# Metoposauridae

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Extinct family of temnospondyls

Metoposaurids Metoposaurus Scientific classification Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Clade: Tetrapoda Order: †Temnospondyli Suborder: †Stereospondyli Superfamily: †Metoposauroidea Family: †Metoposauridae Watson, 1919 Genera †Anaschisma †Apachesaurus †Arganasaurus †Buettnererpeton †Dutuitosaurus †Metoposaurus †Panthasaurus

**Metoposauridae** is an extinct [family](/source/Family_(taxonomy)) of [trematosaurian](/source/Trematosauria) [temnospondyls](/source/Temnospondyl). The family is known from the [Late Triassic](/source/Late_Triassic) period. Most members are large, approximately 1.5 metres (4.9 ft) long and could reach 3 m long.[1] Metoposaurids can be distinguished from most other stereospondyls by the position of their eyes, placed far forward on the snout (the type genus, *[Metoposaurus](/source/Metoposaurus)*, means 'front lizard').

## Geographic distribution

Metoposaurids had a wide distribution across Pangea, being known from across the continental United States and Nova Scotia in North America;[2][3][4][5][6] France,[7] Germany,[8][9][10] Italy,[7] Poland,[11][12] and Portugal in western Europe;[13][1] India;[14][15][16][17] Morocco;[18][19] and Madagascar.[20] Material has also been reported from Zimbabwe but was not collected.[21][22] At least some historic reports of metoposaurid material are likely undiagnostic below Stereospondyli[5][7] or are referable to other clades.[23][24]

## History of study

Metoposaurids were one of the first clades of temnospondyls to be named on the basis of *Metoposaurus diagnosticus* from Germany, named in 1842 by German paleontologist [Hermann von Meyer](/source/Christian_Erich_Hermann_von_Meyer). Several additional species of questionable validity were named in the early 20th century from Italy (*Metoposaurus santecrucis*) and Germany (*Metoposaurus stuttgartensis*, *Metoposaurus heimi*). Although metoposaurids are common in Late Triassic deposits of Germany,[9] no bonebeds have been discovered, and the most extensive amount of material comes from the Krasiejow bonebed in Poland.[12] Most recently, a large body of material was recovered from Portugal.[1] Most collecting in North America was conducted in the 20th and 21st centuries, although '*Dictyocephalus elegans*,' usually regarded as an indeterminate metoposaurid, was described from the Late Triassic of North Carolina by [Joseph Leidy](/source/Joseph_Leidy) in 1856. The most extensive remains are known from Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, and Wyoming.[6] Collecting efforts in the mid-20th century yielded extensive remains from Morocco[18] and India[15] and more fragmentary remains from Madagascar.[25]

The majority of work on metoposaurids has been descriptive or taxonomic in nature, with a very large number of named taxa, the majority of which have now been synonymized with other taxa or determined to not be diagnostic at the species level. The taxonomy of the clade has undergone significant revision as a result.[26][5][11] The commonality of metoposaurid material in some geographic regions and the quality of preservation of many specimens has also permitted additional study that is not as feasible for other temnospondyl clades. The Krasiejow bonebed has been extensively utilized for paleohistological analyses to infer ecological attributes of the local population, with nearly every skeletal element examined.[27][28][29][30][31][32][33][34][35]

## Taphonomy

Several mass accumulations of dozens of individuals are known from the southwestern United States and Morocco.[2][3][36][18] These have often been interpreted as the result of mass deaths from droughts, although only the deposits in Morocco and Wyoming are interpreted to have preserved the animals where they died;[18][3] in North America, it is thought that the deposits in Texas and New Mexico results from when the animals aggregated, died, and then were transported.[37][3] Most skeletons in the latter accumulations are disarticulated, suggesting they were transported by water to the deposition sites. These mass accumulations of metoposaurids are often dominated by one taxa, such as *[Anaschisma](/source/Anaschisma)*, *[Buettnerpeton](/source/Buettnererpeton)*, or *[Dutuitosaurus](/source/Dutuitosaurus)*.[38] The large gatherings of metoposaurids may have been breeding sites, and were probably common across floodplains in Late Triassic [Pangaea](/source/Pangaea).[37]

