Chapter VII

CLASSIFICATION OF AMPHIBIA ADOPTED IN THIS WORK, AND A LIST OF THE COAL MEASURES AMPHIBIA FROM NORTH AMERICA.

A few words of explanation will be necessary for an understanding of the following classification. The term Amphibia Linné, 1758, is, according to Stejneger (550), the correct term for the entire group, and this term is adopted. The term _Stegocephala_, formerly used as a group name for the entire Carboniferous, Permian, and Triassic Amphibia, regardless of structure, has been retained as a third subclass. The choice, so far as priority is concerned, between Labyrinthodontia and Stegocephala, is not easy. The terms, however, imply different structures. The labyrinthodonts proper have stereospondylous vertebræ, while the Stegocephala have either temnospondylous or stereospondylous vertebræ; so the latter term has been adopted.

The ordinal terms are those which have been used previously as subordinal, sectional, or family names, with the exception of the new ordinal term "Diplocaulia" (477). The term Branchiosauria is well-established, and it is here retained with the definitions previously given. The same may be said for the Microsauria, although Dawson first (208) regarded it as a family, though giving the term an ordinal form. The Aistopoda are not entitled to consideration as a group for reasons which are given subsequently. The Temnospondylia and the Stereospondylia, the Embolomeri and the Rachitomi may or may not be good group names, but they have priority, so far as our knowledge of structure goes. They have been retained in their original meanings. They have been variously regarded as sections, superfamilies, groups, and subfamilies.

The following list of species is arranged according to the proposed scheme of classification:

