Acta Palaeontologica Polonica

On a small Cochleosaurus described as a large Limnogyrinus (Amphibia, Temnospondyli) from the Upper Carboniferous of the Czech Republic

Andrew R. Milner and Sandra E.K. Sequeira

Acta Palaeontologica Polonica 48 (1), 2003: 143-147

Limnogyrinus elegans (Fritsch) is the most primitive micromelerpetontid temnospondyl from the Upper Carboniferous of Nýřany, Czech Republic. A recent revision of the taxon by Werneburg (1994) attributed to this species a skull in dorsal aspect which was significantly larger than any previously reported and showed evidence of snout elongation. Restudy of this specimen demonstrates it to be a skull, visible in ventral aspect, of a juvenile of Cochleosaurus bohemicus, a more primitive edopoid temnospondyl, which is frequent in the Nýřany assemblage. Werneburg's diagnosis of Limnogyrinus is revised and the problems of constructing ontogenetic series are discussed.

Key words: Amphibia, Temnospondyli, Dissorophoidea, Carboniferous, Czech Republic.

Andrew. R. Milner [a.milner@bbk.ac.uk] and Sandra E.K. Sequeira, School of Biological and Chemical Sciences, Birkbeck College, Malet Street, London WC1E 7HX, England.


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