Kermitops, a new tiny temnospondyl, enters the LRT

So, Pardo and Mann 2024 described
an Early Permian tiny temnospondyl (USNM 407585) that nests close to Georgenthalia (Fig 1) in the LRT. They named the cute little amphibian fossil with big eyes on top, Kermitops gratus (Fig 1).

That pop-culture name created many publicity headlines.

Figure 1. Kermitops and Georgenthalia compared. ” data-image-caption=”

Figure 1. Kermitops and Georgenthalia compared.

” data-medium-file=”https://pterosaurheresies.files.wordpress.com/2024/03/kermitops-gratus-skull588.jpg?w=211″ data-large-file=”https://pterosaurheresies.files.wordpress.com/2024/03/kermitops-gratus-skull588.jpg?w=584″ class=”size-full wp-image-84979″ src=”https://pterosaurheresies.files.wordpress.com/2024/03/kermitops-gratus-skull588.jpg?w=584&h=831″ alt=”Figure 1. Kermitops and Georgenthalia compared. ” width=”584″ height=”831″ srcset=”https://pterosaurheresies.files.wordpress.com/2024/03/kermitops-gratus-skull588.jpg?w=584&h=831 584w, https://pterosaurheresies.files.wordpress.com/2024/03/kermitops-gratus-skull588.jpg?w=105&h=150 105w, https://pterosaurheresies.files.wordpress.com/2024/03/kermitops-gratus-skull588.jpg?w=211&h=300 211w, https://pterosaurheresies.files.wordpress.com/2024/03/kermitops-gratus-skull588.jpg 588w” sizes=”(max-width: 584px) 100vw, 584px” />

Figure 1. Kermitops and Georgenthalia compared. DGS colors added here.

In the LRT
Kermitops and Georgenthalia do not nest with Amphibamus. Neither are basal to living amphibians. Rather these two nest in a clade of derived temnospondyls, much reduced in size from larger ancestors like Eryops, also from the Permian.

Figure 2. The skull of Lanthanotus in three views.

PS. Some snake news. 
Not sure how this happened. Perhaps the earlier gekko link was weak. Perhaps the convergence was strong. Perhaps the former connection will someday reconnect. Presently snakes in the LRT now arise from extant Lanthanotus (Fig 2, the earless monitor lizard), a hand-sized semiaquatic anguimorph lepidosaur.

Tiny Tetrapodophis and Barlochersaurus remain proximal outgroup taxa. Both are phylogenetially miniaturized with long bodies and small legs, relatively more snake-like than their new larger ancestor, Lanthanotus.

References
So C, Pardo D and Mann A 2024. A new amphibamiform from the Early Permian of Texas elucidates patterns of cranial diversity among terrestrial amphibamiforms. Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society, 2024, XX, 1–15. doi.org/10.1093/zoolinnean/zlae012

wiki/Micromelerpeton
wiki/Georgenthalia
wiki/Kermitops – not yet posted
wiki/Earless_monitor_lizard
Tetrapodophis, the four-legged snake – part 3