Protorothyrididae

From Palaeos

0 Eureptilia
|--+-- †Captorhinidae
|  `-- †Thuringothyris
`--+-- †Brouffia
   `--+-- †Paleothyris
      `--+-- †Hylonomus
         `--+--+-- †Anthracodromeus
            |  |-- †Cephalerpeton
            |  `-- †Protorothyris
            `-- Diapsida
   

The "Protorothyrididae" (or "Protorothyridae") are a basal group of terrestrial eureptiles. Although not that closely related to them, they were similar to modern lizards in appearance and were generalized, small, insectivorous animals. Most of them are known from the Late Carboniferous of North America and Europe. According to recent studies, they form a paraphyletic group (see cladogram), which means that not all descendants of the last common ancestor of this group are included. In case of the protorothyridids, the diapsids (the sister clade of Anthracodromeus + Cephalerpeton + Protorothyris) are traditionally excluded. If the Lower Permian genus Thuringothyris is also considered a protorothyridid the group even becomes polyphyletic because Thuringothyris is more closely related to the Captorhinidae while all other protorothyridids are closer to the Diapsida. The para- or polyphyly of a group is indicated by using its name enclosed in quotation marks.

References

MÜLLER, J. and REISZ, R.R. (2006): The phylogeny of early eureptiles: comparing parsimony and Bayesian approaches in the investigation of a basal fossil clade. Systematic Biology 55 (3): 503-511.