Diabloroter, a new stem-reptile from Mazon Creek

[Halichoeres]

Check out Diabloroter bolti, a new recumbirostran from the Carboniferous Mazon Creek locality in Illinois, USA. It's part of a paraphyletic assemblage called microsaurs, which were historically considered amphibians, but are part of the amniote stem-group, which means they have some of the traits of synapsids and sauropsids, but retain some primitive characteristics that they share with ancestral tetrapods.


The reconstruction on the right is by Chicago-area sculptor David Duck. It's a cutie-pie!

Paper (paywall): https://doi.org/10.1093/zoolinnean/zlz025

Short press release: https://www.esconi.org/esconi_earth_science_club/2019/05/diabloroter-bolti-a-short-bodied-recumbirostran-microsaur-from-the-francis-creek-shale-mazon-creek-i.html

[Jose S.M.]

The reconstruction is adorable! Very interesting specimen, I really didn't knew of that group before. Thanks for sharing.

[Faelrin]

Definitely a cute critter, and if I had to guess was a contemporary with the Tully Monster? Wasn't aware there was something called microsaurs before, so I'm going to have to do more research on them.

[Halichoeres]

The reconstruction is adorable! Very interesting specimen, I really didn't knew of that group before. Thanks for sharing.

I'm glad people enjoy these posts

Definitely a cute critter, and if I had to guess was a contemporary with the Tully Monster? Wasn't aware there was something called microsaurs before, so I'm going to have to do more research on them.

Yep, contemporary or near-contemporary of the Tully monster, found in the same set of sediments.