Batrachosauroididae Explained

Batrachosauroididae is an extinct family of prehistoric salamanders with holarctic distribution. They were paedomorphic and presumably aquatic. They are possibly the sister taxon of Proteidae, an extant family of aquatic salamanders.^[1] They are definitively known from the Late Cretaceous to Miocene of North America and Europe. Remains from the earliest Cretaceous (Berriasian) Lulworth Formation of England have tenatively been attributed to this family.^[2]

The following genera are included:^[3]

• Batrachosauroides United States, Eocene-Miocene
• Opisthotriton North America, Late Cretaceous-Paleocene
• Palaeoproteus Europe Paleocene-Miocene
• Parrisia United States, Late Cretaceous
• Peratosauroides United States, Miocene
• Prodesmodon North America Late Cretaceous-Paleocene

See also

• Prehistoric amphibian
• List of prehistoric amphibians

Notes and References

1. Denton Jr., Robert K. . Robert C. O'Neill . amp . 1998 . Parrisia neocesariensis, a new batrachosauroidid salamander and other amphibians from the Campanian of eastern North America . Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology . 18 . 3 . 484–494 . 4523920 . 10.1080/02724634.1998.10011076. 1998JVPal..18..484D .
2. S. E. Evans and G. J. McGowan. 2002. An amphibian assemblage from the Purbeck Limestone Group. Special Papers in Palaeontology 68:103-119
3. Web site: †family Batrachosauroididae Auffenberg 1958 . Paleobiology Database . Fossilworks . 17 December 2021.