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Metoposaurus diagnosticus

Amphibia - Temnospondyli - Metoposauridae

Taxonomy
Metopias diagnosticus was named by Meyer (1842). Its type specimen is SMNS 10825, a partial skull (Partial skull), and it is a 3D body fossil. Its type locality is Feuerbacher Heide, which is in a Carnian channel sandstone/sandstone in the Stuttgart Formation of Germany.

It was recombined as Labyrinthodon (Metopias) diagnosticus by Owen (1859); it was recombined as Labyrinthodon diagnosticus by Owen (1861); it was recombined as Metoposaurus diagnosticus by Chowdhury (1965), Kuhn (1971), Sulej (2002), Milner and Schoch (2004) and Sulej (2007).

Subspecies
M. diagnosticus (type subspecies)

Synonyms
Synonymy list
YearName and author
1842Metopias diagnosticus Meyer
1859Labyrinthodon (Metopias) diagnosticus Owen p. 139
1861Labyrinthodon diagnosticus Owen p. 216
1913Metopias stuttgartensis Fraas
1913Metoposaurus stuttgartiensis Fraas
1913Metopias santaecrucis Koken
1931Trigonosternum latum Schmidt
1932Metoposaurus heimi Kuhn
1965Metoposaurus diagnosticus Chowdhury p. 42
1971Metoposaurus diagnosticus Kuhn p. 8
2002Metoposaurus diagnosticus Sulej p. 545
2004Metoposaurus diagnosticus Milner and Schoch
2007Metoposaurus diagnosticus Sulej

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RankNameAuthor
kingdomAnimalia()
Bilateria
EubilateriaAx 1987
Deuterostomia
phylumChordataHaeckel 1874
subphylumVertebrata
superclassGnathostomata
Osteichthyes()
subclassSarcopterygii()
subclassDipnotetrapodomorpha(Nelson 2006)
subclassTetrapodomorpha()
Tetrapoda
classAmphibia
RankNameAuthor
orderTemnospondyli()
Eutemnospondyli
Rhachitomi()
Eryopiformes
Stereospondylomorpha
Stereospondyli()
Superstes
Trematosauria
superfamilyTrematosauroidea
familyMetoposauridae
genusMetoposaurusLydekker 1890
speciesdiagnosticus(Meyer 1842)

If no rank is listed, the taxon is considered an unranked clade in modern classifications. Ranks may be repeated or presented in the wrong order because authors working on different parts of the classification may disagree about how to rank taxa.

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Invalid names: Metopias santaecrucis Koken 1913 [synonym], Metopias stuttgartensis Fraas 1913 [synonym], Metoposaurus heimi Kuhn 1932 [synonym], Metoposaurus stuttgartiensis Fraas 1913 [synonym], Trigonosternum latum Schmidt 1931 [synonym]
Diagnosis
ReferenceDiagnosis
T. Sulej 2007In majority of skulls, the anterior top of the lacrimal closer to nares than the top of the prefrontal; the interclavicle with posterior part longer than in Metoposaurus maleriensis and the “centre” of sculpture consisted of isometric pits smaller; the glenoid of scapula directed more posteriorly than in M. maleriensis."
Measurements
No measurements are available
Composition: phosphaticsubp
Environment: brackish, freshwater, terrestrialuc
Locomotion: actively mobilesubo
Life habit: amphibioussubo
Diet: piscivoreg
Dispersal: waterc
Created: 2009-01-03 21:09:05
Modified: 2009-01-03 23:09:05
Source: g = genus, subo = suborder, c = class, subp = subphylum, uc = unranked clade
References: Hendy et al. 2009, Uhen 2004, Carroll 1988, Benton 1983

Age range: base of the Carnian to the top of the Rhaetian or 237.00000 to 201.30000 Ma

Collections (12 total)


Time interval Ma Country or state Original ID and collection number
Carnian237.0 - 228.0Germany (Bayern) Metoposaurus heimi (97735 97736 97737 97738)
Carnian237.0 - 228.0Italy (Bolzano) Metoposaurus diagnosticus (106510)
Carnian237.0 - 228.0Germany (Baden-Württemberg) Metopias diagnosticus (type locality: 97870) Metoposaurus diagnosticus (106458 106459 106463 106997)
Carnian - Norian237.0 - 208.5Poland (Opole) Metoposaurus diagnosticus (61448)
Rhaetian208.5 - 201.3France (Lorraine) Capitosauridae indet. (36106)