| Apateon | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Fossil ofApateon pedestris | |
Scientific classification | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Order: | †Temnospondyli |
| Family: | †Branchiosauridae |
| Subfamily: | †Branchiosaurinae |
| Genus: | †Apateon von Meyer, 1844 |
Apateon is an extinctorder oftemnospondyl amphibian within thefamilyBranchiosauridae.
Fossils ofApateon are found in freshwaters strata of LatestCarboniferous (Gzhelian) to EarlyPermian (Asselian) of Germany.[1][2]
These amphibians could reach a length of about 5–12 centimetres (2.0–4.7 in), while the length of the skull could reach 8–24 millimetres (0.31–0.94 in). They resembled a salamander and had a laterally flattened tail with a long fin. The body was completely covered with rounded scales. The portion of the skull behind the eyes was quite short. On opposite sides of the head there are three pairs of long, spiral-shaped external gills. They had a weakly ossified skeleton and a wide, short skull, with huge eye holes. The teeth were small and peaked. On the hands are present four fingers.[3]
Apateonwere sexually mature in the larval state, with the retention by adults of traits seen in the young (neoteny). This fully aquatic animal lived in semi-permanent lakes and ponds. They fed on microorganisms. However, in exceptionally harsh environmental conditions, the speciesA. gracilis engaged in cannibalism.[4]
