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Macromerion
Macromerion (Macro- is Greek/Latin for "large") is an extinct genus of non-mammalian synapsids, specifically Pelycosaurs, in the family Sphenacodontidae from Late Carboniferous deposits in the Czech Republic. It was named as a species of Labyrinthodon in 1875 and as its own genus in 1879.
Macromerion was one of the moderate to large-sized Spenacodontids and represented the most dominant terrestrial predators from the Late Carboniferous and Early Permian, which means they lived about 300 million years ago. It is a "sail-backed" synapsid, exhibiting sizable parallel-fibered and fibrolamellar bone, along with lamellar bone. The family of Macromerion, Sphenacodontids, is a sister taxon of Therapsids. The understanding of this relationship plays an important part in understanding the mammalian features of Pelycosaurs and all synapsids. Fossils of this species and other Pelycosaurs were mostly found in regions of North America and Western Europe.
Species of Sphenacodontidae were mostly found in North America, with the exception of some species like Macromerion which was found specifically from the Stephanian of Kuonova, Bohemia. Bohemia is now referred to as the westernmost region of the Czech Republic.
This taxon was first found among three other Pelycosaurs in Upper Carboniferous deposits, which shows that it must have originated from Middle Pennsylvanian times. Middle Pennsylvanian is the latter half of two sub periods of the Carboniferous.
During the Carboniferous Period, Bohemia is a part of the major landmass of Laurussia, which was made-up of present-day North America, western Europe through the Urals, and Balto-Scandinavia. Bohemia was towards the mid altitude region of Laurussia, causing the environmental conditions to be warm.
Conditions during the Pennsylvanian times were mostly uniform over large areas and the climate was unvarying and humid. This type of monotonous environment suggests a limit to the number of genera and fauna because variants would not have as much of a chance to develop. The low variability within species is the reason why a majority of Sphenocodontidae are difficult to distinguish from each other. Macromerion does not belong in the same subfamily as Dimetrodon, but the two are very commonly compared and can be confused for each other.
Proof of these tropical and mildly temperate conditions is found in plants from the Carboniferous. The fossils of these plants lack a growth ring, suggesting a uniform climate. Among the European Sphenacodontidae discovered, Macromerion was the oldest in stratigraphic range.
There are not many fossils of this species, but the ones that were discovered, as well as other Pelycosaurs, were mostly found in regions of North America and Western Europe.
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Macromerion
Macromerion (Macro- is Greek/Latin for "large") is an extinct genus of non-mammalian synapsids, specifically Pelycosaurs, in the family Sphenacodontidae from Late Carboniferous deposits in the Czech Republic. It was named as a species of Labyrinthodon in 1875 and as its own genus in 1879.
Macromerion was one of the moderate to large-sized Spenacodontids and represented the most dominant terrestrial predators from the Late Carboniferous and Early Permian, which means they lived about 300 million years ago. It is a "sail-backed" synapsid, exhibiting sizable parallel-fibered and fibrolamellar bone, along with lamellar bone. The family of Macromerion, Sphenacodontids, is a sister taxon of Therapsids. The understanding of this relationship plays an important part in understanding the mammalian features of Pelycosaurs and all synapsids. Fossils of this species and other Pelycosaurs were mostly found in regions of North America and Western Europe.
Species of Sphenacodontidae were mostly found in North America, with the exception of some species like Macromerion which was found specifically from the Stephanian of Kuonova, Bohemia. Bohemia is now referred to as the westernmost region of the Czech Republic.
This taxon was first found among three other Pelycosaurs in Upper Carboniferous deposits, which shows that it must have originated from Middle Pennsylvanian times. Middle Pennsylvanian is the latter half of two sub periods of the Carboniferous.
During the Carboniferous Period, Bohemia is a part of the major landmass of Laurussia, which was made-up of present-day North America, western Europe through the Urals, and Balto-Scandinavia. Bohemia was towards the mid altitude region of Laurussia, causing the environmental conditions to be warm.
Conditions during the Pennsylvanian times were mostly uniform over large areas and the climate was unvarying and humid. This type of monotonous environment suggests a limit to the number of genera and fauna because variants would not have as much of a chance to develop. The low variability within species is the reason why a majority of Sphenocodontidae are difficult to distinguish from each other. Macromerion does not belong in the same subfamily as Dimetrodon, but the two are very commonly compared and can be confused for each other.
Proof of these tropical and mildly temperate conditions is found in plants from the Carboniferous. The fossils of these plants lack a growth ring, suggesting a uniform climate. Among the European Sphenacodontidae discovered, Macromerion was the oldest in stratigraphic range.
There are not many fossils of this species, but the ones that were discovered, as well as other Pelycosaurs, were mostly found in regions of North America and Western Europe.