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 premaxillæ are apparently relatively large elements, though their
boundaries are not definite. The nasal is of an oblong shape and borders
the frontal anteriorly. The frontal forms the whole of the interior border
of the orbit and borders the parietal broadly behind. The parietal is a
large element and the pineal foramen is inclosed in the median suture
about midway of the parietals. The postparietal is wider than long and
with the tabulare forms the greater part of the posterior border of the
skull. The prefrontal (plate 18, fig. 1) apparently forms the entire
anterior border of the orbit and sends an acuminate projection to the
side of it. The maxilla is excluded from the orbit and is an elongate
element with sharp conical teeth, of which there are 4 preserved. These
measure about 1 mm. in length. The jugal lies along the lateral border
of the orbit and it is acuminate both anteriorly and posteriorly. It
borders the supratemporal broadly. The postfrontal forms the greater part
of the posterior boundary of the orbit. It is triangular and acuminate
behind, and is bordered broadly by the parietal and supratemporal. The
supratemporal is also triangular and it borders the parietal broadly.
The squamosal is evidently the largest element in the skull and on
its posterior corner there is a flake of bone which may represent the
quadrate, though this is by no means certain. The quadrate has not been
detected in any of the Carboniferous Microsauria so far studied. The
tabulare is an elongate element in the transverse line of the skull. Its
entire boundary is uncertain, though part of the sutures are present. The
quadratojugal is elongate and lies posterior to the maxilla and with that
element forms the lateral boundary of the skull.
The canals of the lateral-line system have not been detected on the skull.
The sculpturing of the cranial elements consists of grooves and ridges
which radiate from a center. They are more prominent on the parietals than
elsewhere, although the other skull elements present a strong sculpturing.
There are also preserved on the slab of slate, about 10 mm. posterior to
the skull, fragments of the pectoral plates, probably representing the
clavicles and the interclavicle. They are so badly fractured that their
form can not be determined. No limbs or vertebræ have been observed.
Measurements of the Type of Erpetosaurus sculptilis Moodie.
mm.
Length of skull in median line 20
Width of skull at posterior
border (estimated) 24
Diameter of orbit 3
Length of orbit 4
Interorbital space 4
Diameter of nostril - 1
Pineal foramen, diameter .50
Pectoral Girdle Provisionally Associated With Erpetosaurus sculptilis
Moodie.
Moodie, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., 37, p. 22, 1909.
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