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  • © 2014

Early Evolutionary History of the Synapsida

  • Focuses on the full breadth of non-mammalian synasid paleontology
  • Reflects the increased interest in the group over the past decade Includes strong component of morphological description, taxonomy, and phylogenetics
  • Explores synapsid functional morphology, paleoecology, biogeography, biostratigraphy, diversity patterns, and the effects of the end-Permian mass extinction
  • Features descriptions of new species (i.e. ‘Pelycosaur’) Provides broad overview of current research into synapsids in the Permo-Triassic

Part of the book series: Vertebrate Paleobiology and Paleoanthropology (VERT)

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Table of contents (18 chapters)

  1. Front Matter

    Pages i-xi
  2. “Pelycosaur”-Grade Synapsids

    1. Front Matter

      Pages 1-1
    2. New Information on the Basal Pelycosaurian-Grade Synapsid Oedaleops

      • Stuart S Sumida, Valerie Pelletier, David S. Berman
      Pages 7-23
  3. Anomodontia

    1. Front Matter

      Pages 87-87
    2. Anomodontia: Introduction

      • Jörg Fröbisch
      Pages 89-92
    3. Permian and Triassic Dicynodont (Therapsida: Anomodontia) Faunas of the Luangwa Basin, Zambia: Taxonomic Update and Implications for Dicynodont Biogeography and Biostratigraphy

      • Kenneth D. Angielczyk, Jean-Sébastien Steyer, Christian A. Sidor, Roger M. H. Smith, Robin L. Whatley, Stephen Tolan
      Pages 93-138
    4. Anatomical Plasticity in the Snout of Lystrosaurus

      • Sandra C. Jasinoski, Michael A. Cluver, Anusuya Chinsamy, B. Daya Reddy
      Pages 139-149
  4. Therapsid Diversity Patterns and the End-Permian Extinction

    1. Front Matter

      Pages 281-281

About this book

Non-mammalian synapsids were the dominant terrestrial vertebrates from the Late Carboniferous to the Middle Triassic and play a key role in understanding the origin and evolution of mammals. Despite these facts and the outstanding fossil record of the group, early synapsids remain obscure. This book showcases the full breadth of contemporary research on non-mammalian synapsids, ranging from taxonomy and phylogenetics to functional morphology, biogeography, paleoecology, and patterns of diversity. It also underscores the importance and potential of studying non-mammalian synapsid paleobiology in its own right, not just in the context of mammalian evolution.​

Editors and Affiliations

  • Division of Paleontology and Richard Gilder, Graduate School American Museum of Natural History, New York, USA

    Christian F. Kammerer

  • Department of Geology, Field Museum, Chicago, USA

    Kenneth D. Angielczyk

  • Museum für Naturkunde, Leibniz-Institut für Evolutions- und Biodiversitätsforschung an der Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany

    Jörg Fröbisch

About the editors

Christian F. Kammerer received his B.A. in Biological Sciences and his M.S. and PhD. in Evolutionary Biology from the University of Chicago. He has studied as a postdoctoral fellow at the American Museum of Natural History, New York and the Museum für Naturkunde, Berlin. His research focuses on the systematics of Permo-Triassic synapsids and the evolutionary processes underlying the origin of mammals.

Kenneth D. Angielczyk received a B.S. in Biology and Geology from the University of Michigan and a PhD. In Integrative Biology from the University of California, Berkeley. In 2007, After working as a postdoctoral researcher at the California Academy of Sciences and the University of Bristol, he was appointed as the Assistant Curator of Paleomammalogy at the Field Museum of Natural History. His research focuses on the taxonomy, phylogenetics, paleobiology, and paleoecology of dicynodont therapsids, and how terrestrial tetrapod communities were affected by the end-Permian mass extinction.

Jörg Fröbisch is Professor for Paleobiology and Evolution at the Humboldt Universität and Museum für Naturkunde in Berlin. He received a Diplom (M.Sc. equivalent) in Geology/Paleontology from the Rheinische Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität Bonn and a PhD. in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology from the University of Toronto. His research focuses on the patterns of diversification, phylogeny, and paleobiology of synapsids, as well as trends in the evolution of terrestrial ecosystems and the impact of mass extinction events on terrestrial vertebrate ecosystems.

Bibliographic Information

Buy it now

Buying options

eBook USD 99.00
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book USD 129.00
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book USD 129.00
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Other ways to access