Apricosiren
Extinct genus of amphibians
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Apricosiren is an extinct genus of prehistoric salamander that lived during the Early Cretaceous period around 145.5-140 million years ago . It is known from the Berriasian aged Lulworth Formation in southern England. It was a small species.[2][3][1]
| Apricosiren Temporal range: Berriasian, | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Amphibia |
| Clade: | Caudata |
| Genus: | †Apricosiren Evans & McGowan 2002[1] |
| Type species | |
| †Apricosiren ensomi Evans & McGowan 2002[1] | |
The genus name combines Latin apricus (=sunny), in reference to the type locality, Sunnydown Farm, and siren, a salamander. The specific name ensomi honours Paul Ensom for his contributions to "our knowledge of Early Cretaceous microvertebrates".
Phylogeny
Apricosiren belong to a large clade of amphibians known as Caudata and potentially an early diverging member of Salamandroidea. This genus is closely related to genera such as Kiyatriton and Valdotriton.[4]
