Group, Braxton County, West Virginia |journal=Southeastern Geology |volume=13 |issue=4 |pages=265–273}}</ref> has also been reidentified as ''Glaukerpeton,''<ref name="werneburg&berman2012" /> although unpublished specimens referred to ''Eryops'' sp. (and with acknowledgment of the validity of ''Glaukerpeton'') have been listed from this region.<ref name=":1" />


==Paleobiology==
==Paleobiology==
''Eryops'' were among the most formidable early Permian carnivores and perhaps the only ones capable of competing with the dominant [[synapsid]]s of the time, though because they were semi-aquatic, if not mostly aquatic, as suggested by long bone microanatomy,<ref name=Qu13>{{cite journal| last1=Quémeneur |first1=S. | last2=de Buffrénil |first2=V.| last3=Laurin |first3=M.|year=2013 |title=Microanatomy of the amniote femur and inference of lifestyle in limbed vertebrates |journal=Biological Journal of the Linnean Society |volume=109 |issue=3 |pages=644–655 |doi=10.1111/bij.12066 |doi-access=free }}</ref> they probably did not come into frequent competition with synapsids.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Van Valkenburgh, B. |last2=Jenkins, I. |year=2002 |title=Evolutionary patterns in the history of Permo-Triassic and Cenozoic synapsid predators |journal=Paleontological Society Papers |volume=8 |pages=267–288|doi=10.1017/S1089332600001121 }}</ref> ''Eryops'' lived in lowland habitats in and around ponds, streams, and rivers, and the arrangement and shape of their teeth suggests that they probably ate mostly large fish and aquatic tetrapods.<ref name=Schoch2009/> The torso of ''Eryops'' was relatively stiff and the tail stout, which would have made them poor swimmers. While they probably fed on fish, adult ''Eryops'' must have spent most of their time on land.<ref name=Schoch2009/>
''Eryops'' was one of the largest non-amniote tetrapods of the early Permian; among temnospondyls, it was rivaled in size only by edopoids, which were relatively rare.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Romer |first1=Alfred S. |last2=Witter |first2=Robert V. |date=November 1942 |title=Edops, a Primitive Rhachitomous Amphibian from the Texas Red Beds |journal=The Journal of Geology |volume=50 |issue=8 |pages=925–960 |doi=10.1086/625101 |issn=0022-1376}}</ref> The ecology of ''Eryops'' has been extensively debated and remains without consensus due to conflicting signals from different lines of evidence, such as external morphology,<ref name="appendicular_eryops" /><ref name=":3">{{Cite journal |last=Schoch |first=Rainer R. |date=2021-09-30 |title=The life cycle in late Paleozoic eryopid temnospondyls: developmental variation, plasticity and phylogeny |url=https://fr.copernicus.org/articles/24/295/2021/ |journal=Fossil Record |language=English |volume=24 |issue=2 |pages=295–319 |doi=10.5194/fr-24-295-2021 |doi-access=free |issn=2193-0066}}</ref> biomechanical modeling,<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Herbst |first1=Eva C |last2=Manafzadeh |first2=Armita R |last3=Hutchinson |first3=John R |date=2022-06-10 |title=Multi-Joint Analysis of Pose Viability Supports the Possibility of Salamander-Like Hindlimb Configurations in the Permian Tetrapod''Eryops megacephalus'' |journal=Integrative and Comparative Biology |volume=62 |issue=2 |pages=139–151 |doi=10.1093/icb/icac083 |pmid=35687000 |issn=1540-7063|pmc=9405718 }}</ref> and bone histology.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=SANCHEZ |first1=S. |last2=GERMAIN |first2=D. |last3=DE RICQLÈS |first3=A. |last4=ABOURACHID |first4=A. |last5=GOUSSARD |first5=F. |last6=TAFFOREAU |first6=P. |date=2010-09-06 |title=Limb-bone histology of temnospondyls: implications for understanding the diversification of palaeoecologies and patterns of locomotion of Permo-Triassic tetrapods |journal=Journal of Evolutionary Biology |volume=23 |issue=10 |pages=2076–2090 |doi=10.1111/j.1420-9101.2010.02081.x |pmid=20840306 |issn=1010-061X}}</ref><ref name="Qu13">{{cite journal |last1=Quémeneur |first1=S. |last2=de Buffrénil |first2=V. |last3=Laurin |first3=M. |year=2013 |title=Microanatomy of the amniote femur and inference of lifestyle in limbed vertebrates |journal=Biological Journal of the Linnean Society |volume=109 |issue=3 |pages=644–655 |doi=10.1111/bij.12066 |doi-access=free}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Konietzko-Meier |first1=Dorota |last2=Danto |first2=Marylène |last3=Gądek |first3=Kamil |date=2014-07-22 |title=The microstructural variability of the intercentra among temnospondyl amphibians |journal=Biological Journal of the Linnean Society |volume=112 |issue=4 |pages=747–764 |doi=10.1111/bij.12301 |issn=0024-4066}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Konietzko-Meier |first1=Dorota |last2=Shelton |first2=Christen D. |last3=Martin Sander |first3=P. |date=January 2016 |title=The discrepancy between morphological and microanatomical patterns of anamniotic stegocephalian postcrania from the Early Permian Briar Creek Bonebed (Texas) |journal=Comptes Rendus Palevol |volume=15 |issue=1–2 |pages=103–114 |doi=10.1016/j.crpv.2015.06.005 |issn=1631-0683}}</ref> ''Eryops'' lived in lowland habitats in and around ponds, streams, and rivers, and the arrangement and shape of their teeth suggests that they probably ate mostly large fish and aquatic tetrapods.<ref name=Schoch2009/> The torso of ''Eryops'' was relatively stiff and the tail stout, which would have made them poor swimmers. While they probably fed on fish, adult ''Eryops'' must have spent most of their time on land.<ref name=Schoch2009/>


