Euctenius

Euctenius
Temporal range: Pennsylvanian, 315 Ma
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Infraphylum: Gnathostomata
Genus: Euctenius
Traquair, 1881
Type species
Ctenoptychius unilateralis

Euctenius is an extinct genus of vertebrate containing a single species, Euctenius unilateralis. It was initially described as the tooth of the petalodont genus Ctenoptychius or as a genus of edestid,[1][2] although it more likely represents the copulatory organ of an amphibian.[3] Fossils of Euctenius have been uncovered in Scotland and England and date to the Late Carboniferous period.[1][4] Identical structures are known to have been paired around the cloaca of Opiderpetonids and were most likely used to clasp while mating. The edge of the structure is finely serrated, and it is covered in enamel.[3]

  1. ^ a b "Euctenius ✝". mindat.org. Retrieved 27 August 2023.
  2. ^ "Ctenoptychius". mindat.org. Retrieved 3 November 2024.
  3. ^ a b Moodie, Roy L. (1908). "The Clasping Organs of Extinct and Recent Amphibia". The Biological Bulletin. 14 (4): 249–259. doi:10.2307/1535616. ISSN 0006-3185 – via JSTOR.
  4. ^ "PBDB Taxon". paleobiodb. Retrieved 3 November 2024.