Eocyclotosaurus

Eocyclotosaurus
Temporal range: Middle Triassic 247.2–242.0 Ma
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Order: †Temnospondyli
Suborder: †Stereospondyli
Clade: †Capitosauria
Family: †Heylerosauridae
Genus: †Eocyclotosaurus
Ortlam, 1970
Type species
†E. woschmidti
Ortlam, 1970
Other species
  • †E. lehmani Kamphausen and Morales, 1981
  • †E. wellesi Schoch, 2000
  • †E. appetolatus Rinehart, Lucas, and Schoch, 2015

Eocyclotosaurus (Greek ‘èoos’ = dawn, ‘kyklos’ = circle, 'ous' = ear ) is an extinct genus of mastodonsauroid temnospondyl from the Middle Triassic (Anisian). The name Eocyclotosaurus means "dawn round-eared lizard".[1] It is characterized as a capitosauroid with a long and slender snout, closed otic fenestra, and small orbits.[2] It measured over one metre and had a 22 cm skull.

It lived between 247 and 242 million years ago in both North America, Germany, France and the British Isles during the early Triassic.[3][4]

  1. ^ Schoch, Rainer R. (2019-05-24). "Osteology of the temnospondyl Trematosaurus brauni Burmeister, 1849 from the Middle Buntsandstein of Bernburg, Germany". Palaeodiversity. 12 (1): 41. doi:10.18476/pale.v12.a4. ISSN 1867-6294.
  2. ^ LUCAS, SPENCER G.; SCHOCH, RAINER R. (2007-01-02). "Triassic temnospondyl biostratigraphy, biochronology and correlation of the German Buntsandstein and North American Moenkopi Formation". Lethaia. 35 (2): 97–106. doi:10.1111/j.1502-3931.2002.tb00071.x. ISSN 0024-1164.
  3. ^ Rinehart, L. F. "Eocyclotosaurus appetolatus, a middle triassic amphibian: Osteology, life history, and paleobiology". New Mexico Museum of Natural History & Science Bulletin. 70: 1–118.
  4. ^ "PBDB". paleobiodb.org. Retrieved 2023-03-06.