Seymouriamorph tracks from the Boskovice Basin

Seymouriamorph tracks from the Boskovice Basin

Permian deposits of the Boskovice Basin in the Czech Republic have yielded hundreds of seymouriamorph individuals (a group of extinct tetrapods). Most are referable to Discosauriscus and – with possible exception of a single specimen – represent larvae and juveniles tied to aquatic environments. The new study describes seymouriamorph tracks from the Boskovice Basin that belonged to adults tied to terrestrial environments, documenting a habitat shift that occurred relatively late in the ontogenetic development of these seymouriamorphs. The largest track is preserved with clear skin impressions, making it one of the best preserved seymouriamorph tracks described to date. One of the tracks originates from the lowermost Asselian (ca. 299 mya) and is therefore among the oldest known records of seymouriamorphs worldwide.

Reconstruction: Petr Modlitba

PUBLICATION: Calábková, G, Březina, J. & D. Madzia. 2022. Evidence of large terrestrial seymouriamorphs in the lowermost Permian of the Czech Republic. Papers in Palaeontology 8: e1428. doi:10.1002/spp2.1428