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Aaron Kufner

@akufner.bsky.social

PhD Candidate at UW Madison geoscience. Triassic ecosystems, temnospondyls, and the odd dinosauriform

53 Posts179 Follower 223 Folgt

Xavier A. Jenkins @semifossorial.bsky.social · yesterday

Out today: We show that Westlothiana lizziae or "Lizzie," described 35 years ago as the world's oldest reptile - is not a stem amniote at all, but a stem tetrapod. www.nature.com/articles/s41...

The part and counterpart of the holotype specimen of Westlothiana.

Paleoartistic reconstruct of Westlothiana by Jacob Schick based on our new data

Aaron Kufner @akufner.bsky.social · last wk.

It's a great week for temnospondyl research!

Thomas R. Holtz, Jr.@arctomet.bsky.social · last wk.

Jeanerpeton mazonensis, gen. et sp. nov.: a new, exceptionally preserved, late Carboniferous amphibamiform from the Mazon Creek Lagerstätte, Illinois: Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology: Vol 0, No 0 - Get Access www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....

Aaron Kufner @akufner.bsky.social · last wk.

This one has been a long time coming! I'm happy to share that another chapter of my PhD has been published! In this one, I'm shaking up the taxonomy of North American metoposaurids. This work was largely done in museum collections, and more on that below. peerj.com/articles/217...

A figure with maps showing the distribution of metoposaurid occurrences in Upper Triassic outcrops of western and eastern North America (centered on the USA). The approximate chronostratigraphic ranges of the now five recognized species are plotted, and line drawings of all of the potentially or definitively diagnostic holotypes of North American metoposaurids are included.

Xavier A. Jenkins @semifossorial.bsky.social · 4mo ago

Our paper on turtle origins is finally out in Current Biology, with two major implications for our understanding of reptile evolution 🐢 #Paleontology #Turtles #Evolution www.cell.com/current-biol...

A pair of Eunotosaurus by Gabriel Ugueto: a sense of scale is provided by Glossopterus leaves in the fore-and-background and by a prosbolid hemipteran insect

Phylogeny of major reptile groups, showing turtles (Pantestudines) as early archosauromorphs and the putative stem-turtle Eunotosaurus as a millerettid stem reptile

Aaron Kufner @akufner.bsky.social · 7mo ago

In my limited interactions with Hans, he was personable, kind, and encouraging. A true powerhouse in the Triassic and vertebrate paleontology as a whole. And his humor and love for cats was infectious. He will be sorely missed.

Bryan Gee @koskinonodon.bsky.social · 9mo ago

The yearly round-up of #temnospondyl research from the past year for the first #FossilFriday post of the year: once again, a lot of stuff on European taxa but also a great mix of researchers involved in all sorts of interesting work! 🧵👇 (1/25ish?) #temnospondyls #fossils #histology #anatomy

Photographs and interpretive line drawings of various skulls of Plagiosternum granulosum from the Late Triassic of Germany. The skull is much wider than long, as is typical for plagiosaurids, and broadly parabolic. The orbits are greatly enlarged, taking up more than half the length of the skull, with a very narrow interorbital region; similarly large interpterygoid vacuities occur on the palate. Figure from Schoch et al. (2025).

Photograph and illustration of a specimen of the stereospondylomorph Glanochthon lellbachae from the early Permian of Germany. The skeleton is nearly complete and articulated, though it is flattened dorsoventrally such that elements normally found ventral to others like the jaws and pectoral girdle are splayed to the side. The impression of the tail is fully preserved, giving a clear indication of the full length of the tail relative to the torso. Figure from Werneburg (2025)

Photograph and illustration of the skull of the new neotype of the early Permian dissorophid Aspidosaurus chiton, from Texas, in dorsal view. The skull is an orange-brown color, longer than wide, and largely undistorted. Figure from Gee et al. (2025).

Comparison of the four predominant tissue types found in the pectoral girdle samples of the Late Triassic metoposaurid Metoposaurus krasiejowensis from Poland, imaged under circular cross-polarized light: (a) interwoven structural fibered matrix; (b) coarse PFB; (c) fine PFB; (d) LB fibered matrix. Figure from Kalita et al. (2025).

BatmanelVisigodo @batmanelvisigodo.bsky.social · 10mo ago

#temnovember2025 day 25 :Buettnererpeton Day 25 and now its time for #Buettnererpeton, a thin skull #metoposaur from the late #Triassic of northamerica #Paleoart #sciart #amphibian #temnospondyl #metoposaurus

Bryan Gee @koskinonodon.bsky.social · last yr.

New paper out today in @zoojlinnsoc.bsky.social for #FossilFriday AKA here's-Bryan's-one-paleo-paper-this-year-to-remind-people-I-still-do-paleo-sometimes: a revision of the #Permian #dissorophid #temnospondyl Aspidosaurus chiton based on a new specimen: doi.org/10.1093/zool... (1/n)

Photograph and illustration of the skull of the new neotype of Aspidosaurus chiton in dorsal view. The skull is an orange-brown color, longer than wide, and largely undistorted.

Robert Evans (the Only Robert Evans)@iwriteok.bsky.social · 2y ago

Elon Musk: pours tens of millions into a race that has never seen even a fraction of that much money. bribes multiple voters with $1 million checks to vote. offers any Wisconsin voter who proves they voted $50. wears a fucking cheesehead Wisconsin: votes against his candidate by historic margins

Aaron Kufner @akufner.bsky.social · last yr.

New publication! My first dissertation chapter is now published in @plosone.org with @paleobadger.bsky.social, @calamanderso.bsky.social, Hannah Miller, Max Deckman, and Brandon Price. Any images not credited below are from this paper. doi.org/10.1371/jour... @uwmadscience.bsky.social 1/16

doi.org

Xavier A. Jenkins @semifossorial.bsky.social · 2y ago

A pretty solid couple of days for publishing some of my dissertation work! 🦎Our description of Milleropsis pricei, a late Permian reptile from South Africa, is out! 🚨Rethink what you know about 'parareptiles'🚨 Link here: doi.org/10.1098/rsos...

