First Permian record of Branchiosaurus (Amphibamiformes) from the Boskovice Basin (Czech Republic)

Pages 110–130
DOI 10.37520/fi.2026.007
Keywords Amphibamiformes, genus Branchiosaurus, early Permian, Boskovice Basin, systematics, palaeoecology
Citation WERNEBURG, Ralf, SCHNEIDER, Jörg W. a ŠTAMBERG, Stanislav. First Permian record of Branchiosaurus (Amphibamiformes) from the Boskovice Basin (Czech Republic). Fossil Imprint / Acta Musei Nationalis Pragae, Series B – Historia Naturalis. Prague: National Museum, 2026, 82(1), 110–130. DOI: https://doi.org/10.37520/fi.2026.007. ISSN 2533-4050 (tisk), 2533-4069 (online). Also available from: https://www.nm.cz/en/periodicals/fossil-imprint-acta-musei-nationalis-pragae-series-b-historia-naturalis/82-1/first-permian-record-of-branchiosaurus-amphibamiformes-from-the-boskovice-basin-czech-republic
Fossil Imprint / Acta Musei Nationalis Pragae, Series B – Historia Naturalis | 2026/82/1

Augusta (1947) described Moraverpeton remesi and Branchiosaurus sp. from the Zbýšov Horizon of the Padochov Formation (earliest Asselian, early Permian) at Zbýšov in the Boskovice Basin (Moravia, Czech Republic), and assigned them to the family Branchiosauridae. This original amphibian material is very probably lost. New branchiosaurid material from the Zbýšov Horizon of Zbýšov and Moravský Krumlov are hereby described and is consistent with the described amphibian material from Augusta (1947). ‘Moraverpeton’ remesi Augusta, 1947 is clearly a branchiosaurid and is assigned to the genus Branchiosaurus Fritsch, 1876 as B. remesi. A neotype is established for B. remesi. This species is defined by a unique character combination of 11 features, e.g., the wide, near squarish supratemporal, the early dermal ornament with pits and ridges on median skull elements, and the maxilla with about 20 teeth.
The aquatic fauna of the Zbýšov lake mainly consists in juvenile bivalves, with rarer occurrences of conchostracans, small actinopterygian fishes, Acanthodes, freshwater chondrichthyans and algae. This lake was at times amphibian dominated. The Branchiosaurus remesi population from the Zbýšov lake belongs to the stream type, suggesting high oxygen levels, possibly due to inflow from a river. The aquatic fauna of the Moravský Krumlov lake was fish-dominated by actinopterygians and xenacanthids, with only one single branchiosaurid specimen which very probably belongs to B. remesi.

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