| 词条 | Nycteroleteridae |
| 释义 |
| fossil_range = Middle to Late Permian, {{fossil range|264|259.1}} | image = Parareptiles.jpg | image_upright = 1.15 | image_caption = Adult and juvenile skulls of Macroleter (=Tokosaurus) | taxon = Nycteroleteridae | authority = Romer, 1956 | subdivision_ranks = Genera[1] | subdivision = †Bashkyroleter †"Bashykroleter" mesensis †Nycteroleter †Emeroleter †Macroleter †Rhipaeosaurus }}Nycteroleteridae is a family of procolophonian parareptilians (extinct early reptiles) from the Middle to Late Permian of Russia and North America. They are sometimes classified as a sister group to pareiasaurids (but see Classification). The group includes the genera Macroleter, Bashkyroleter, "Bashkyroleter" mesensis, Nycteroleter, Emeroleter, and probably Rhipaeosaurus. They were carnivorous, and occasionally ate insects.[1] The group was most common in European Russia, with only a few fossils in North America. One fossil has also been found in Africa, but this is the only one from Gondwana.[1] ClassificationNycteroleteridae is sometimes considered a sister group to the Pareiasauridae, but Bayesian inference suggests that it was in fact paraphyletic, with Rhipaeosaurus a basal member of the Pareiasauridae and other members of the Nycteroleteridae as outgroups. This is supported by the appearance of Rhipaeosaurus' skull and teeth - it had tricuspid teeth and multiple horns on the skull, resembling a pareiasaur but smaller and with a longer tail. For this reason it is often seen as intermediate between more primitive nycteroleterids and more advanced pareiasaurids suich as Scutosaurus.[1] FeaturesAs discussed above, Nycteroleteridae technically includes all pareiasaurs as well as the five given genera. Within the five genera mentioned, there seems to be a smooth gradient of form from Macroleter to Rhipaeosaurus. Where Macroleter has no horns,Emeroleter has a few small horns, and Rhipaeosaurus horns are quite large.[1] However, there are some characteristic features of the Nycteroleteridae. They have a deeply incised otic notch, postparietal bones that enter the pineal opening, regular circular pits in the skull, and a row of palatal teeth from the interpterygoid vacuity to the edge of the choana.[1] Examination of the nycteroleterids' middle ear bones and comparison with living amniotes showed that they probably had efficient impedance-matching hearing. This suggests that they may have been active at night or in dim-light environments. They are thought to have been carnivorous or insectivorous, but Rhipaeosaurus may have been an omnivore.[1] References 7 : Prehistoric reptile families|Extinct reptiles|Permian reptiles of North America|Reptiles of Russia|Guadalupian first appearances|Lopingian extinctions|Pareiasauromorphs |
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