Doleserpeton

Doleserpeton is an extinct, monospecific genus of dissorophoidean temnospondyl within the family Amphibamidae that lived during the Upper Permian, 285 million years ago. Doleserpeton is represented by a single species, Doleserpeton annectens, which was first described by John R. Bolt in 1969. Fossil evidence of Doleserpeton was recovered from the Dolese Brothers Limestone Quarry in Fort Sill, Oklahoma. The genus name Doleserpeton is derived from the initial discovery site in Dolese quarry of Oklahoma and the Greek root "herp-", meaning "low or close to the ground". This transitional fossil displays primitive traits of amphibians that allowed for successful adaptation from aquatic to terrestrial environments. In many phylogenies, lissamphibians appear as the sister group of Doleserpeton.

==History and discovery== There was only one successful excavation of the genus Doleserpeton, which was during the initial discovery in 1969 by Bolt and his colleagues in Fort Sill, Oklahoma. The stratigraphic location of Doleserpeton was based in Fissure Fills and the Admirial Formation, which was dated back to the Upper Permian. All fossil specimens were preserved in limestone blocks, which was treated with an acid wash to clear away excess debris and minimize damage during the excavation process. The following fossil evidence of Doleserpeton was retrieved: Several predominantly completed skulls Brain case Partial dentary Partial vertebral column (15 vertebrae) with corresponding ribs Incomplete sets of forelimbs and hindlimbs Incomplete sets of digits Pectoral girdles Pelvic girdles