Discosauriscus was a small Seymouriamorpha[Panchen, A. L. and Smithson, T. R. 1988. The relationships of the earliest tetrapods. Pp. 1–32 in Benton, M. J. (ed), The Phylogeny and Classification of the Tetrapods, Volume 1: Amphibians, Reptiles, Birds. Clarendon Press, Oxford.] which lived in what is now Central and Western Europe during the latest Carboniferous
Classification
Discosauriscus belongs to the order
Seymouriamorpha, and is the
type genus of the family
Discosauriscidae. Currently recognised are two valid species -
Discosauriscus austriacus and
Discosauriscus pulcherrimus.
Letoverpeton is a junior synonym of
Discosauriscus.
Characteristics
Discosauriscids were long thought to be known from
or
neotenic forms,
[Carroll, R.L. 1988. Vertebrate Paleontology and Evolution, pp 176. WH Freeman and Company, New York ] and three ontogenetic stages had been distinguished.
[Klembara, Jozef. 1996. Discosauriscus. Version 1 January 1996. http://tolweb.org/Discosauriscus/17544/1996.01.01 in The Tree of Life Web Project, http://tolweb.org/] However, more recent studies concluded that some subadult, probably terrestrial specimens were known,
so the case for neoteny in this taxon is not as well-supported as once thought.
Discosauriscus had wide jaws with sharp teeth, short limbs and relatively long tail.
[ dinosaurier-news - Discosauriscus: Ein Amphibium aus der Permzeit ] The phalangeal formula was 2-3-4-5-3 for both hind- and forelimbs. The body was covered with rounded scales with concentric rings, and a well-preserved lateral-line system has been described.
Discosauriscus may have had electroreceptive organs.[Klembara, J, Electroreceptors in the Lower Permian tetrapod Discosauriscus austriacus, Palaeontology, Vol 37, part 3, (1994)]
