Name: Westlothiana
(From Westlothian).
Phonetic: West-low-thee-an-a.
Named By: Smithson and Rolfe - 1990.
Classification: Chordata, Amphibia,
Reptiliomorpha, Eureptilia, Captorhinidae (Precise
classification is still not certain).
Species: W. lizziae (type).
Diet: Carnivore/Insectivore.
Size: 20 centimeteres long.
Known locations: Scotland, Westlothian.
Time period: Carboniferous.
Fossil representation: Two almost complete skeletons.
Westlothiana
has caused some confusion among researchers as to whether it should be
called reptile or amphibian. While it does have some reptilian
features such as no otic notch and unfused ankle bones, the main
skeletal structure has features that are reminiscent of the early
terrestrial amphibians. This has led to the term ‘primitive
amniote’, and as such Westlothiana would mark
the evolutionary
precursor to the creatures that would be regarded as true reptiles.
The
overall morphology of
Westlothiana was probably very similar to today’s
lizards, and it
probably lived among the forest litter hunting for small
invertebrates.
Further reading
- Westlothiana gen. nov. :naming the earliest known
reptile. Scottish
Journal of Geology no 26, pp 137–138. - T. R. Smithson & W. D.
I. Rolfe - 1990.
- Westlothiana lizziae from the Vis�an of East
Kirkton, West Lothian,
Scotland, and the amniote stem. - Earth and Environmental Science
Transactions of the Royal Society of Edinburgh. 84 (3–4): 383–412. - S.
M. Andrews - 1993.