Class Amphibia Linné, 1758. Devonian to Recent.
Subclass Euamphibia Moodie, 1909. Coal Measures to Recent.
Order Branchiosauria Lydekker, 1889. Coal Measures to Permian.
Family _Branchiosauridæ_ Fritsch, 1879.
_Micrerpeton caudatum_ Moodie, Mazon Creek.
_Eumicrerpeton parvum_ Moodie, Mazon Creek.
_Mazonerpeton longicaudatum_ Moodie, Mazon Creek.
_Mazonerpeton costatum_ Moodie, Mazon Creek.
_(?) Sparodus_ sp. indet. Dawson, Nova Scotia.
Order Caudata Duméril, 1806. Coal Measures to Recent.
Suborder Proteida Cope, 1868. Coal Measures, Eocene, and Recent.
Family _Cocytinidæ_ Cope, 1875.
_Cocytinus gyrinoides_ Cope, Linton, Ohio.
_Erierpeton branchialis_ Moodie, Mazon Creek.
_Hyphasma lævis_ Cope, Linton, Ohio.
Order Diplocaulia Moodie, 1912. Coal Measures to Permian.
Family _Diplocaulidæ_ Cope, 1881.
_Diplocaulus salamandroides_ Cope, Salt Fork, Illinois.
(?) Order Salientia Laurenti, 1768. Coal Measures (?) to Recent.
Family _Peliontidæ_ Cope, 1875.
_Pelion lyelli_ Wyman, Linton, Ohio.
Subclass Lepospondylia Zittel, 1887. Coal Measures.
Order Microsauria Dawson, 1863. Coal Measures.
Family _Hylonomidæ_ Fritsch, 1883.
_Hylonomus latidens_ Dawson, Nova Scotia.
_Hylonomus lyelli_ Dawson, Nova Scotia.
_Hylonomus multidens_ Dawson, Nova Scotia.
_Hylonomus wymani_ Dawson, Nova Scotia.
_Smilerpeton aciedentatum_ Dawson, Nova Scotia.
_Hylerpeton dawsonii_ Owen, Nova Scotia.
_Hylerpeton intermedium_ Dawson, Nova Scotia.
_Hylerpeton longidentatum_ Dawson, Nova Scotia.
_Fritschia curtidentata_ Dawson, Nova Scotia.
_(?) Amblyodon problematicum_ Dawson, Nova Scotia.
Family _Tuditanidæ_ Cope, 1875.
_Tuditanus punctulatus_ Cope, Linton, Ohio.
_Tuditanus brevirostris_ Cope, Linton, Ohio.
_Tuditanus minimus_ Moodie, Cannelton, Pa.
_Tuditanus longipes_ Cope, Linton, Ohio.
_Tuditanus walcotti_ Moodie, Linton, Ohio.
_Erpetosaurus acutirostris_ Moodie, Linton, Ohio.
_Erpetosaurus minutus_ Moodie, Cannelton, Pa.
_Erpetosaurus obtusus_ Cope, Linton, Ohio.
_Erpetosaurus radiatus_ Cope, Linton, Ohio.
_Erpetosaurus sculptilis_ Moodie, Cannelton, Pa.
_Erpetosaurus tabulatus_ Cope, Linton, Ohio.
_Erpetosaurus tuberculatus_ Moodie, Linton, Ohio.
_Odonterpeton triangularis_ Moodie, Linton, Ohio.
Family _Stegopidæ_ Moodie, 1909.
_Stegops divaricata_ Cope, Linton, Ohio.
Family _Urocordylidæ_ Lydekker, 1890.
_Diceratosaurus punctolineatus_ Cope, Linton, Ohio.
_Diceratosaurus lævis_ Moodie, Linton, Ohio.
_Diceratosaurus robustus_ Moodie, Linton, Ohio.
_Eoserpeton tenuicorne_ Cope, Linton, Ohio.
Family _Amphibamidæ_ Moodie.
_Amphibamus grandiceps_ Cope, Mazon Creek.
_Amphibamus thoracatus_ Moodie, Mazon Creek.
_Cephalerpeton ventriarmatum_ Moodie, Mazon Creek.
Family _Nyraniidæ_ Lydekker, 1889.
_Ichthyerpeton squamosum_ Moodie. Linton, Ohio.
_Cercariomorphus parvisquamis_ Cope, Linton, Ohio.
Family _Ptyoniidæ_ Cope, 1875.
_Ptyonius nummifer_ Cope, Linton, Ohio.
_Ptyonius marshii_ Cope, Linton, Ohio.
_Ptyonius vinchellianus_ Cope, Linton, Ohio.
_Ptyonius pectinatus_ Cope, Linton, Ohio.
_Ptyonius serrula_ Cope, Linton, Ohio.
_Œstocephalus remex_ Cope, Linton, Ohio.
_Œstocephalus rectidens_ Cope, Linton, Ohio.
_Thyrsidium fasciculare_ Cope, Linton, Ohio.
Family _Ichthycanthidæ_ Moodie.
_Ichthycanthus ohiensis_ Cope, Linton, Ohio.
_Ichthycanthus platypus_ Cope, Linton, Ohio.
Family _Molgophidæ_ Cope, 1875.
_Molgophis macrurus_ Cope, Linton, Ohio.
_Molgophis brevicostatus_ Cope, Linton, Ohio.
_Molgophis wheatleyi_ Cope, Linton, Ohio.
_Erpetobrachium mazonensis_ Moodie, Mazon Creek.
_Pleuroptyx clavatus_ Cope, Linton, Ohio.
_Phlegethontia linearis_ Cope, Linton, Ohio.
_Phlegethontia serpens_ Cope, Linton, Ohio.
Family _Sauropleuridæ_ Hay, 1902.
_Sauropleura digitata_ Cope, Linton, Ohio.
_Sauropleura newberryi_ Cope, Linton, Ohio.
_Sauropleura scutellata_ Newberry, Linton, Ohio.
_Sauropleura pauciradiata_ Cope, Linton, Ohio.
_Sauropleura longidentata_ Moodie, Linton, Ohio.
_Sauropleura foveata_ Cope, Linton, Ohio.
_Sauropleura (Anisodexis) enchodus_ Cope, Linton, Ohio.
_Sauropleura_ sp., Linton, Ohio.
_Ctenerpeton alveolatum_ Cope, Linton, Ohio.
_Saurerpeton latithorax_ Cope, Linton, Ohio.
_Leptophractus obsoletus_ Cope, Linton, Ohio.
_Leptophractus dentatus_ Moodie, Linton, Ohio.
_Leptophractus lineolatus_ Cope, Linton, Ohio.
Order Temnospondylia Zittel, 1887. Coal Measures and Permian.
Family _Cricotidæ_ Cope, 1884.
_Spondylerpeton spinatum_ Moodie, Mazon Creek, Ill.
Family _Eryopidæ_ Cope, 1882.
_Eryops_ sp. indet., Pitcairn, Pa.
Family _Macrerpetidæ_ Moodie, 1909.
_Macrerpeton huxleyi_ (Cope), Linton, Ohio.
_Macrerpeton deani_ Moodie, Linton, Ohio.
Family _Anthracosauridæ_ Cope, 1875.
_Eosaurus acadianus_ Marsh, Nova Scotia.
_Eobaphetes kansensis_ Moodie, Kansas.
_Baphetes planiceps_ Owen, Nova Scotia.
_Baphetes minor_ Dawson, Nova Scotia.
_Dendrerpeton acadianum_ Owen, Nova Scotia.
_Dendrerpeton oweni_ Dawson, Nova Scotia.
_(?)Platystegos loricatum_ Dawson, Nova Scotia.
Genera and species of uncertain position:
_Amblyodon problematicum_ Dawson, Nova Scotia.
_Proterpeton gurleyi_ Moodie, Illinois.
_Brachydectes newberryi_ Cope, Linton, Ohio.
Order Stereospondylia Zittel, 1887. Coal Measures (?) and Triassic.
Family _Mastodonsauridæ_ Huxley, 1863.
_Mastodonsaurus_ sp. indet., Kansas.

The above list of species is interesting in that it shows the diversity of structure among the Coal Measures Amphibia. There are at present 88 species known, many of them incompletely, divided among 17 families and 5 orders. The majority of the species are from the Linton Coal Measures, there being 50 species described or indicated from these beds. The Mazon Creek shales have furnished 10 species; Nova Scotia 18 species; the remainder of the species are from various localities.