Rhizodus
Sign in to saveRhizodus ("root tooth") is an extinct genus of basal, finned tetrapodomorphs (the group of sarcopterygians that contains modern tetrapods and their extinct relatives). It belonged to Rhizodontida, one of the earliest-diverging tetrapodomorph clades. Two valid species have been described, both of which lived during the Early Carboniferous epoch. The type species R. hibberti is known from the Viséan stage of the United Kingdom, whereas the species R. serpukhovensis is from the Serpukhovian of Russia. Some fossils referred to the genus Rhizodus have also been found in North America.
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- History
- Description
- Taxonomy
- Diet
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Rhizodus ("root tooth") is an extinct genus of basal, finned tetrapodomorphs (the group of sarcopterygians that contains modern tetrapods and their extinct relatives). It belonged to Rhizodontida, one of the earliest-diverging tetrapodomorph clades. Two valid species have been described, both of which lived during the Early Carboniferous epoch. The type species R. hibberti is known from the Viséan stage of the United Kingdom, whereas the species R. serpukhovensis is from the Serpukhovian of Russia. Some fossils referred to the genus Rhizodus have also been found in North America.
==History== A partial lower jaw attributed to a rhizodontiform, PIN no. 2878/581, was discovered in 2000 in the Zaborie quarry of Serpukhovsky District, Russia. The specimen consists of the middle part of the lower jaw, which includes the two coronoid fangs as well as marginal teeth. In 2022, it was formally described as the holotype of the new species R. serpukhovensis. Dating from the Serpukhovian, it was the youngest known specimen of Rhizodus, and the first known from Russia.