Dave Lovelace @paleobadger.bsky.social · 2y ago

I am incredibly excited to share our new Open Access publication in the @zoojlinnsoc.bsky.social that was released today. Please welcome *Ahvaytum bahndooiveche*, a new species of sauropodomorph(?) dinosaur from the Popo Agie Formation, WY, USA. tinyurl.com/3zx7s3mx (1/x)

Image contains a small theropod dinosaur checking out a dead amphibian in a wetland forested ecosystem

Xavier A. Jenkins @semifossorial.bsky.social · 2y ago

Our anatomical description of Hapsidopareion is out in Papers in Palaeontology! Thanks to collaborators and mentors @gondwannabe.bsky.social, Arjan Mann, and @hanssues.bsky.social and ISU undergraduate coauthors for their massive help with segmentation! 😄https://doi.org/10.1002/spp2.1610

Gabriel Ugueto @serpenillus.bsky.social · 2y ago

Sneak Peek Tomorrow. New Paper. New Taxon. New illustration Stay tuned #paleoart #sciart #paleontology

Sneak peek of an illustration of a new paper coming out tomorrow

Bryan Gee @koskinonodon.bsky.social · 2y ago

For the first #FossilFriday of 2025, here's my annual thread looking back on the #temnospondyl research that came out last year! In general, papers were skewed towards anatomical descriptions of specifically European taxa that were predominantly from Triassic deposits. 🧵👇 (1/30ish)

Artistic reconstruction of Stenokranio by Frederik Spindler. A rather stout temnospondyl is depicted as standing up, facing to the right and with mouth agape in a sort of smile. Its large tongue and many teeth are visible. The torso and limbs are round and cylindrical, with webbed feet. The eyes face upward and to the sides, with faint cranial ridges from the skull visible through the skin. Associated with Werneburg et al. (2024)

Known and inferred distributions of temnospondyls across Pangea during the Middle-Late Triassic based on the combination of empirical data and this study's modeling. In the Middle Triassic, capitosaurs have the widest range, with trematosaurs being more restricted to central Europe and plagiosaurs to north-central Europe. In the Late Triassic, metoposaurids have the widest range, with capitosaurs and plagiosaurids restricted to central/north-central Europe. From Moreno et al. (2024)

Composite reconstruction of the skull of the Late Triassic stereospondyl Ninumbeehan dookoodukah via CT analyses of multiple skulls. The skull is longer than wide and generally triangular, though with a blunted tip of the snout. In lateral view, it angles upwards posteriorly such that the back of the skull is much taller than the snout. The typical interpterygoid vacuities of temnospondyls occur on the palate. The lower jaw is also reconstructed, featuring the typical suite of elements found in temnospondyls. From So et al. (2024)

The holotype skull of the early Permian eryopid Clamorosaurus nocturnus from Russia. The skull is incomplete anteriorly and flattened, with associated postcrania skrewn behind it. Typical eryopid features like a tall suborbital bar and broad posterior skull are discernible. From Werneburg & Witzmann (2024)

Bryan Gee @koskinonodon.bsky.social · 2y ago

A nice figure of another junior synonym of Anaschisma browni, "Koskinonodon princeps" from the Popo Agie Fm of Wyoming for #FossilFriday. For some reason, a chunk that could be reattached on the margin of the left orbit was left out and substituted with some filler @akufner.bsky.social & Gee, 2021

Photographs and interpretive drawings of the holotype of the Late Triassic metoposaurid "Koskinonodon princeps" from Wyoming. The skull is largely complete but heavily reconstructed in the back right region. A small chunk next to the left orbit is detached and instead filled in with filler. A mounting bracket is evident on the underside of the skull.

Bryan Gee@koskinonodon.bsky.social · 2y ago

For #MetoposauridMonday, the holotype of "Buettneria perfecta" at @ummnh.bsky.social #makemetoposauridsgreatforonce #temnospondyl

Photograph of the holotype of the metoposaurid Buettneria perfecta (=Anaschisma browni) from the Late Triassic of Texas, housed at the University of Michigan Museum of Natural History. The skull is a mottled brown-beige color, flat, and covered in circular pits on top. Small parts of the back part of the skull have been carefully reconstructed to blend in.

Bryan Gee @koskinonodon.bsky.social · 2y ago

Contra the latest crap paper from Lucas & co., MU 537 from Wyoming is not the holotype of this taxon but rather of "Koskinonodon princeps," which they would know if they had read, and heaven forbid, cited, @akufner.bsky.social & Gee (2021): doi.org/10.1080/0272...

Screenshot of a figure from Rinehart et al. (2024) that purports to show the holotype of "Koskinonodon perfectum" - in fact this specimen, housed in the University of Missouri, is from Wyoming and is the holotype of "Koskinonodon princeps". Both are synonyms of Anaschima browni.

Gabriel Ugueto @serpenillus.bsky.social · 2y ago

Last week saw the description of a REALLY cool burrowing temnospondyl from Late Triassic North America called Ninumbeehan dookoodukah I was lucky enough to be commissioned to illustrate this amazing species in a triptych showing it in its environment across season

Triptych showing Ninumbeehan in its palaeoenvironment across seasons. First:Ninumbeehan resting on the edge of a river with a low water table as the rainy season ends. Second: A small community of Ninumbeehan in their estivation burrows during the peak of the arid season. Third: The beginning of the rainy season triggering a mass emergence from their estivation burrows (some individuals would not have made it through the estivation period and would have died in their burrows)