Bothriceps
Encyclopedia
Bothriceps is an extinct genus
of stereospondyl temnospondyl. It is a member of the infraorder Trematosauria
and is the most basal
brachyopomorph
known. It is one of the only brachyopomorph that lies outside the superfamily Brachyopoidea
, which includes the families
Brachyopidae
and Chigutisauridae
. It shares several similarities to Keratobrachyops
, another basal brachyopomorph, and may be closely related to or even synonymous with it.
The genus was named in 1859 by Thomas Henry Huxley with the description of its type species
B. australis from the Early Triassic
of Australia
. It was originally assigned to the family Brachyopidae and was not reassigned to a more basal position until 2000, when the clade Brachyopomorpha was constructed to accommodate for it. The genus Bothriceps once included several species, but the only species assigned to it now is the type. Bothriceps major, named in 1909, was reassigned to the family Rhytidosteidae
as the type species the genus Trucheosaurus
in 1998. The brachyopid Platycepsion wilkinsoni
(then referred to as Platyceps wilkinsoni) was reassigned to Bothriceps in 1890 and in 1969, but was placed back within the original genus in 1973.
Genus
In biology, a genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, which is an example of definition by genus and differentia...
of stereospondyl temnospondyl. It is a member of the infraorder Trematosauria
Trematosauria
Trematosauria is one of two major groups of temnospondyl amphibians that survived the Permian-Triassic extinction event, the other being the Capitosauria. The trematosaurs were a diverse and important group that included many medium-sized to large forms that were semi-aquatic to totally aquatic...
and is the most basal
Basal (phylogenetics)
In phylogenetics, a basal clade is the earliest clade to branch in a larger clade; it appears at the base of a cladogram.A basal group forms an outgroup to the rest of the clade, such as in the following example:...
brachyopomorph
Brachyopomorpha
Brachyopomorpha is a clade of stereospondyl temnospondyls within the infraorder Trematosauria. It was constructed in 2000 to include Bothriceps australis and the superfamily Brachyopoidea. It is phylogenetically defined as a stem-based taxon including Pelorocephalus and all taxa closer to it than...
known. It is one of the only brachyopomorph that lies outside the superfamily Brachyopoidea
Brachyopoidea
Brachyopoidea is a superfamily of temnospondyls that lived during the Mesozoic. It contains the families Brachyopidae and Chigutisauridae. The earliest records of brachyopids are from the Lower Triassic in Australia...
, which includes the families
Family (biology)
In biological classification, family is* a taxonomic rank. Other well-known ranks are life, domain, kingdom, phylum, class, order, genus, and species, with family fitting between order and genus. As for the other well-known ranks, there is the option of an immediately lower rank, indicated by the...
Brachyopidae
Brachyopidae
Brachyopidae is an extinct family of Temnospondyl labyrintodonts. They evolved in the early Mesozoic and were mostly aquatic. A fragmentary find from Lesotho, Africa is estimated to have been 7 meter long, the largest amphibian ever known to have lived besides Prionosuchus.-External links:*...
and Chigutisauridae
Chigutisauridae
Chigutisauridae is an extinct family of large temnospondyl amphibians. The only genera recognized as belonging to Chigutisauridae at the current time are all from Gondwana and include Koolasuchus and Siderops.-References:*Sengupta, D.P. 1995. Palaeontology 38: 19-59.*Sengupta, D.P. 2003...
. It shares several similarities to Keratobrachyops
Keratobrachyops
Keratobrachyops is an extinct genus of trematosaurian temnospondyl. It was previously thought to be a basal chigutisaurid but is now thought to be a basal brachyopomorph closely related to the genus Bothriceps, and may even be a synonym of it....
, another basal brachyopomorph, and may be closely related to or even synonymous with it.
The genus was named in 1859 by Thomas Henry Huxley with the description of its type species
Type species
In biological nomenclature, a type species is both a concept and a practical system which is used in the classification and nomenclature of animals and plants. The value of a "type species" lies in the fact that it makes clear what is meant by a particular genus name. A type species is the species...
B. australis from the Early Triassic
Early Triassic
The Early Triassic is the first of three epochs of the Triassic period of the geologic timescale. It spans the time between 251 ± 0.4 Ma and 245 ± 1.5 Ma . Rocks from this epoch are collectively known as the Lower Triassic, which is a unit in chronostratigraphy...
of Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
. It was originally assigned to the family Brachyopidae and was not reassigned to a more basal position until 2000, when the clade Brachyopomorpha was constructed to accommodate for it. The genus Bothriceps once included several species, but the only species assigned to it now is the type. Bothriceps major, named in 1909, was reassigned to the family Rhytidosteidae
Rhytidosteidae
Rhytidosteidae is a family of Temnospondyli that lived in the Permian and Triassic.-References:*Yates, AM , A new tiny rhytidosteid from the Early Triassic of Australia and the possibility of hidden temnospondyl diversity. J. Vert Paleontol. 20:484-489.-External links:*...
as the type species the genus Trucheosaurus
Trucheosaurus
Trucheosaurus is an extinct genus of rhytidosteid temnospondyl from the late Permian period of Sydney Basin, New South Wales, Australia. It is known from the holotype materials MMF 12697a, a partially complete skull, AMF 50977, an articulated postcranial skeleton and BMNHR 3728, the counterpart of...
in 1998. The brachyopid Platycepsion wilkinsoni
Platycepsion
Platycepsion is an extinct genus of prehistoric amphibian.-See also:* Prehistoric amphibian* List of prehistoric amphibians...
(then referred to as Platyceps wilkinsoni) was reassigned to Bothriceps in 1890 and in 1969, but was placed back within the original genus in 1973.
See also
- Prehistoric amphibian
- List of prehistoric amphibians