The Coal Measures Amphibia of North AmericaMoodie, Roy Lee
Science
The Coal Measures Amphibia of North America
Moodie, Roy Lee
Amphibians, Fossil -- North America; Paleontology -- Carboniferous; Paleontology -- North America
The hind limbs are represented by the two femora and the upper portion
of the tibia. The femur is almost as elongate as the humerus and is more
slender. It is not so much expanded as the humerus. Its ends appear to
have been cartilaginous and do not represent the well-formed articular
surfaces preserved in the _T. minimus_. The upper part of the tibia is
preserved, and appears to have been truncate.
If this species belongs with _Tuditanus_ it is of interest in that the
ventral chevrons are present. The species is particularly characterized by
the elongate limbs.
Measurements of the Type of Tuditanus longipes Cope.
mm.
Length of vertebral column between pelvis and
end of humerus 7
Length of vertebral column anterior to humerus 18
Length of caudals present 42
Length of humerus 19
Width of humerus 2
Length of radius and ulna 12
Length of a vertebra 3
Length of ilium 7
Length of femur, estimated 18
7 chevrons in 4 mm.
=Tuditanus minimus Moodie.=
Moodie, Jour. Geol., XVII, No. 1, p. 56, fig. 10, 1909.
Moodie, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., 37, p. 23, pl. 8, fig. 2, 1909.
Type: Specimen No. 4555, U. S. National Museum.
Horizon and locality: Cannelton slates of Pennsylvania (Upper Freeport).
The species is represented by a nearly complete skeleton preserved on a
slab of slate from the Cannelton shales of Pennsylvania. The obverse slab
has been lost, which is very unfortunate, since there is no doubt that
the entire skeleton was originally present. The species is placed in the
genus Tuditanus on account of the close resemblance to the type form _T.
punctulatus_ Cope, although it is much smaller than that species.
The type specimen of the species did not attain a length of more than
3.5 inches. Its form is very lizard-like, but its structure is typically
amphibian. The form of the skull is especially similar to that of the
type species _T. punctulatus_, which it resembles in the narrow posterior
truncation of the skull, as well as in the anterior position of the orbits.
The skull is in the form of a narrow oval, sharply narrowed posteriorly
and truncate. The orbits are located well forward and their posterior
border lies in front of the line dividing the skull transversely into
equal parts. The interorbital space is greater than the diameter of the
orbit. Impressions of teeth are preserved on the premaxillæ and maxillæ;
there are 8 of them in a distance of 3 mm. The teeth appear to be mere
blunt denticles and were possibly pleurodont.
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