Mesanerpeton (original) (raw)
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Extinct genus of tetrapodomorphs
| _Mesanerpeton_Temporal range: Tournaisian PreꞒ Ꞓ O S D C P T J K Pg N | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification  |
|
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Clade: | Sarcopterygii |
| Clade: | Tetrapodomorpha |
| Clade: | Stegocephali |
| Genus: | †_Mesanerpeton_Smithson & Clack, 2017 |
| Type species | |
| †_Mesanerpeton woodi_Smithson & Clack, 2017 |
Mesanerpeton is an extinct genus of four-limbed stem-tetrapod from the Mississippian (Tournaisian) of Scotland. It contains a single species, Mesanerpeton woodi,[n 1] who based on a disarticulated specimen including a clavicle, vertebrae, and forelimb bones from the Ballagan Formation. The vertebrae are poorly-ossified and similar to Crassigyrinus, but the forelimb was robust. The shape and level of torsion present in the humerus are intermediate between Devonian stem-tetrapods and later Carboniferous tetrapods. This transitional condition, and the associated rerouting of the brachial artery and median nerve, may indicate that Mesanerpeton had a higher stride length and more efficient locomotion on land compared to its predecessors.[1]
References and notes
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^ Smithson, Timothy R.; Clack, Jennifer A. (2017). "A new tetrapod from Romer's Gap reveals an early adaptation for walking". Earth and Environmental Science Transactions of the Royal Society of Edinburgh. 108 (1): 89–97. doi:10.1017/S1755691018000075. ISSN 1755-6910. S2CID 133836365.
^ which means 'Wood's intermediary crawler' named after its discoverer Stan Wood