Proterogyrinus

Graphical live reconstruction of Proterogyrinus

• North America (West Virginia, United States )
• Scotland

• P. scheeleri
• P. pancheni

Proterogyrinus is a genus of Embolomeri from the Mississippian of North America and Scotland. He was probably carnivorous, that is fed on flesh, and lived in the Carboniferous swamps that were dominant at the time. From Proterogyrinus two types are known: P. scheeleri, the type species, and P. pancheni. Proterogyrinus was described in 1970 by Alfred Romer.

Features

The length of Proterogyrinus is estimated to be about 1 m. The skull was elongated; the skull should be deducted from the cheeks. Between the skull roof and cheek runs a so-called line of weakness, which it probably made ​​it possible to bend the skull at the bite, as it was probably at the osteolepiformen fish. The neck of Proterogyrinus was short. The vertebrae were great. The tail was flattened, indicating that Proterogyrinus was a good swimmer. The limbs were in contrast to later Embolomeri as Pteroplax well developed, indicating a rapid locomotion on land.

System

According to Romer counts Proterogyrinus to Proterogyrinidae. Within the Proterogyrinidae Proterogyrinus is the sister taxon of the genus Papposaurus. The Proterogyrinidae turn belongs to the group of Embolomeri. Often it will be erroneously interpreted as Temnospondyli, however, the closer the Embolomeri Amniota used as the Lissamphibien, as is the case with the Temnospondyli.

Swell

Main source

• Michael J. Benton: vertebrate paleontology. 2007, ISBN 3-89937-072-4, p 106