New Data on Early Triassic Lonchorhynchids (Amphibia, Temnospondyli) of Eastern Europe

Abstract

The family Lonchorhynchidae is considered to comprise at least two subfamilies, Cosgriffiinae (Cosgriffius Welles and a form from the Zaplavnian Horizon (Upper Induan Substage) of the Buzuluk Depression (Shishkin, 2002)) and Lonchorhynchinae (Aphaneramma Woodward, Wantzosaurus Lehman, and a form described by Damiani and Welman (2001) from the Lystrosaurus Zone of South Africa). In addition, the Lonchorhynchidae are considered to include the genera Erythrobatrachus Cosgriff et Garbutt and Stoschiosaurus Säve-Söderbergh, the subfamily of which is presently uncertain. A new lonchorhynchid specimen from the Zaplavnian Horizon of the Buzuluk Depression is described, the postorbital structure of which suggests that it may belong to Stoschiosaurus.