Eucritta
Eucritta melanolimnetes (artistic live reconstruction)
- Europe ( Scotland)
- Eucritta melanolimnetes
Eucritta is an extinct genus of Baphetidae with only one described in the article you lived Viseum, one stage of the early Carboniferous Period, from 345.3 to 328.3 million years ago and is one of the earliest representatives of land vertebrates. The Baphetidae are the first fossil land vertebrates that were ever found in layers of carbon; Eucritta is within this group is the basalste genus and is accordingly one of the most primitive known species of land vertebrates.
The type Eucritta melanolimnetes was described scientifically in 1998, while Creature from the Black Lagoon ( engl. Original Title: Creature from the Black Lagoon ) after the horror movie named from the year 1954.
Features
Eucritta melanolimnetes been described on the basis of an almost complete skeleton of the species. In addition to this holotype ( UMZC ( University Museum of Zoology, Cambridge ) T1347a and b ) were the Erstbeschreiberin several other skeletal parts of four individuals available.
The animals reached a body length of about 25 centimeters. The head length varies with the described individuals between 30 and 90 millimeters. When two individuals located next to the skull also material of Postcranialskeletts. The skullcap of this type is very similar to the Temnospondylen Balanerpeton from the same period. As this has Eucritta a short snout, large eye sockets, eye-catching notches behind the eyes and a very original pattern of the skull bones in direct contact with the supratemporal and the Postparietalen. There are differences in the structure of the palate, which is closed when Eucritta, as well as the location of the cranial window and the shape and position of other individual skull bones. The largest specimen has an indentation in the eye socket, which exists as a feature of Baphetidae in significantly more marked.
The postcranial skeleton was only slightly ossified. It corresponds in many characteristics other basal land vertebrates such as Acanthostega, the Anthracosauria and Lepospondyli. Important features include a diamond-shaped bone between the clavicles ( interclavicle ) and an ilium with dorsal sheet and lying back extension. The abdominal ribs ( Gastralia ) are extended.
Eucritta correspondingly has a mosaic of characteristics that are similar to those of Temnospondyli and Anthracosauria. The former include especially the wide notches behind the eyes, the latter to the closed palate, and characteristics of the pelvic girdle.
Locality
The locality of the fossils of Eucritta melanolimnetes comes from the Viseum Scotland. He belongs to the East Kirkton Quarry, Bathgate in the county of West Lothian near Edinburgh. Here comes the Fund from the unit 82, which is characterized by black shale.
The Unit 82 represents one of the earliest known records, which is clearly terrestrial. It was probably a habitat on a shallow lake, which was hydrothermally active. The lake water was probably toxic to most living things, on its banks, however, there was a rich flora and fauna. Besides Eucritta numerous other important fossils date from the early Carboniferous of this locality. So here were woodi with Balanerpeton the oldest known representative of the Temnospondyli and Eldeceeon rolfei and Silvanerpeton miripedes the two oldest Anthracosauria found. Also Westlothiana lizziae which is one of the oldest amniotes, as well as representatives of the snakes amphibians ( Aistopoda ) belonging to genus Ophiderpeton were discovered here.
In addition to these vertebrates the locality housed fossils of terrestrial arthropods as earlier land-dwelling sea scorpions ( Eurypterida ), scorpions, centipedes and harvestmen.
Systematics and Nomenclature
Eucritta melanolimnetes was described in 1998 by British paleontologist Jennifer Clack in the scientific journal Nature, a second, more detailed discussion took place in 2001 in the journal Transactions / Royal Society of Edinburgh. Earth Sciences. She arranged for the fossil of today monotypic genus Eucritta which she set in the Baphetidae.
Eucritta melanolimnetes was Creature from the Black Lagoon ( engl. Original Title: Creature from the Black Lagoon ) to the horror film named director Jack Arnold from 1954. The genus name Eucritta is composed of the Greek word eu for " real" and the word critta from the American slang for " creature " ( critter ) together. The species name is a composition of two ancient Greek words melano for " black" and limnetes for "Life in a pond or swamp ", composed meaning of the name according to " True creature from the black swamp " (English: " True creature from the black lagoon ").