A new trematopsid amphibian (Temnospondyli: Dissorophoidea) from the Lower Permian of Texas

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Abstract
A new genus of trematopsid amphibian, based upon the type of Acheloma pricei Olson, 1941, and in the new combination Phonerpeton pricei, gen. nov., is described from material collected from the Lower Permian redbeds of Texas. Phonerpeton is interpreted as a small, lightly built, terrestrially adapted carnivore, and is distinguished by the presence of a semilunar curvature of the squamosal, domed parietals, an unossified sphenethmoid, long and slender mid-dorsal ribs, and a radius with a semicircular cross section. The composition and diagnosis of the family Trematopsidae are revised. Three genera of trematopsids, Phonerpeton, Acheloma, and Anconastes, are recognized. Anconastes is assigned tentatively to the Trematopsidae because available material allows confirmation of only two of the five synapomorphies that unite the other two genera. The families Trematopsidae and Dissorophidae (Superfamily Dissorophoidea) share several derived features of the cranium which support a sister group relationship. However, monophyly cannot be demonstrated for the Dissorophidae, and available morphological information is insufficient to resolve the taxonomic positions of the numerous genera assigned currently to this family. A reexamination of the family Dissorophidae is needed before any attempt is made to determine the intrarelationships of the Superfamily Dissorophoidea.

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