0000000000289630
AUTHOR
P. Martin Sander
To be or not to be heavier: The role of dermal bones in the buoyancy of the Late Triassic temnospondyl amphibian Metoposaurus krasiejowensis.
Stereospondyli are a clade of large aquatic temnospondyls known to have evolved a large dermal pectoral girdle. Among the Stereospondyli, metoposaurids in particular possess large interclavicles and clavicles relative to the rest of the postcranial skel-eton. Because of the large size of these dermal bones, it was first proposed that they served as ballast during hydrostatic buoyancy control which assisted metoposaurids to live a bottom-dwelling mode of life. However, a large bone need not necessarily be heavy, for which determining the bone compactness becomes crucial for under-standing any such adaptation in these dermal bones. Previous studies on the evolu-tion of bone adaptations to aqu…
Pentadactyl manus of the Metoposaurus krasiejowensis from the Late Triassic of Poland, the first record of pentadactyly among Temnospondyli
Abstract Temnospondyli are commonly believed to have possessed four digits in the manus and five in the pes. However, actual finds of articulated autopodia are extremely rare. Therefore, an articulated, slightly incomplete forelimb skeleton with preserved manus of Metoposaurus krasiejowensis from the Late Triassic of Poland is important in providing new details about the structure and ossification sequence in the temnospondyl limb. The most important observation is the presence of five metacarpals in this specimen. This allows reconstructing the manus as pentadactyl. The number of phalanges and the distribution of distal articulation facets allow reconstruction of the digit formula as (2?)‐…
Biology of the sauropod dinosaurs: the evolution of gigantism
The herbivorous sauropod dinosaurs of the Jurassic and Cretaceous periods were the largest terrestrial animals ever, surpassing the largest herbivorous mammals by an order of magnitude in body mass. Several evolutionary lineages among Sauropoda produced giants with body masses in excess of 50 metric tonnes by conservative estimates. With body mass increase driven by the selective advantages of large body size, animal lineages will increase in body size until they reach the limit determined by the interplay of bauplan, biology, and resource availability. There is no evidence, however, that resource availability and global physicochemical parameters were different enough in the Mesozoic to ha…
A large temnospondyl humerus from the Rhaetian (Late Triassic) of Bonenburg (Westphalia, Germany) and its implications for temnospondyl extinction
Temnospondyls are a group of basal tetrapods that existed from the Early Carboniferous to the Early Cretaceous. They were characteristic members of Permian and Triassic continental faunas around the globe. Only one clade, the Brachyopoidea (Brachyopidae and Chigutisauridae), is found as relics in the Jurassic of eastern Asia and the Cretaceous of Australia. The other Late Triassic clades, such as Plagiosauridae, Metoposauridae, and Cyclotsauridae, are generally believed to have gone extinct gradually before the end of the Triassic and putative Rhaetian records are stratigraphically poorly constrained. Temnospondyl humeri all show a similar morphological pattern, being stout, short, with wid…
New skulls of the basal sauropodomorph Plateosaurus trossingensis from Frick, Switzerland: is there more than one species?
The Triassic basal sauropodomorph Plateosaurus trossingensis is well-known from mass accumulations at the German localities of Trossingen and Halberstadt and the Swiss locality of Frick, and is significant especially regarding its ta-phonomy and proposed developmental plasticity. These implications, however, rely on the assumption that this material derives from a single species, which has been questioned. Here we describe new skull material from Frick including eight complete and six partial skulls, more than doubling the number of known skulls of P. trossingensis. This exceptional sample size allows for gaining a deeper understanding of variability that may occur in a single species. The …
Long bone histology of Metoposaurus diagnosticus (Temnospondyli) from the Late Triassic of Krasiejów (Poland) and its paleobiological implications
ABSTRACT Long bones of the temnospondyl Metoposaurus diagnosticus krasiejowensis from the Late Triassic of Krasiejow, Poland, were studied using histological analysis. Six femora, three humeri, a radius, and an ulna were prepared for thin-sectioning. In all bones, the dominant type of primary bone matrix is parallel-fibered bone with secondary, or rarely primary, deposition of lamellar bone inside vascular canals. Two small humeri and the smallest femur showed incipient fibrolamellar bone, which may be a character typical for juvenile individuals. The medullary region is filled with well-developed trabecular bone. The growth marks in all bones are organized as thick layers of highly vascula…
Variability of growth pattern observed in Metoposaurus krasiejowensis humeri and its biological meaning
Purpose Histological studies on temnospondyl amphibian bones remain rare. A systematic revision of the histology was applied for the purpose of testing the histovariability in the humeri and becoming new information about the growth pattern. Methods The present study includes 12 humeri of Metoposaurus krasiejowensis, which originate from the Late Triassic clay pit near Krasiejo´w, southwestern Poland. The specimens were scanned with a microCT and the histological thin-sections have been obtained with the standard petrographic method. Results The evaluation of the studied bones shows a uniform growth series resulting in one morphotype. Strikingly, the histological analysis reveals a greater …
The discrepancy between morphological and microanatomical patterns of anamniotic stegocephalian postcrania from the Early Permian Briar Creek Bonebed (Texas)
Abstract The histological framework of thirteen Early Permian tetrapod long bones from a single locality, the Briar Creek Bonebed in Archer County, Texas, USA, is described from a series of transverse sections through the midshafts. The bones were morphologically categorized and belong to one of three taxa: Eryops, Archeria, and Diadectes. However, five histotypes are recognized. The first category includes the juvenile bone. The second histotype is characterized by the presence of radial vascular canals. The third histotype is characterized by the numerous longitudinal canals arranged in regular rows. In the fourth histotype, there is strong remodeling in the deep part of the cortex, creat…