1965/05/01 by Donald J. Baird · 2 citations
Environmental Science · Earth and Planetary Sciences · #Amphibian and Reptile Biology #Paleontology and Evolutionary Biology #Evolution and Paleontology Studies
paper · pdf · doi:10.1093/icb/5.2.287
openalex publication_date 1965/05/01 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/29
The lepospondyls are urodele-like amphibians of the Paleozoic Era, some of which have been considered ancestral or closely related to reptiles or modern amphibians. Their origin is enigmatic, and the earliest occurrences reveal a long-established division into three contrasting orders: the serpentine aistopods, the newt-like nectrideans and the deceptively reptilian microsaurs. The Subclasses Lepospondyli and Labyrinthodontia are not so disparate as to indicate a polyphyletic origin for the Amphibia. Which subclass gave rise to the present-day Lissamphibia is still disputed, but superficial similarities between lepospondyls and lissamphibians cannot mask the fundamental discrepancies in temporal range and morphology and (apparently) in life history as well.