Embolomeri

Embolomeres
Temporal range: Mississippian - Wuchiapingian
Restoration of Archeria from the Lower Permian of Texas.
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Clade: Sarcopterygii
Clade: Tetrapodomorpha
Clade: Elpistostegalia
Clade: Stegocephali
Order: †Embolomeri
Cope, 1885
Genera

See text.

Embolomeri is an order of tetrapods or stem-tetrapods, possibly members of Reptiliomorpha. Embolomeres first evolved in the Early Carboniferous (Mississippian) Period and were the largest and most successful predatory tetrapods of the Late Carboniferous (Pennsylvanian) Period. They were specialized semiaquatic predators with long bodies for eel-like undulatory swimming. Embolomeres are characterized by their vertebral centra, which are formed by two cylindrical segments, the pleurocentrum at the rear and intercentrum at the front. These segments are equal in size. Most other tetrapods have pleurocentra and intercentra which are drastically different in size and shape.[1]

Embolomeres were among the earliest large carnivorous tetrapods, with members such as the crocodilian-like Proterogyrinus appearing in the Visean stage of the Carboniferous. They declined in diversity during the Permian period, though at least one representative (Archeria) was common in the Early Permian.[2] Embolomeres went extinct shortly before the end of the Permian.[3]

  1. ^ Panchen, A. L. (10 February 1972). "The skull and skeleton of Eogyrinus attheyi Watson (Amphibia: Labyrinthodontia)". Phil. Trans. R. Soc. Lond. B. 263 (851): 279–326. Bibcode:1972RSPTB.263..279P. doi:10.1098/rstb.1972.0002. ISSN 0080-4622.
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference :1 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ Chen, Jianye; Liu, Jun (2020-12-01). "The youngest occurrence of embolomeres (Tetrapoda: Anthracosauria) from the Sunjiagou Formation (Lopingian, Permian) of North China". Fossil Record. 23 (2): 205–213. doi:10.5194/fr-23-205-2020. ISSN 2193-0066.