Romeriscus is a dubious genus of tetrapod, currently classified as in the family Limnoscelidae,[1] found in the Lower Pennsylvanian Port Hood formation in Nova Scotia.[2]
Romeriscus is known by one species, Romeriscus periallus, from a single holotype, YPM-PU16 482. The holotype specimen has both cranial and post-cranial remains and consists of a badly crushed skull and 25 pre-sacral vertebrae.
It was originally described in 1967 by Baird & Carroll and hypothesized be a limnoscelid due to its skull structure.[2] In 1992, however, this claim was refuted by Laurin & Reisz, who state that the poor preservation of the skull makes such a claim impossible, and that due to its poor condition, the frontal and postfrontal portions of the skull cannot be properly identified as a limnoscelid.[3] Laurin & Reisz came to the conclusion that while Romeriscus is a distinct genus, it cannot conclusively be classified as amniota, or limnoscelidae, instead classifying it as tetrapoda incertae sedis, and nomen dubium, as its status as a Romeriid is unclear.[4]
References
- ^ a b "Romeriscus Baird & Carroll, 1968". Global Biodiversity Information Facility.
- ^ a b Baird, D.; Carroll, R. L. (1967-07-07). "Romeriscus, the oldest known reptile". Science. 157 (3784): 56–59. Bibcode:1967Sci...157...56B. doi:10.1126/science.157.3784.56. ISSN 0036-8075. PMID 6026664.
- ^ Laurin, Michel; Reisz, Robert R. (1992). "A Reassessment of the Pennsylvanian Tetrapod Romeriscus". Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology. 12 (4): 524–527. Bibcode:1992JVPal..12..524L. doi:10.1080/02724634.1992.10011478. ISSN 0272-4634. JSTOR 4523476.
- ^ J Clark; R L Carroll (1973). Romeriid reptiles from the Lower Permian.
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