First occurrence of Seymouria (Amphibia: Batrachosauria) in the Lower Permian Rotliegend of central Germany

Abstract

The amphibian Seymouria is reported for the first time from outside of the Lower Permian of North America. Two specimens that include skulls and some postcrania are described from the Lower Permian Tambach Formation, lowermost unit of the Upper Rotliegend, of the Bromacker locality in the middle part of the Thuringian Forest near Gotha, central Germany. They are tentatively referred to -S', sanjuanensis, known otherwise only from Lower Permian deposits of Wolfcampian age in southwestern United States. The Seymouria and several other tetrapods from the Bromacker locality form an assemblage that is found elsewhere only in the Lower Permian of the United States. The Bromacker tetrapod assemblage is, therefore, of great importance not only in assessing the biostratigraphic position and age of the Tambach Formation, but also in reconstructing distribution patterns of Early Permian vertebrates.