Saharastega is a genus of prehistoric amphibian which lived during the late Permian

Permian

The PermianThe term "Permian" was introduced into geology in 1841 by Sir Sir R. I. Murchison, president of the Geological Society of London, who identified typical strata in extensive Russian explorations undertaken with Edouard de Verneuil; Murchison asserted in 1841 that he named his "Permian...

 period, around 251 to 260 million years ago. Remains of Saharastega discovered by paleontologist Christian A. Sidor at Moradi Formation, in Niger

Niger

Niger , officially named the Republic of Niger, is a landlocked country in Western Africa, named after the Niger River. It borders Nigeria and Benin to the south, Burkina Faso and Mali to the west, Algeria and Libya to the north and Chad to the east...

 and was described briefly in 2005 and with detail in 2006. The description is based on a skull lacking the lower jaws. Paleontologists suggest that along with Nigerpeton

Nigerpeton

Nigerpeton is a genus of temnospondyl amphibian which lived during the Permian period some 250 million years ago in Niger. Specimens of Nigerpeton were first collected during field work in the Moradi Formation in 2000 and 2003.-External links:...

, Saharastega is the first basal genus of the Temnospondyli

Temnospondyli

Temnospondyli is a diverse order of small to giant tetrapods—often considered primitive amphibians—that flourished worldwide during the Carboniferous, Permian, and Triassic periods. A few species continued into the Cretaceous. Fossils have been found on every continent...

, a group of prehistoric amphibians.

External links

• UW Biology eNews.