Romeriscus
Uncertain genus of prehistoric tetrapod
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Romeriscus is a dubious genus of tetrapod, currently classified as in the family Limnoscelidae,[1] found in the Lower Pennsylvanian Port Hood formation in Nova Scotia.[2]
| Romeriscus | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Order: | †Diadectomorpha |
| Family: | †Limnoscelidae |
| Genus: | †Romeriscus Baird & Carroll, 1968[1] |
| Species: | †R. periallus |
| Binomial name | |
| †Romeriscus periallus Baird & Carroll, 1968 | |
Romeriscus is known by one species, Romeriscus periallus, from a single holotype, YPM-PU16 482. The holotype specimen has both cranial and post-cranial remains and consists of a badly crushed skull and 25 pre-sacral vertebrae.
It was originally described in 1967 by Baird & Carroll and hypothesized be a limnoscelid due to its skull structure.[2] In 1992, however, this claim was refuted by Laurin & Reisz, who state that the poor preservation of the skull makes such a claim impossible, and that due to its poor condition, the frontal and postfrontal portions of the skull cannot be properly identified as a limnoscelid.[3] Laurin & Reisz came to the conclusion that while Romeriscus is a distinct genus, it cannot conclusively be classified as amniota, or limnoscelidae, instead classifying it as tetrapoda incertae sedis, and nomen dubium, as its status as a Romeriid is unclear.[4]