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
"(4) Another well-preserved fragment, less than 2 inches in length,
exhibits very different markings. It is nearly covered with very small
imbricated scales, thicker than those on the specimens previously
described. On either side of what seems to have been the middle line
of the back, there is a series of pointed flat horny processes, which
probably formed a double spinous crest. Without these there are tufts
of strong bristles, and exteriorly to these last are rows of flat,
thick, horny plates, transversely wrinkled. Near to these was a row of
conical truncated tubercles. Sections of these appendages show them to
have been horny and attached to the cuticle. None of them have bony
structure.
"(5) Near this last portion of cuticle, and possibly belonging to
it, are pointed and probably membranous appendages, marked on each
side with rows of scales not overlapping and each with a pore in its
center. The manner in which these appendages are bent and wrinkled
shows that they must have been soft, except at the tips, which seem
to have been hard and horny, and they are arranged in series, as if
originally placed along the sides of the neck or abdomen, or both.
The use of these appendages is not easy to conjecture. They remind
us of the gular pouches of iguana, and of the lateral expansions of
some geckos and of the _Draco volans_. Possibly they formed lateral
parachutes, aiding the animal in moving over soft mud, or perhaps in
leaping and swimming.
"(6) Some other fragments appear to have belonged to a different
species from either of the foregoing. The best preserved specimen,
which is about 1 inch in length and half an inch in breadth, is
covered with very small imbricated scales. It is crossed by 6 or 7
obscure ridges, which both at the bottom and along a mesial line
project into points covered with larger scales. A row of large scales
with round pores connects these along the lower side. If, as seems
probable, this fragment belonged to the side of the trunk or tail,
it would perhaps indicate a division of the subcutaneous muscles
into an upper and lower band, as in the newts. A separate fragment
with transverse horny ridges and another with a longer lobe, similar
in structure to those above mentioned, may perhaps be referred to
the same animal. A larger patch of skin presents similar imbricated
scales, but without a mesial line, and with an edging of larger scales.
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