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Tracking ‘transitional’ diadectomorphs in the earliest Permian of equatorial Pangea Project ID: 000546695 Public
2 Media · 2 Specimens · Creator: Nosek, Vojtech · Managed by: Vojtěch Nosek

Diadectomorpha was a clade of large-bodied stem-amniotes or early-diverging synapsids that established a successful dynasty of late Carboniferous to late Permian high-fiber herbivores. Asides from their fairly rich record of body fossils, diadectomorphs are also well-known from widely distributed tracks and trackways referred to as Ichniotherium. Here, we provide detailed description of a diadectomorph trackway and a manus-pes couple originating from two different horizons in the Asselian (lowermost Permian) of the Boskovice Basin in the Czech Republic. The specimens represent two distinct ichnotaxa of Ichniotherium, I. cottae and I. sphaerodactylum. Intriguingly, the I. cottae trackway described herein illustrates a ‘transitional’ stage in the posture evolution of diadectomorphs, showing track morphologies possibly attributable to Diadectes-like taxon combined with distances between the successive manus and pes imprints similar to those observable earlier-diverging diadectomorphs, such as Orobates and Limnoscelis. In addition, this trackway is composed of 14 tracks, including six manus-pes couples, and thus represents the most complete record of Ichniotherium cottae described to date from the Asselian strata. In turn, the manus-pes couple, attributed here to I. sphaerodactylum, represents only the second record of this ichnotaxon from the European part of Pangea. Our study adds to the diversity of the ichnological record of Permian tetrapods in the Boskovice Basin which had been essentially unexplored until very recently.

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