Revision of the Brachyopidae (Temnospondyli) from the Triassic of the Sydney, Carnarvon and Tasmania Basins, Australia

Abstract

Australian Triassic strata have produced more species of brachyopid Amphibia than are known elsewhere. Some were described last century and most before the widespread use of cladistics. There is thus a need for redescriptions which include identification of characters useful for character analysis. This paper re-examines the Australian brachyopids as a preliminary to a cladistic analysis of the Brachyopidae, clarifies some controversial aspects of their anatomy and taxonomy, and concludes that all except Trucheosaurus major are true brachyopids. Notobrachyops picketti is unlike other members of the taxon in the absence of a sensory canal system.