New finds of Early Triassic amphibians and reptiles from Poland

Vertebrate bones are rare in the Lower Triassic deposits of the Holy Cross Mountains. We describe remains of Early Triassic amphibians (trematosaurs) and reptiles (a procolophon, a herbivorous reptile similar to lizards) from Stryczowice near Ostrowiec Świętokrzyski. Similar animals are known from the Triassic of Germany and Russia. Only fragmentary finds of trematosaurs are known from Poland, but there is a rich procolophon assemblage from Czatkowice (a suburb of Krzeszowice near Cracow). None of the Czatkowice procolophons matches that from Stryczowice, and there are no trematosaurs at Czatkowice. This may result from environmental differences between these sites.

Illustration: Vertebrate remains from the Triassic of Stryczowice: A, Maxilla of a procolophon; B, Reconstruction of trematosaur parasphenoid; C. Trematosaur parasphenoid in the sediment.