Palæos: Paleozoic		Pennsylvanian Epoch
CARBONIFEROUS PERIOD		Moscovian Age

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The Moscovian

The Moscovian Age of the Pennsylvanian Epoch

Paleozoic Era     Cambrian Period     Ordovician Period     Silurian Period     Devonian Period     Carboniferous Period        Mississippian Epoch          Pennsylvanian Epoch          Bashkirian Age          Moscovian Age          Kasimovian Age          Gzhelian Age    Permian Period

Introduction Important Fossil Sites Major Events Invertebrates Vertebrates Links

Introduction

The height of the Late Carboniferous biota

Major Events

Gondwana glaciation reaches its maximum extent.

Important Fossil Sites

The  Mazon Creek is a very important Carboniferous Lagerstätten

Invertebrates

Phylum : Mollusca Class: Gastropoda Order: Family: Worthenia tabulata (Conrad) Horizon: Minturn Formation, Late Atokan Stage (Kashirskian Age) Locality: McCoy, Eagle County, Colorado, USA Comments: Collector:  Chris Itano

Phylum : Mollusca Class: Cephalopoda Order: Pseudorthocerida Family: Pseudorthoceridae Pseudorthoceras knoxense Horizon: Minturn Formation, Late Atokan Stage (Kashirskian Age) Locality: McCoy, Eagle County, Colorado, USA Comments:

Phylum : Echinoderma Class: Crinoidea Aglaocrinus keytei Strimple and Moore 1973 Horizon: Minturn Formation - Late Atokan Stage (Kashirskian Age) Locality: McCoy, Eagle County, Colorado, USA Comments: Collector: Chris Itano

Vertebrates

The golden age of amphibians. A selection of diverse types known froma single locality is shown below.

Class: Tetrapoda Order: Temnospondyli Superfamily: Edopoidea Family: Cochleosauridae Cochleosaurus bohemicus (Fric) 1885 Length: 1.5 metres Horizon: Westphalian D Locality: Nýrany, Czech Republic Comments: Cochleosaurus adult and juvenile illustrated above. This large semi-aquatic tetrapod filled an ecological role not unlike that of the modern crocodile. A common animal, at least four dozen specimens are known from this locality.

Class: Tetrapoda Order: Temnospondyli Superfamily: "Eryopoidea" Family: Branchiosauridae Branchiosaurus salamandriodes Fric 1876 Length: 15 cm - snout to pelvis Horizon: Westphalian D Locality: Nýrany, Czech Republic Comments: Shallow-water/swamp-lake aquatic - note the external gills. Like the modern Axotl or Mexican "walking fish", this little creature led a wholly aquatic existence. At least three dozen specimens are known from this locality.

Class: Tetrapoda Order: Temnospondyli Superfamily: "Eryopoidea" Family: Micromelerpetonidae "Limnerpeton" laticeps Fric 1881 Length: 11 cm - snout to pelvis Horizon: Westphalian D Locality: Nýrany, Czech Republic Comments: A small shallow-water/swamp-lake aquatic form. A common species, at least four dozen specimens are known from this locality.

Class: Tetrapoda Subclass "Lepospondyli" (polyphyletic?) Order: Aistopoda Family: Ophiderpetonidae Ophiderpeton granulosum Fric 1880 Length: 1.5 metres Horizon: Westphalian D Locality: Nýrany, Czech Republic Comments: Shallow-water/swamp-lake aquatic; an eel or snake-like limbless amphibian, about two dozen specimens are known from here.	Class: Tetrapoda Subclass "Lepospondyli" (polyphyletic?) Order: Nectridea Family: Scincosauridae Scincosaurus crassus Fric 1876 Length: 5.5 cm - snout to pelvis Horizon: Westphalian D Locality: Nýrany, Czech Republic Comments: terrestrial/pond-margin; ; a very common form, at least 66 specimens have been found at this locality.
Class: Tetrapoda Subclass "Lepospondyli" (polyphyletic?) Order: Microsauria Family: Microbrachidae Microbrachis pelikani Fric 1876 Length: 17 cm - snout to pelvis Horizon: Westphalian D Locality: Nýrany, Czech Republic Comments: Shallow-water/swamp-lake aquatic; a very common form, at least 82 specimens have been recovered from this locality	Class: Tetrapoda Subclass "Lepospondyli" (polyphyletic?) Order: Microsauria Family: Hyoplesiontidae Hyoplesion longicostatum (Fric) 1883 Length: 8 cm - snout to pelvis Horizon: Westphalian D Locality: Nýrany, Czech Republic Comments: terrestrial/pond-margin, a dozen specimens are known

Class: Tetrapoda Order: Anthracosauria Suborder: Embolomeri Family: Eogyrinidae Diplovertebron punctatum Fric 1885 Length: 30 cm - snout to pelvis Horizon: Westphalian D Locality: Nýrany, Czech Republic Comments: open-water/lacustrine semi-aquatic

Class: Tetrapoda Order: Anthracosauria Suborder: Gephyrostegida Family: Gephyrostegidae Gephyrostegus bohemicus (Fric) 1885 Length: 21 cm - snout to pelvis Horizon: Westphalian D Locality: Nýrany, Czech Republic Comments: a medium-sized insectivorous/carnivorous amphibian that frequented pond margins.  The ecological equivalent of the modern lizard. A fairly common species, about a dozen specimens have been found at this locality

Resources

Links and References

Mazon Creek Fossils - A window into the Carboniferous period

Reference - Andrew R. Milner, "The Tetrapod Assemblage from Nýrany, Czechoslovakia", in Systematics Association Special Volume No.15, "The Terrstrial Environment and the Orogin of Land Vertebrates", ed. by A. L. Panchen, 1980, pp.439-496, Academic Press, London and New York

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