Jeanerpeton
 | This article relies on a single source. (September 2026) |
| Jeanerpeton | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Clade: | Tetrapoda |
| Order: | †Temnospondyli |
| Clade: | †Amphibamiformes |
| Genus: | †Jeanerpeton Sefcovic et al., 2026 |
| Species: | †J. mazonensis |
| Binomial name | |
| †Jeanerpeton mazonensis Sefcovic et al., 2026 | |
Jeanerpeton is an extinct genus of temnospondyl amphibian in the clade Amphibamiformes, known from the Late Carboniferous (Moscovian age) Mazon Creek fossil beds of Illinois, United States. The genus contains a single species, Jeanerpeton mazonensis, known from a skeleton surrounded by a soft tissue impression of the body.
Discovery and naming
[edit]The Jeanerpeton fossil material was discovered in 1965 by Ken Kietzke in outcrops of the Carbondale Formation (Francis Creek Shale) near Braidwood, Illinois, US. These rock layers, representing part of the Mazon Creek Lagerstätte, are known for preserving a diverse fauna represented by fossils found in concretions of siderite. The specimen is housed in the reptile paleontology collection of the Field Museum of Natural History (FMNH), where it is permanently accessioned as specimen FMNH PR 558. It consists of a split concretion preserving a nearly complete skull and skeleton on a part and counterpart. The tail region is missing. The skeleton is surrounded by an impression of the body's soft tissues.[1]
In 2026, Allison J. Sefcovic and colleagues described Jeanerpeton mazonensis as a new genus and species of amphibamiform based on these fossil remains, designating FMNH PR 558 as the holotype specimen. The generic name, Jeanerpeton, honors the mothers of Sefcovic and Payton J. Kohlberg, two authors of the publication naming this taxon. This reference is combined with the common temnospondyl (and other early tetrapodomorph) suffix '-erpeton', from the Ancient Greek ἑρπετόν (herpetón), meaning 'crawler' or 'creeping animal'. The specific name, mazonensis, refers to the discovery of the specimen in a Mazon Creek locality.[1]
See also
[edit]- Paleofauna of the Mazon Creek fossil beds
- Amphibamus – a closely related Mazon Creek temnospondyl
References
[edit]- 1 2 Sefcovic, Allison J.; Kohlberg, Payton J.; So, Calvin; Mann, Arjan (2026-09-24). "Jeanerpeton mazonensis, gen. et sp. nov.: a new, exceptionally preserved, late Carboniferous amphibamiform from the Mazon Creek Lagerstätte, Illinois". Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology. doi:10.1080/02724634.2026.2698799. ISSN 0272-4634.
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
