Arenaerpeton supinatus - Australian Temnospondyl finally described

[Thialfi]

"For over 25 years, the fossil resided at the Australian Museum, raising questions about its identity.

The mystery was finally unraveled by palaeontologist Lachlan Hart, who described the prehistoric creature in the Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology.

This amphibian has been named Arenaepeton supinatus, meaning "supine sand creeper."

Hart and his team meticulously studied the fossil, revealing details such as tusk-like fangs in the creature's head and sharp teeth encircling its jaws. The amphibian's body was well-preserved, and traces of its soft tissue hinted at its appearance. The researchers believe that this amphibian, despite its relation to salamanders and frogs, had a crocodile-like lifestyle, actively hunting aquatic prey in water."

Sources:

https://neoskosmos.com/en/2023/08/09/news/australia/240-million-year-old-fossil-unearthed-by-mihail-mihailidis-rewrites-history-of-triassic-amphibians/

https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/02724634.2023.2232829

[Faelrin]

CollectA, if you see this, please do this one. I know they just did the Koolasuchus, but I would love some more temnospondyls (or amphibians in general) from them, like they did with their invertebrates.

Not sure if this will be particularly helpful when it comes to the Koolasuchus figure, and I know @Halichoeres dug up some info for their Koolasuchus, I think in the CollectA thread in the past, but this is what the paper had to say for this animal's soft tissue that was preserved:

AM F125866 also bears preservation of soft tissue, which is present around most of the postcranial skeleton (Figs. 2, 4). It is coarsely textured and does not suggest that Arenaerpeton supinatus bore any dermal ossifications. On the left side of the body in particular, the soft tissue extends well beyond the lateral ends of the ribs. This may indicate, as previously mentioned, post-mortem bloating. Alternatively, this extension of the soft tissue might also be a result of post-mortem compression or could be representative of the animal's actual girth in life. A circular section of soft tissue also surrounds the left forelimb (Fig. 4) and extends anteriorly to the clavicle. As the metacarpal bones are fragmentary, it is not possible to ascertain if there was webbing between the metacarpals of A. supinatus.

[Ikessauro]

CollectA, if you see this, please do this one. I know they just did the Koolasuchus, but I would love some more temnospondyls (or amphibians in general) from them, like they did with their invertebrates.

Not gonna lie, I don't see them doing it. Too similar to Koolasuchus. I think you'd have more luck asking for a Prionosuchus or some other amphibian with different anatomy

[SBell]

CollectA, if you see this, please do this one. I know they just did the Koolasuchus, but I would love some more temnospondyls (or amphibians in general) from them, like they did with their invertebrates.

Not gonna lie, I don't see them doing it. Too similar to Koolasuchus. I think you'd have more luck asking for a Prionosuchus or some other amphibian with different anatomy

We should hope for an updated Crassigyrinus!

[Concavenator]

CollectA, if you see this, please do this one. I know they just did the Koolasuchus, but I would love some more temnospondyls (or amphibians in general) from them, like they did with their invertebrates.

Not gonna lie, I don't see them doing it. Too similar to Koolasuchus. I think you'd have more luck asking for a Prionosuchus or some other amphibian with different anatomy

Or a Diplocaulus...