The Ancestry of Modern Amphibia: A Review of the EvidenceEaton, Theodore H. (Theodore Hildreth)
Science
The Ancestry of Modern Amphibia: A Review of the Evidence
Eaton, Theodore H. (Theodore Hildreth)
Amphibians -- Anatomy; Amphibians, Fossil
Thus, in spite of minor differences, the above list shows that there are
numerous and detailed similarities between Anura and Urodela with
respect to the features in which they differ from the Paleozoic orders.
Pusey (1943) listed 26 characters which _Ascaphus_ shares with
salamanders but not with more advanced frogs; a few of these might be
coincidental, but most of them are of some complexity and must be taken
to indicate relationship. The main adaptive specializations of Anura,
however, including loss of the adult tail, extreme reduction in number
of vertebrae, formation of urostyle, elongation of the ilium and
lengthening of the hind legs, must have appeared at a later time than
the separation of that order from any possible common stem with Urodela,
although they are only partially developed in the Triassic
_Protobatrachus_.
Turning to the Paleozoic Amphibia, there are two groups in which some
likelihood of a relationship with modern order exists. In the
Pennsylvanian Trimerorhachoidea (Labyrinthodontia, order Temnospondyli)
some members, such as _Eugyrinus_, _Saurerpeton_, and notably
_Amphibamus_ (Fig. 1) had short, broad heads, an expansion of palatal
and orbital openings, posterior widening of the parasphenoid associated
with divergence of the pterygoids, a movable basipterygoid articulation,
and reduction in size (but not loss) of the more posterior dermal bones
of the skull. In recognition of Watson's (1940) evidence that these
animals make quite suitable structural ancestors of frogs, Romer (1945)
placed _Amphibamus_ in an order, Eoanura, but Gregory (1950) indicated
that it might better be left with the temnospondyls. Association of the
urodele stem with this group does not seem to have been proposed
hitherto.
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