Karaurus

Extinct genus of amphibians

Karaurus Temporal range: Late Jurassic 161.2–150.8 Ma^[1] PreꞒ Ꞓ O S D C P T J K Pg N

Fossil skeleton
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Amphibia
Clade:	Caudata
Family:	†Karauridae
Genus:	†Karaurus Ivachnenko, 1978
Type species
†Karaurus sharovi Ivachnenko, 1978

Karaurus (meaning head-tail) is an extinct genus of stem-group salamander (Caudata) from the Middle to Late Jurassic (Callovian–Kimmeridgian) Karabastau Formation of Kazakhstan. It is one of the oldest salamanders known.

Karaurus was large for a Jurassic salamander, about 20 centimetres (7.9 in) long, and very similar anatomically to modern salamanders. Karaurus is thought to have fed using suction feeding via the enlargement of the buccal cavity on small fish and invertebrates, with the well-developed palatal dentition (teeth on the roof of the mouth) and marginal teeth helping to grasp prey.^[2] Karaurus is thought to form a clade with Kokartus from the Middle Jurassic (Bathonian) of Kyrgyzstan, and Marmorerpeton from the Bathonian of Britain, together forming the Karauridae, which are closely related to crown salamanders.^[3] Like other members of Karauridae, Karaurus is neotenic.^[2]

References

^ "†Karaurus Ivachnenko 1978". Paleobiology Database. Fossilworks. Retrieved 17 December 2021.
^ ^a ^b Skutschas, Pavel; Martin, Thomas (April 2011). "Cranial anatomy of the stem salamander Kokartus honorarius (Amphibia: Caudata) from the Middle Jurassic of Kyrgyzstan: SKULL OF JURASSIC STEM SALAMANDER". Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society. 161 (4): 816–838. doi:10.1111/j.1096-3642.2010.00663.x.
^ Jones, Marc E. H.; Benson, Roger B. J.; Skutschas, Pavel; Hill, Lucy; Panciroli, Elsa; Schmitt, Armin D.; Walsh, Stig A.; Evans, Susan E. (2022-07-11). "Middle Jurassic fossils document an early stage in salamander evolution". Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. 119 (30): e2114100119. Bibcode:2022PNAS..11914100J. doi:10.1073/pnas.2114100119. ISSN 0027-8424. PMC 9335269. PMID 35858401.

Lissamphibia

Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Clade: Osteichthyes
Clade: Sarcopterygii
Clade: Tetrapoda

Tetrapodomorpha

- see Tetrapodomorpha

Batrachomorpha / Temnospondyli

- see Temnospondyli

Dissorophoidea

see Dissorophoidea
Lissamphibia	see below↓

Lissamphibia

†Albanerpetontidae?	Albanerpeton Anoualerpeton Celtedens Shirerpeton Wesserpeton Yaksha

Gymnophionomorpha (caecilians total group)

Gymnophiona (caecilians crown group)

Rhinatrematidae (American tailed caecilians)	Amazops Epicrionops Rhinatrema

Stegokrotaphia

Ichthyophiidae (Asian tailed caecilians)	Ichthyophis Uraeotyphlus

Teresomata

Scolecomorphidae (buried-eyed caecilians)	Crotaphatrema Scolecomorphus
Chikilidae (Northeast Indian caecilians)	Chikila
Herpelidae (African caecilians)	Boulengerula Herpele
Typhlonectidae (aquatic caecilians)	Atretochoana Chthonerpeton Nectocaecilia Potamotyphlus Typhlonectes †Ymboirana
Caeciliidae (common caecilians)	†Apodops Caecilia Oscaecilia
Grandisoniidae (Indo-African caecilians)	Gegeneophis Grandisonia Hypogeophis Idiocranium Indotyphlus Praslinia Sylvacaecilia
Dermophiidae (Neotropical caecilians)	Dermophis Geotrypetes Gymnopis Schistometopum
Siphonopidae (South American caecilians)	Brasilotyphlus Luetkenotyphlus Microcaecilia Mimosiphonops Siphonops

Batrachia
(salamanders + frogs
crown group)

Caudata
(salamanders
total group)

†Egoria †Kulgeriherpeton †Triassurus †Urupia
†Karauridae	Karaurus Kokartus Kuzbassia Marmorerpeton
†Batrachosauroididae	Batrachosauroides Opisthotriton Palaeoproteus Parrisia Peratosauroides Prodesmodon
Urodela (salamanders crown group)	115 genera