Like other large primitive temnospondyls, ''Eryops'' would have grown slowly and gradually from aquatic larvae, but they did not go through a major [[metamorphosis]] like many modern [[amphibian]]s. While adults probably lived in ponds and rivers, perhaps venturing onto their banks, juvenile ''Eryops'' may have lived in swamps, which possibly offered more shelter from predators.<ref name=Schoch2009/>
Like other large primitive temnospondyls, ''Eryops'' would have grown slowly and gradually from aquatic larvae, but they did not go through a major [[metamorphosis]] like many modern [[amphibian]]s. While adults probably lived in ponds and rivers, perhaps venturing onto their banks, juvenile ''Eryops'' may have lived in swamps, which possibly offered more shelter from predators.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Bakker |first=Robert T. |date=1982-07-02 |title=Juvenile-Adult Habitat Shift in Permian Fossil Reptiles and Amphibians |journal=Science |volume=217 |issue=4554 |pages=53–55 |doi=10.1126/science.217.4554.53 |pmid=17739981 |issn=0036-8075}}</ref><ref name=Schoch2009/>


== References ==
== References ==

Latest revision as of 07:33, 16 November 2025

Template:Short description Template:Speciesbox

Eryops (Template:IPAc-en; from Greek Script error: No such module "Lang"., Script error: No such module "lang"., 'drawn-out' + Script error: No such module "Lang"., Script error: No such module "lang"., 'face', because most of its skull was in front of its eyes) is a genus of extinct, amphibious temnospondyls. It contains the type species Script error: No such module "Lang"., the fossils of which are found mainly in early Permian deposits of the Texas Red Beds, and Eryops grandis from New Mexico. Fossils have also been found in late Carboniferous rocks from New Mexico and early Permian deposits of Oklahoma, Utah, the Pittsburgh tri-state region, and Prince Edward Island. Several complete skeletons of Eryops have been found in lower Permian rocks, but skull bones and teeth are its most common fossils.

Description

File:Eryops1DB.jpg
Life restoration

Eryops averaged a little over Script error: No such module "convert". long and could grow up to Script error: No such module "convert".,[1] making them among the largest land animals of their time. Adults have been estimated to weigh between Template:Cvt.[2] The skull was large and relatively broad compared to coeval temnospondyls; the skull reached lengths of around Script error: No such module "convert"..[3][4]

The postcranial skeleton of Eryops is among the most completely known of all temnospondyls.[5][6][7][8][9] The configuration of the postcrania is similar to that of other temnospondyls, but the relative degree of ossification and overall size of the animal produce some of the sturdiest and most robust postcrania among Paleozoic temnospondyls.[10]

The texture of Eryops skin was revealed by a fossilized "mummy" described in 1941. This mummy specimen showed that the body in life was covered in a pattern of oval bumps.[11]

Discovery and species

File:Eryops megacephalus (cast) at Göteborgs Naturhistoriska Museum 2355.jpg
Cast of the skull

Eryops is currently thought to contain two presently valid species. The type species, E. megacephalus, refers to the "large-headed" aspect of the genus. Remains of E. megacephalus have been found in rocks dated to the early Permian period (Sakmarian age, about 295 million years ago) in the southwestern United States. Most of these specimens, including the type material, have little to no locality information other than that they are from the early Permian of Texas,[12] but more definitively placed specimens are recorded for much of the Cisuralian, including the Putnam, Admiral, Belle Plains, and Clyde Formations.[13][3][14][15][8] The second nominal species is Eryops grandis, which was described from the Cutler Formation of New Mexico and also known from Colorado.[16][12][17]