## References

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v t e Stereospondyli Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Clade: Tetrapodomorpha Order: Temnospondyli Tetrapodomorpha see Tetrapodomorpha Temnospondyli see Temnospondyli Stereospondyli see below↓ Stereospondyli Stereospondyli Arachana Capulomala Peltobatrachus Lapillopsidae Lapillopsis Manubrantlia Rhigerpeton Rotaurisaurus Rhinesuchidae Australerpeton? Broomistega Laccosaurus Parapytanga? Rastosuchus Rhineceps Rhinesuchoides Rhinesuchus Uranocentrodon Lydekkerinidae Chomatobatrachus Cryobatrachus Deltacephalus Eolydekkerina Indobenthosuchus Luzocephalus? Lydekkerina Capitosauria Antarctosuchus Bukobaja Calmasuchus Capitosaurus Cherninia Cyclotosaurus Edingerella Eocyclotosaurus Eryosuchus Heptasaurus Huangfuchuansuchus Jammerbergia Kestrosaurus Kupferzellia Mastodonsaurus Meyerosuchus Odenwaldia Paracyclotosaurus Parotosuchus Quasicyclotosaurus Procyclotosaurus Promastodonsaurus Rhadalognathus Samarabatrachus Sassenisaurus Sclerothorax Selenocara Stanocephalosaurus Stenotosaurus Subcyclotosaurus Tatrasuchus Vladlenosaurus Volgasaurus Volgasuchus Warrenisuchus Watsonisuchus Wellesaurus Wetlugasaurus Xenotosuchus Yuanansuchus Trematosauria see below↓ Trematosauria Trematosauria Almasaurus Bothriceps Callistomordax Chinlestegophis Keratobrachyops Laidleria Latiscopus Qantas Rileymillerus Syrtosuchus Uruyiella Benthosuchidae Benthosuchus Kwatisuchus Trematosauridae Angusaurus Aphaneramma Cosgriffius Erythrobatrachus Gonioglyptus Hyperokynodon Icanosaurus Indolyrocephalus Inflectosaurus Lyrocephaliscus Microposaurus Panchetosaurus Platystega Prothoosuchus Stoschiosaurus Tertrema Tertremoides Thoosuchus Tirraturhinus Trematolestes Trematosuchoides Trematosaurus Trematosuchus Trematotegmen Wantzosaurus Metoposauridae Anaschisma Apachesaurus Arganasaurus Buettnererpeton Dutuitosaurus Metoposaurus Panthasaurus Rhytidosteidae Boreopelta Mahavisaurus Nanolania Peltostega Pneumatostega Rhytidosteus Sangaia Trucheosaurus Derwentiinae Arcadia Acerastia Deltasaurus Derwentia Indobrachyops Rewana Chigutisauridae Arenaerpeton Chigutisaurus Compsocerops Koolasuchus Pelorocephalus Siderops Brachyopidae Banksiops Bathignathus Batrachosaurus Batrachosuchoides Batrachosuchus Blinasaurus Brachyops Gobiops Hadrokkosaurus Notobrachyops Platycepsion Sinobrachyops Vanastega Vigilius Xenobrachyops Plagiosauridae Gerrothorax Megalophthalma Plagiobatrachus Plagiorophus Plagiosaurus Plagioscutum Plagiosternum Plagiosuchus See also: Trematosauroidea Metoposauroidea Rhytidosteoidea Brachyopomorpha Brachyopoidea Plagiosauroidea Category

Taxon identifiers Metoposauridae Wikidata: Q6824275 Wikispecies: Metoposauridae EoL: 4358906 GBIF: 3241150 IRMNG: 116361 Paleobiology Database: 37162

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Metoposauridae](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metoposauridae) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metoposauridae?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.