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
(_f_) Among the collections of the American Museum there is an impression
of a small amphibian foot obtained from Phoenix Tunnel, Pennsylvania.
The impression is in hard black slate very similar to the slate of the
Cannelton region. It is possible that the specimen may have been obtained
from the Cannelton beds, since they would be expected to occur at Phoenix
Tunnel. The impression is rather small. It is the footprint of a 5-toed
animal, probably of the right foot, since no amphibian (465) so far is
known from the Coal Measures with 5 digits on the hand. The first digit
is short and thick, with a large ball at its base. The foot measures from
the posterior edge of the palm to the tip of the longest digit 12 mm. The
length of the first digit is 7 mm. The impression differs in some respects
from the impressions so far known from the Coal Measures, but no attempt
will be made to assign it to a species. It may have been made by either
a branchiosaurian or a microsaurian, but more probably the latter, since
we do not know of any of the former animals from the Cannelton beds, or in
fact from any of the Coal Measures beds excepting the Mazon Creek shales.
The specimen is No. 2872 of the American Museum.
[Illustration: Fig. 2. Distribution of Coal Measures Amphibia in North
America.
1. Linton, Ohio, near Yellow Creek P. O., Jefferson County, Ohio, on
the banks of Yellow Creek, near the Ohio River, 16 miles north of
Steubenville.
2. Mazon Creek shales, Grundy County, Illinois, near Morris.
3. "Clepsydrops shales," Salt Fork Creek, Vermilion County,
Illinois, near Oakwood, on Tate farm, 8 miles west of Danville,
Illinois.
4. Danville, Illinois, coal where the type of _Proterpeton gurleyi_
Moodie was found.
5. Breeze, Illinois, where Dr. J. A. Udden, in 1907, found a
fragment of an amphibian phalange on the dump of the Cooperative
Coal Company.
6. Pitcairn, Pennsylvania, 15 miles east of Pittsburgh.
7. Cannelton, Pennsylvania, Beaver County, Cannelton slates,
Kittanning formation, 45 miles northwest of Pittsburgh.
8. Fairfield, Iowa, where Dr. J. A. Udden found remains attributed
by Dr. Eastman to _Pleuroptyx clavatus_ Cope.
9. Louisville, Pottawatomie County, Kansas, where Dr. S. W.
Williston discovered remains of Mastodonsaurus in the Coal
Measures.
10. Washington County, Kansas, source of type of _Eobaphetes
kansensis_ Moodie, from the Coal Measures.
11. Osage City, Osage County, Kansas, amphibian footprints from the
Coal Measures.
12. Winfield, Kansas, source of Cricotus material.
13. Lander, Wyoming, in Wind River Carboniferous.
14. Pictou, Pictou County, Nova Scotia, 84 miles northeast of
Halifax. Source of _Baphetes planiceps_ Owen.
15. Joggins (Joggins Mines), Cumberland County, Nova Scotia, 4 miles
from River Hebert. Source of _Hylerpeton_ and _Dendrerpeton_
faunas.
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