Various other valid temnospondyl taxa were previously placed in the genus. During the mid-20th century, some older fossils were classified as a second species of Eryops, E. avinoffi. This species, known from Carboniferous period fossil found in Pennsylvania, had originally been classified in the genus Glaukerpeton.[18] Beginning in the late 1950s,[19][20] some scientists concluded that Glaukerpeton was too similar to Eyrops to merit taxonomic distinction. However, revision of the material confirmed that it could be differentiated from Eryops based on various morphological features.[21] 'Eryops anatinus' and 'Eryops latus' are both junior synonyms of E. megacephalus. 'Eryops' ferricolus is now recognized as a dissorophid, Parioxys,[12][22] 'Eryops platypus' is a junior synonym of the amphibamid Platyrhinops lyelli,[23] and 'Eryops africanus' and 'Eryops oweni' are rhinesuchids.[24] 'Eryops reticulatus' is regarded as a nomen vanum,[16] though it is alternatively regarded as a junior synonym of E. grandis.[12]

Material only tentatively referred to E. megacephalus or only to the genus has been reported from Kansas,[25] New Mexico,[16] Utah,[26][27] Oklahoma,[28][29][30] and Prince Edward Island.[31] The primary material of Eryops that has been reported from the Conemaugh Group in West Virginia[20] has also been reidentified as Glaukerpeton,[21] although unpublished specimens referred to Eryops sp. (and with acknowledgment of the validity of Glaukerpeton) have been listed from this region.[12]

Paleobiology

Eryops was one of the largest non-amniote tetrapods of the early Permian; among temnospondyls, it was rivaled in size only by edopoids, which were relatively rare.[32] The ecology of Eryops has been extensively debated and remains without consensus due to conflicting signals from different lines of evidence, such as external morphology,[8][4] biomechanical modeling,[33] and bone histology.[34][35][36][37] Eryops lived in lowland habitats in and around ponds, streams, and rivers, and the arrangement and shape of their teeth suggests that they probably ate mostly large fish and aquatic tetrapods.[1] The torso of Eryops was relatively stiff and the tail stout, which would have made them poor swimmers. While they probably fed on fish, adult Eryops must have spent most of their time on land.[1]

Like other large primitive temnospondyls, Eryops would have grown slowly and gradually from aquatic larvae, but they did not go through a major metamorphosis like many modern amphibians. While adults probably lived in ponds and rivers, perhaps venturing onto their banks, juvenile Eryops may have lived in swamps, which possibly offered more shelter from predators.[38][1]

References

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  1. ↑ a b c d Script error: No such module "Citation/CS1".
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  3. ↑ a b Script error: No such module "Citation/CS1".
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  5. ↑ Script error: No such module "Citation/CS1".
  6. ↑ Script error: No such module "Citation/CS1".
  7. ↑ Script error: No such module "Citation/CS1".
  8. ↑ a b c Script error: No such module "Citation/CS1".
  9. ↑ Script error: No such module "Citation/CS1".
  10. ↑ Script error: No such module "Citation/CS1".
  11. ↑ Script error: No such module "Citation/CS1".
  12. ↑ a b c d e Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  13. ↑ Script error: No such module "Citation/CS1".
  14. ↑ Script error: No such module "Citation/CS1".
  15. ↑ Script error: No such module "Citation/CS1".
  16. ↑ a b c Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  17. ↑ Script error: No such module "Citation/CS1".
  18. ↑ Script error: No such module "Citation/CS1".
  19. ↑ Script error: No such module "Citation/CS1".
  20. ↑ a b Script error: No such module "Citation/CS1".
  21. ↑ a b Script error: No such module "Citation/CS1".
  22. ↑ Script error: No such module "Citation/CS1".
  23. ↑ Script error: No such module "Citation/CS1".
  24. ↑ Script error: No such module "Citation/CS1".
  25. ↑ Script error: No such module "Citation/CS1".
  26. ↑ Script error: No such module "Citation/CS1".
  27. ↑ Script error: No such module "Citation/CS1".
  28. ↑ Script error: No such module "Citation/CS1".
  29. ↑ Script error: No such module "Citation/CS1".
  30. ↑ Script error: No such module "Citation/CS1".
  31. ↑ Script error: No such module "Citation/CS1".
  32. ↑ Script error: No such module "Citation/CS1".
  33. ↑ Script error: No such module "Citation/CS1".
  34. ↑ Script error: No such module "Citation/CS1".
  35. ↑ Script error: No such module "Citation/CS1".
  36. ↑ Script error: No such module "Citation/CS1".
  37. ↑ Script error: No such module "Citation/CS1".
  38. ↑ Script error: No such module "Citation/CS1".

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