Kermitops

Kermitops Temporal range: Early Permian (Leonardian), ~270 Ma PreꞒ Ꞓ O S D C P T J K Pg N ↓
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Order:	†Temnospondyli
Superfamily:	†Dissorophoidea
Clade:	†Amphibamiformes
Genus:	†Kermitops
Species:	†K. gratus
Binomial name
†Kermitops gratus So, Pardo & Mann, 2024

Kermitops (meaning "Kermit face") is an extinct genus of amphibamiform temnospondyl from the Early Permian Clear Fork Formation of Texas, United States. The genus contains a single species, K. gratus, known from a partial cranium.

Discovery and naming

Kermitops was named after Kermit the Frog.

The Kermitops holotype specimen, USNM 407585, was discovered by Nicholas Hotton III and field scientists from the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History in April 1984. The type locality is represented by the lower sediments of the Clear Fork Formation near Lake Kemp in Wilbarger County, Texas, United States. The specimen consists of most of the skull roof, a partial braincase, and the mandibles. Most of the palate is not preserved, except for some incomplete vomerine teeth. The marginal teeth are not readily observable.^[1][2]

In 2024, So, Pardo & Mann described Kermitops gratus as a new genus and species of amphibamiforms based on these fossil remains. The generic name, "Kermitops", combines a reference to Kermit the Frog—the famous amphibian character from the Muppets—with the Greek suffix "-ops", meaning face. The specific name, "gratus", means "gratitude" in Latin, honoring Nicholas Hotton III and the others who aided in collecting the holotype specimen.^[1]

Classification

In their 2024 description, So, Pardo & Mann performed multiple phylogenetic analyses; the fossil skull preserves an ossified element that may represent the basioccipital, and the coding of this character as "present" or "absent" altered their results. In their Bayesian inference analyses, Kermitops was consistently recovered as the sister taxon to Plemmyradytes. The cladogram with the basioccipital scored as "present" is displayed below:^[1]

	Dendrysekos Trimerorhachis Sclerocephalus Acanthostomatops Perryella Dissorophoidea Micromelerpetidae Olsoniformes Eoscopus Amphibamiformes Kermitops Plemmyradytes Rubeostratilia Micropholidae Amphibamidae Branchiosauridae Nanobamus Milnererpeton Georgenthalia Gerobatrachus Lissamphibia

References

1. So, Calvin; Pardo, Jason D.; Mann, Arjan (2024). "A new amphibamiform from the Early Permian of Texas elucidates patterns of cranial diversity among terrestrial amphibamiforms". Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society. doi:10.1093/zoolinnean/zlae012.
2. Ashworth, James (2024-03-21). "Ancient amphibian species named after Kermit the Frog". Natural History Museum. Retrieved 2024-03-22.