. Carnegie Institution of Washington publication. 130 THE PERMO-CARBONIFEROUS RED BEDS OF ning stages of armor would prevent injury to the spine on many occasions. The possibiHty that the armor may be considered as an evidence of a ter- restrial habit has been noted above. Abel, in his Paleobiologie, has suggested the correlation of dorsal armor with fossorial habits in extinct amphibians and reptiles, but it could not be the case with Cacops, which was devoid of strong claws. Its habits were possibly similar to those of the Uving frogs, lurking in the vegetation on the banks of bodies of wate
. Carnegie Institution of Washington publication. 130 THE PERMO-CARBONIFEROUS RED BEDS OF ning stages of armor would prevent injury to the spine on many occasions. The possibiHty that the armor may be considered as an evidence of a ter- restrial habit has been noted above. Abel, in his Paleobiologie, has suggested the correlation of dorsal armor with fossorial habits in extinct amphibians and reptiles, but it could not be the case with Cacops, which was devoid of strong claws. Its habits were possibly similar to those of the Uving frogs, lurking in the vegetation on the banks of bodies of water, sometimes wandering inland, but always ready to make a quick rush to the protection of the water when danger threatened. The total length did not exceed 45 centimeters. Aspidosauriis (fig. 18).—This genus did not develop a dermal armor, but the distal ends of the neural spines were expanded to a greater or less degree, and undoubtedly furnished some protection to the animal. It is not probable that the bony process projected for any distance above the line of back (un- less it were in the case of Aspidosauriis crucifer). Any attempt to restore. Fig. 18.—Restoration of Aspidosauriis chiton Broili. Probably about one-fourth natural size. these animals would be almost wholly conjectural. A. novomexicanus had a skull similar in general proportions to that of the members of the Dissoro- phid(B, but nothing more can be said with certainty. We can only imagine it as a stegocephalian, with the general form of Cacops or Dissorophus, devoid of any armor, but perhaps with a row of projecting knobs on the back. Broiliellus.—In a recent paper Williston "^ has described a new amphibian, Broiliellus texensis, from the Clear Fork beds of Texas. In this animal there was a single row of dorsal dermal plates which were entirely free from the ends of the neural spines, and the ends of the neural spines were not expanded. This is the third type of armored amphibian in the fauna. Disso
Size: 3153px × 793px
Photo credit: © Book Worm / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: ., bookauthorcarnegie, bookcentury1900, bookdecade1910, bookyear1915
