Eldeceeon

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Eldeceeon
Temporal range: middle
Ma
↓
Life restoration
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Superclass: Tetrapoda
Clade: Reptiliomorpha (?)
Genus: †Eldeceeon
Smithson, 1994
Type species
†Eldeceeon rolfei
Smithson, 1994

Eldeceeon is an extinct

embolomeres, but it has several distinguishing features including long limbs and a short trunk. Initially known from two crushed partial skeletons,[1] additional specimens have been reported by Ruta & Clack (2006).[2] Eldeceeon was redescribed by Ruta, Clack, & Smithson (2020). The redescription supported affinities with Silvanerpeton, reconstructed a skull with larger eyes and a shorter snout, and emphasized potential correlations for an enlarge puboischiofemoralis internus 2 muscle.[3]

Description

In the East Kirkton Quarry, fossils of Eldeceeon were found alongside another reptiliomorph called Silvanerpeton. These genera are closely related to each other but represent an unusual group of reptiliomorphs that cannot be placed in any of the major reptiliomorph clades, but may be related to the earliest embolomeres. Unlike most embolomeres, which could grow over a meter long, Eldeceeon has a much smaller body length of 35 centimetres (1.15 ft).[4] Compared to embolomeres, it has fewer dorsal vertebrae and much larger limbs relative to its body. The shortened spine and robust limbs of Eldeceeon suggest it had a terrestrial lifestyle, distinguishing it from the primarily aquatic embolomeres which have relatively long bodies and short limbs. These adaptations also distinguish it from Silvanerpeton, which is presumed to have been aquatic.[5]

The ribs of Eldeceeon are restricted to the front half of the spine, a characteristic that is not present in any

pelvic girdles resemble those of the embolomere Proterogyrinus.[4]

References

  1. ^
    doi:10.1017/s0263593300006180
    .
  2. doi:10.1017/S0263593300001395
    .
  3. ISSN 1755-6910
    .
  4. ^ a b Carroll, R.L. (2009). "The Radiation of Carboniferous Amphibians". The Rise of Amphibians: 365 Million Years of Evolution. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. pp. 61–143.
  5. doi:10.1130/2006.2399(08).[permanent dead link
    ]
  6. PMID 12803423. Archived from the original
    (PDF) on 2008-05-22. Retrieved 2011-11-25.
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