| Feeserpeton | |
|---|---|
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| Cross-sectional views of the maxillary and dentary dentition | |
Scientific classification | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Clade: | †Parareptilia |
| Order: | †Procolophonomorpha |
| Superfamily: | †Lanthanosuchoidea |
| Genus: | †Feeserpeton MacDougall and Reisz,2012 |
| Type species | |
| †Feeserpeton oklahomensis MacDougall and Reisz, 2012 | |
Feeserpeton is an extinctgenus ofparareptile from theEarly Permian of Richard's Spur,Oklahoma. It is known from a single species,Feeserpeton oklahomensis, which was named in 2012 on the basis of a nearly complete skull.Feeserpeton is a member of the cladeLanthanosuchoidea and is one of the earliest parareptiles.[1]
The only known skull ofFeeserpeton is small, but well-fused bones, deep pitting, and worn teeth indicate that the individual was close to maturity when it died. Large eye sockets may indicate thatFeeserpeton wasnocturnal. The skull is nearly complete, missing parts of thepremaxilla (a bone at the tip of the snout) and thejugal (a bone making up the "cheek" region). A combination of features distinguishFeeserpeton from other related parareptiles, including a triangular skull, large caniniform teeth in the upper and lower jaws, andpostorbital bones behind the eye sockets that are much larger than the nearbysquamosal bones. Part of thepalate is exposed on the right side of the skull, revealing many worn palatal teeth. The teeth in themandible or lower jaw are hidden beneath the bones of the upper jaw, butCT scanning has revealed that there is a single tooth row on each side with mostly small teeth. Two teeth are much larger than the rest, similar in size to the enlarged caniniforms of the upper jaw. The braincase is preserved at the back of the skull and includes thestapes, a bone rarely preserved in parareptile fossils.Feeserpeton has a largeopisthotic bone in its braincase, similar in size to that of another Early Permian parareptile calledAcleistorhinus.[1]
Theholotype skull ofFeeserpeton, cataloged asOMNH 73541, was found in the Dolese Brothers Limestone Quarry near the town of Richard's Spur, Oklahoma. Several other parareptiles have also been found from Richard's Spur, includingBolosaurus,Colobomycter,Delorhynchus,Microleter, and anacleistorhinid. OMNH 73541 was preserved in aclay-rich nodule ofcalcite which was removed during preparation. CT scans of the skull revealed many internal details. The specimen was described as a new genus and species in 2012. The genus nameFeeserpeton honors Mike Feese, a manager of the Dolese Brothers quarry who was also a fossil collector, and the species nameoklahomensis refers to Oklahoma, the state in which it was found.[1]
Feeserpeton was included in aphylogenetic analysis when it was first named in 2012. It nested within thecladeLanthanosuchoidea, a poorly known group that includes the parareptilesAcleistorhinus andLanthanosuchus.Feeserpeton was found to be abasal member of this group, thesister taxon of a clade includingAcleistorhinus andLanthanosuchus. Features that placeFeeserpeton within Lanthanosuchoidea include a ridge on thefrontal bone above the eye socket, a plate-likesupraoccipital bone with asagittal crest on the braincase, and a notch midway along the margin of the back of the skull.Feeserpeton is the oldest member of the clade. Below is acladogram from the analysis showing the position ofFeeserpeton:[1]
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