Acherontiscus ✝
Description | Acherontiscus is an extinct genus of stegocephalians that lived in the Early Carboniferous (Mississippian era) of Scotland. The type and only species is Acherontiscus caledoniae, named by paleontologist Robert Carroll in 1969. Members of this genus have an unusual combination of features which makes their placement within amphibian-grade tetrapods uncertain. They possess multi-bone vertebrae similar to those of embolomeres, but also a skull similar to lepospondyls. The only known specimen of Acherontiscus possessed an elongated body similar to that of a snake or eel. No limbs were preserved, and evidence for their presence in close relatives of Acherontiscus is dubious at best. Phylogenetic analyses created by Marcello Ruta and other paleontologists in the 2000s indicate that Acherontiscus is part of Adelospondyli, closely related to other snake-like animals such as Adelogyrinus and Dolichopareias. Adelospondyls are traditionally placed within the group Lepospondyli due to their fused vertebrae (although Acherontiscus is an exception among adelospondyls). Some analyses published since 2007 have argued that adelospondyls such as Acherontiscus may not actually be lepospondyls, instead being close relatives or members of the family Colosteidae. This would indicate that they evolved prior to the split between the tetrapod lineage that leads to reptiles (Reptiliomorpha) and the one that leads to modern amphibians (Batrachomorpha). Members of this genus were probably aquatic animals that were able to swim using snake-like movements. From Wikipedia article at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acherontiscus, which is released under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share-Alike License 3.0. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Source Data |
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Rank | genus | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Taxonomy (GBIF) | Life : Animalia : Chordata : Amphibia : Acherontiscidae : Acherontiscus | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Taxonomy (PBDB) | Life : Animalia : Chordata : Osteichthyes : Acherontiscidae : Acherontiscus | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Taxonomic Status (GBIF) | accepted | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Classification (PBDB,GBIF) |
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Scientific Name | Acherontiscus Carroll, 1969 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Name Published In | Palaeontology 12 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Opinions (PBDB) |
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Status (PBDB) | extinct | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Taxon Size (PBDB) | 2 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
First Recorded Appearance | 326 - 318 Ma Carboniferous | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Last Recorded Appearance | 326 - 318 Ma Carboniferous | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Environment | brackish,freshwater,terrestrial (based on Tetrapoda) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Motility | actively mobile (based on Osteichthyes) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Reproduction | dispersal=water (based on Amphibia) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Taphonomy | phosphatic (based on Vertebrata) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Primary Reference (PBDB) | R. L. Carroll. 1988. Vertebrate Paleontology and Evolution | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Wikipedia | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acherontiscus |
Fossil Distribution
Subtaxa
Name | Status | Common Name(s) | Fossil Occurrences | Oldest | Youngest |
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Acherontiscus caledoniae ✝ species | accepted (GBIF) listed (PBDB) | 1 | 326 Ma Carboniferous | 326 Ma Carboniferous |
Synonymy List
Year | Name and Author |
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1969 | Acherontiscus Carroll |
1988 | Acherontiscus Carroll |
1998 | Acherontiscus Carroll et al. p. 185 |