Kingdom Animalia Phylum Chordata Rank Genus | Order †"Microsauria" Higher classification Microbrachidae Subclass Lepospondyli | |
 | ||
Family †Microbrachidae
Fritsch, 1883 Similar Hyloplesion, Pantylus, Utaherpeton, Sauropleura, Scincosaurus | ||
Microbrachis ('small arm') is an extinct genus of lepospondyl amphibian from the Carboniferous period of what is now the Czech Republic.
Microbrachis was an elongated, salamander-like creature, about 15 centimetres (6 in) long, with over 40 vertebrae instead of the average 15-26 in its living relatives. It had minute limbs, and probably swam using fish-like lateral body movements. Microbrachis probably fed on fresh water plankton such as shrimp. Microbrachis was pedomorphic, retaining its larval gills in adulthood. Similar traits are found in the extant axolotl.
References
Microbrachis Wikipedia(Text) CC BY-SA