Ancestors of modern amphibians adapted to life on land
Temnospondyls
Temporal range: Mississippian - Aptian, 330–120 Ma
PreꞒ
Ꞓ
O
S
D
C
P
T
J
K
Pg
N
Possible descendant taxon Lissamphibia survives to present
Skeleton of Eryops megacephalus in the National Museum of Natural History, Washington, D.C.
Scientific classification
Domain:
Eukaryota
Kingdom:
Animalia
Phylum:
Chordata
Clade:
Teleostomi
Superclass:
Tetrapoda
Order:
†Temnospondyli Zittel, 1888
Subgroups
See below
Temnospondyli (from Greek τέμνειν, temnein 'to cut' and σπόνδυλος, spondylos 'vertebra') or temnospondyls is a diverse ancient order of small to giant tetrapods—often considered primitive amphibians—that flourished worldwide during the Carboniferous, Permian and Triassic periods, with fossils being found on every continent. A few species continued into the Jurassic and Early Cretaceous periods, but all had gone extinct by the Late Cretaceous. During about 210 million years of evolutionary history, they adapted to a wide range of habitats, including freshwater, terrestrial, and even coastal marine environments. Their life history is well understood, with fossils known from the larval stage, metamorphosis and maturity. Most temnospondyls were semiaquatic, although some were almost fully terrestrial, returning to the water only to breed. These temnospondyls were some of the first vertebrates fully adapted to life on land. Although temnospondyls are amphibians, many had characteristics such as scales and armour-like bony plates that distinguish them from the modern soft-bodied lissamphibians (frogs and toads, newts, salamanders and caecilians).
Temnospondyls have been known since the early 19th century, and were initially thought to be reptiles. They were described at various times as batrachians, stegocephalians and labyrinthodonts, although these names are now rarely used. Animals now grouped in Temnospondyli were spread out among several amphibian groups until the early 20th century, when they were found to belong to a distinct taxon based on the structure of their vertebrae. Temnospondyli means "cut vertebrae", as each vertebra is divided into several parts (intercentrum, paired pleurocentra, neural arch), although this occurs widely among other early tetrapods.
Experts disagree over whether temnospondyls were ancestral to modern amphibians (frogs, salamanders and caecilians), or whether the whole group died out without leaving any descendants. Different hypotheses have placed modern amphibians as the descendants of temnospondyls, as descendants of another group of early tetrapods called lepospondyls, or even as descendants of both groups (with caecilians evolving from lepospondyls and frogs and salamanders evolving from temnospondyls). There is further disagreement about a temnospondyl origin of lissamphibians related to whether the modern groups arose from only one group (dissorophoids) or from two different groups (dissorophoids and stereospondyls). The majority of studies place a group of temnospondyls called amphibamiforms as the closest relatives of modern amphibians. Similarities in teeth, skulls and hearing structures link the two groups.
Temnospondyli (from Greek τέμνειν, temnein 'to cut' and σπόνδυλος, spondylos 'vertebra') or temnospondyls is a diverse ancient order of small to giant...
amphibians, but excludes all the main groups of Paleozoic tetrapods, such as Temnospondyli, Lepospondyli, Embolomeri, and Seymouriamorpha. Most scientists have...
McCurry, Matthew R. (2023-08-03). "A new chigutisaurid (Brachyopoidea, Temnospondyli) with soft tissue preservation from the Triassic Sydney Basin, New South...
Late Carboniferous. The most diverse group of labyrinthodonts was the Temnospondyli. Temnospondyls appeared in the early Carboniferous and came in all sizes...
likely more closely related to amniotes than Lissamphibia) Subclass Temnospondyli† (diverse Late Paleozoic and early Mesozoic grade, some of which were...
(2006). "The appendicular skeleton of Eryops megacephalus Cope, 1877 (Temnospondyli: Eryopoidea) from the Lower Permian of North America". Journal of Paleontology...
being the only species described. The archegosaurs were a group of temnospondyli that occupied the ecological niche of crocodiles and alligators during...
amphibians (often thought to be the ancestors of the amniotes) Subclass Temnospondyli – large-headed Paleozoic and Mesozoic amphibians Subclass Lissamphibia...
stegocephalians phylogenetically as all vertebrates more closely related to Temnospondyli than to Panderichthys (the closest relative of tetrapods known to have...
similarities to dissorophoids, a group of extinct amphibians in the order Temnospondyli. Caecilians are more controversial; many studies extend dissorophoid...
The largest prehistoric animals include both vertebrate and invertebrate species. Many of them are described below, along with their typical range of size...
"basal tetrapods") were the predominant tetrapods, and included the Temnospondyli, Lepospondyli, and Anthracosauria. The first amniotes appeared during...
Type Material and Nomenclature of Mastodonsaurus giganteus (Jaeger) (Temnospondyli) from the Middle Triassic of Germany". Palaeontology. 50 (5): 1245–1266...
and that it should be nested within Lepospondyli rather than within Temnospondyli. The study postulated that Lissamphibia originated no earlier than the...
(including birds). According to many analyses they include the extinct Temnospondyli; some show that they include the Lepospondyli instead. The name traditionally...
Abiadisaurus is an extinct genus of prehistoric amphibian from the Temnospondyli clade. It is known solely from the Late Triassic Adigrat Sandstone of...
palaeobiogeography and early evolution of Stereospondylomorpha (Tetrapoda: Temnospondyli)". Journal of Iberian Geology. 45 (2): 251–267. doi:10.1007/s41513-019-00105-z...
(1983-09-13). "The last Labyrinthodont? A new brachyopoid (Amphibia, Temnospondyli) from the early Jurassic Evergreen formation of Queensland, Australia"...
krasiejowensis, showing that the presence of a five-digit manus among Temnospondyli was possible. New fossil material of albanerpetontids is described from...
phylogenetic affinities of the Temnospondyli (Vertebrata: Tetrapoda)". The postcranial skeleton of temnospondyls (Tetrapoda: temnospondyli) (PhD thesis). Melbourne...
The Qingtoushan Formation is a Middle Permian-age geologic formation in the Qilian Mountains of Gansu, China. It is known for its diverse tetrapod fauna...
animals with low diversity and cosmopolitanism (wide geographic ranges). Temnospondyli recovered first and evolved into large aquatic predators during the...
created the genus, Platyhystrix, in 1911, and placed it within the Temnospondyli order once fractured skull elements were described in 1916. Compared...
; Golubev, V. K. (2024). "Ancient Species of the Genus Dvinosaurus (Temnospondyli, Dvinosauria) from the Permian Sundyr Tetrapod Assemblage of Eastern...
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