Macroleter

Mak-roe-lee-ter.
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Cassidy Wood

Paleoentomologist

Cassidy Wood uncovers the tiny yet significant world of prehistoric insects. Her research on amber-preserved specimens has revealed intricate details about ancient ecosystems.

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Name

Macroleter.

Phonetic

Mak-roe-lee-ter.

Named By

Classification

Chordata,‭ ‬Reptilia,‭ ‬Parareptilia,‭ ‬Procolophonomorpha,‭ ‬Procolophonia,‭ ‬Nycteroleteridae.

Diet

Carnivore/Insectivore‭?

Species

M.‭ ‬poezicus‭

Size

About‭ ‬75‭ ‬centimetres long.

Known locations

USA,‭ ‬Oklahoma‭ ‬-‭ ‬Chickasha Formation.‭ ‬Russia‭ ‬-‭ ‬Krasnoshchel‭' ‬Formation.

Time Period

Wordian of the Permian.

Fossil representation

Based upon an almost complete and articulated skeleton and skull.

In Depth

       For its type Macroleter were fairly large predators that were procolopophonid parareptiles.‭ ‬One former species of Seymouria,‭ ‬S.‭ ‬agilis has been re-assigned as a second species of Macroleter.‭ ‬This makes the type species of Macroleter,‭ ‬M.‭ ‬poezicus known from Russia,‭ ‬and the second species,‭ ‬M.‭ ‬agilis known from the USA.‭ ‬There is also speculation that the genus Tokosaurus may actually be a synonym to Macroleter.

Further Reading

-‭ ‬Nikteroletery iz Permskikh Otlozheniy Vostochnoy Evropy‭ [‬Nycteroleters from the Permian of Eastern Europe‭]‬.‭ ‬-‭ ‬Paleontologicheskii Zhurnal‭ ‬1984‭(‬3‭)‬:98-111.‭ ‬-‭ ‬G.‭ ‬I.‭ ‬Tverdokhlebova and M.‭ ‬F.‭ ‬Ivakhnenko‭ ‬-‭ ‬1984. -‭ ‬The reptile Macroleter:‭ ‬First vertebrate evidence for correlation of Upper Permian continental strata of North America and Russia‭‬. -‭ ‬Geological Society of America Bulletin‭ ‬113‭ (‬9‭)‬:‭ ‬1229‭–‬1233.‭ ‬-‭ ‬Michel Laurin‭ & ‬Robert R.‭ ‬Reisz‭ ‬-‭ ‬2001. -‭ ‬Anatomy of Emeroleter levis and the phylogeny of the nycteroleter parareptiles.‭ ‬-‭ ‬Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology‭ ‬32‭ (‬1‭)‬:‭ ‬45‭–‬67.‭ ‬-‭ ‬Linda A.‭ ‬Tsuji,‭ ‬Johannes M�ller‭ & ‬Robert R.‭ ‬Reisz‭ ‬-‭ ‬2012.

SPECIES SPOTLIGHT