Pasawioops

Pasawioops is an extinct genus of early Permian dissorophoid temnospondyl within the clade Amphibamiformes.

History of study

Pasawioops was first described from the early Permian fissure fills near Richards Spur in Comanche County, Oklahoma. It is known from three skulls from this locality. The holotype is a complete skull, while the referred specimens are larger but more incomplete partial skulls. The taxon is also known from one specimen from the early Permian of Texas, being previously misidentified as a specimen of Tersomius texensis.

Anatomy

Pasawioops has a relatively long and slender skull for an amphibamiform, with the posterior skull table not abbreviated as in more derived taxa. A tooth-bearing crest is found along the cultriform process, and the pterygoid bears two ridges of teeth. The teeth of Pasawioops are monocuspid and recurved. Unlike some derived amphibamiforms such as Gerobatrachus, the teeth are not pedicellate, or narrow at the base.

Relationships

Pasawioops has long been recognized to be closely related to Micropholis from South Africa and Tersomius from North America. This clade was formalized by Schoch as the family Micropholidae.