Name: Erpetonyx
Er-pe-ton-iks.
Phonetic: Er-pe-ton-iks.
Named By: S. P. Modesto, D. M. Scott,
M. J. MacDougall, H. -D. Sues, D. C. Evans - R.
R. Reisz - 2015.
Classification: Chordata, Reptilia,
Procolophonomorpha.
Species: E. arsenaultorum
(type).
Diet: Insectivore?
Size: Roughly about 20-25 centimetres long.
Known locations: Canada, Prince Edward Island.
Time period: Gzhelian of the Carboniferous.
Fossil representation: Almost complete individual.
Though only a small animal, as of 2015 Erpetonyx is the earliest known appearance of a parareptile. This is an important discovery as it helps to fill a gap in our understanding of the evolution of reptiles. The original describers have also speculated that Erpetonyx is a possible bolosaurid.
Further reading
- The oldest parareptile and the early diversification of reptiles.
- Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences 282
(1801). - S. P. Modesto, D. M. Scott, M. J.
MacDougall, H. -D. Sues, D. C. Evans - R. R.
Reisz - 2015.