Whatcheeriidae

Whatcheeriidae; Temporal range: Early Carboniferous
	Pederpes finneyae
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Clade:	Sarcopterygii
Clade:	Tetrapodomorpha
Clade:	Stegocephali
Family:	†Whatcheeriidae; Clack, 2002
Type genus
	†Whatcheeria; Lombard and Bolt, 1995
Genera
	?Ossinodus; Pederpes; Whatcheeria;

Whatcheeriidae is an extinct family of tetrapods which lived in the Mississippian sub-period, a subdivision of the Carboniferous period. It contains the genera Pederpes, Whatcheeria, and possibly Ossinodus. Fossils of a possible whatcheeriid have been found from the Red Hill locality of Pennsylvania. If these remains are from a whatcheeriid, they extend the range of the family into the Late Devonian and suggest that advanced tetrapods may have lived alongside primitive tetrapod ancestors like Hynerpeton and Densignathus.[1] They also imply that a very long ghost lineage of whatcheeriids lived through Romer's gap, a period during the Early Carboniferous conspicuously lacking in tetrapod remains.[2]

Classification

Currently, using modern cladistic taxonomy, Whatcheeriidae is not placed in Amphibia or any other class but simply as its own family within stem-group tetrapods. The analysis below was conducted by Swartz in 2012, showing the relationship of whatcheeriids with other stem-tetrapods.[3]

Elpistostegalia

Panderichthys

Stegocephalia

	Tiktaalik

	Elpistostege

Whatcheeriidae

	Baphetidae

	Crown group Tetrapoda

References

Daeschler, E.B.; Clack, J.A.; Shubin, N.H. (2009). "Late Devonian tetrapod remains from Red Hill, Pennsylvania, USA: how much diversity?". Acta Zoologica. 90 (s1): 306–317. doi:10.1111/j.1463-6395.2008.00361.x.
Smithson, T.R.; Wood, S.P.; Marshall, J.E.A.; Clack, J.A. (2012). "Earliest Carboniferous tetrapod and arthropod faunas from Scotland populate Romer's Gap". Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America. 109 (12): 4532–4537. Bibcode:2012PNAS..109.4532S. doi:10.1073/pnas.1117332109. PMC 3311392. PMID 22393016.
Swartz, B. (2012). "A marine stem-tetrapod from the Devonian of Western North America". PLOS ONE. 7 (3): e33683. Bibcode:2012PLoSO...733683S. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0033683. PMC 3308997. PMID 22448265.

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[DCS09-1] Daeschler, E.B.; Clack, J.A.; Shubin, N.H. (2009). "Late Devonian tetrapod remains from Red Hill, Pennsylvania, USA: how much diversity?". Acta Zoologica. 90 (s1): 306–317. doi:10.1111/j.1463-6395.2008.00361.x.

[SWMC12-2] Smithson, T.R.; Wood, S.P.; Marshall, J.E.A.; Clack, J.A. (2012). "Earliest Carboniferous tetrapod and arthropod faunas from Scotland populate Romer's Gap". Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America. 109 (12): 4532–4537. Bibcode:2012PNAS..109.4532S. doi:10.1073/pnas.1117332109. PMC 3311392. PMID 22393016.

[SB12-3] Swartz, B. (2012). "A marine stem-tetrapod from the Devonian of Western North America". PLOS ONE. 7 (3): e33683. Bibcode:2012PLoSO...733683S. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0033683. PMC 3308997. PMID 22448265.