Microbrachis

Name: Microbrachis (Little arm).
Phonetic: My-crow-brak-is.
Named By: Antonin Fritsch - 1875.
Classification: Chordata, Amphibia, Lepospondyli, Microsauria, Microbrachidae.
Species: M. pelikani.
Type: Carnivore.
Size: 15 centimetres long.
Known locations: Czech Republic.
Time period: Upper Carboniferous.
Fossil representation: Well enough preserved to give a good indication of size and structure.

       Microbrachis also displays a degree of neoteny (also referred to as juvenilization and pedomorphism) in that the outer gills, normally only seen during the larval stage of amphibians, are retained for use in adult life. In fact, reconstruction of fossil material of Microbrachis give it a similar morphology to a modern day axolotl. Although preserved examples suggest it to have been smaller than an axolotl, it may well have shared a similar lifestyle, feeding upon worms and other aquatic invertebrates.

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