Recumbirostra

Recumbirostra is a clade of lepospondyl amphibians from the Carboniferous and Permian that includes the families Pantylidae, Gymnarthridae, Ostodolepidae, Goniorhynchidae, Brachystelechidae, and Microbrachidae.[1] Recumbirostra was erected as a clade in 2007. It includes many lepospondyls traditionally grouped in "Microsauria", which has since been shown to be a paraphyletic grouping.[2][3] Not all phylogenetic analyses recognize Recumbirostra as a valid grouping. An alternative clade called Tuditanomorpha is occasionally supported and includes many of the same taxa.[4] Below is a cladogram showing the phylogenetic relationships of recumbirostrans from Glienke (2012):[1]

Recumbirostra

Microbrachidae   Microbrachis         Pantylidae   Pantylus         Stegotretus     Sparodus           Gymnarthridae     Cardiocephalus sternbergi     Cardiocephalus peabodyi         Euryodus primus     Euryodus dalyae       Ostodolepidae   Pelodosotis     Micraroter           Goniorhynchidae   Rhynchonkos       Eocaecilia           Tambaroter     Altenglanerpeton     Brachystelechidae   Batropetes     Carrolla     Quasicaecilia

Recumbirostra Temporal range: Late Carboniferous - Early Permian
Life restoration of the recumbirostran Micraroter erythrogeios
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Subclass:	†Lepospondyli
Order:	†"Microsauria"
Suborder:	†Tuditanomorpha
Clade:	†Recumbirostra Anderson, 2007
Subgroups
Microbrachidae Pantylidae Gymnarthridae Ostodolepidae Goniorhynchidae Altenglanerpeton Brachystelechidae

Most authors consider recumbirostrans to be lepospondyl amphibians; however, phylogenetic analyses conducted by Pardo, Szostakiwskyj and Anderson (2015) and Pardo et al. (2017) recovered them as sauropsid amniotes instead.[5][6]

References

1. Glienke, S. (2012). "A new "microsaur" (Amphibia; Lepospondyli) from the Rotliegend of the Saar–Palatinate region (Carboniferous/Permian transition; West Germany)". Paläontologische Zeitschrift. 86 (3): 297–311. doi:10.1007/s12542-012-0130-8.
2. Anderson, J.S. (2007). "Incorporating ontogeny into the matrix: A phylogenetic evaluation of developmental evidence for the origin of modern Amphibians". In Anderson, J.S.; Sues, H.-D. (eds.). Major Transitions in Vertebrate Evolution. Bloomington and Indianapolis: Indiana University Press. pp. 182–227.
3. Huttenlocker, A. K.; Pardo, J. D.; Small, B. J.; Anderson, J. S. (2013). "Cranial morphology of recumbirostrans (Lepospondyli) from the Permian of Kansas and Nebraska, and early morphological evolution inferred by micro-computed tomography". Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology 33 (3): 540.
4. Henrici, A.C.; Martens, T.; Berman, D.S.; Sumida, S.S. (2011). "An ostodolepid 'microsaur' (Lepospondyli) from the Lower Permian Tambach Formation of central Germany". Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology. 31 (5): 997–1004. doi:10.1080/02724634.2011.596601.
5. Jason D. Pardo, Matt Szostakiwskyj and Jason S. Anderson (2015). "Phylogenetic relationships of recumbirostran 'lepospondyls' inferred from neurocranial morphology". Society of Vertebrate Paleontology 75th Annual Meeting Program & Abstracts: 191.
6. Jason D. Pardo; Matt Szostakiwskyj; Per E. Ahlberg; Jason S. Anderson (2017). "Hidden morphological diversity among early tetrapods". Nature. 546 (7660): 642–645. Bibcode:2017Natur.546..642P. doi:10.1038/nature22966. PMID 28636600.