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 centra of the dorsal vertebræ are about as long as deep, and their
sides are deeply concave; there are 4 anterior to the pelvis which are
without ribs. The caudal vertebræ are robust, and 7, from the first,
support a small tubercle-like diapophysis. The chevron bones are short and
acuminate; the neural spines are a little shorter, narrow, and truncate,
and directed backwards at the same angle as the chevron bones. They are
much reduced on the eighteenth caudal vertebra, where the chevron bones
are considerably longer.
The abdominal rods are quite slender. The hind limb is quite stout for
this order. The femur is regularly expanded at both extremities, but the
distal is deeply and openly grooved, distinguishing the condyles, while
the proximal end is plane. There is no trochanter visible. The ulna
and radius are well separated, and are three-fifths the length of the
femur. There is a large fibular tarsal bone of a subquadrate outline. In
immediate contact with it is probably the external digit with 5 phalanges
or segments; the ungual is simply conic. The femur is as long as 5 dorsal
vertebræ. The ribs have expanded, undivided heads, and extend to the
abdominal armature.
Measurements of the Type of Ichthycanthus ohiensis Cope.
mm.
Length of last 10 dorsal vertebræ 47
Length of first 23 caudal vertebræ 117
Length of a posterior rib 29
Length of a posterior dorsal vertebra 5
Length of twenty-second caudal vertebra 5
Length of femur 25
Proximal diameter of femur 8
Width of lower leg 9
Length of fibula 15
Length of tarsal bone 6
Length of digit 27
=Ichthycanthus platypus Cope.=
Cope, Proc. Am. Phil. Soc., pp. 574, 575, 1877.
Cope, Trans Am. Phil. Soc., XVI, p. 289, fig. 1, 1888.
Baur, Beiträge zur Morphogenie des Carpus und Tarsus der Vertebraten,
I Theil, p. 16, 1888.
Moodie, Science, n.s., XLI, No. 1044, p. 34, 1915.
Moodie, Am. Jour. Sci., XXXIX, pp. 509-512, fig. 2, 1915.
Type: Specimen No. 79540, and obverse, Department of Geology, Columbia
University. (Plate 23, fig. 1.)
Horizon and locality: Linton, Ohio, Coal Measures.
This amphibian is represented by the same portions of the skeleton as the
preceding species, furnishing a good basis for comparison. It is very well
preserved, displaying the characters, especially of the hind foot, which
is almost entirely represented.
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