Diplocaulidae

Diplocaulidae Temporal range: Late Carboniferous - Late Permian
A skeletal diagram of Diplocaulus
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Clade:	Sarcopterygii
Clade:	Tetrapodomorpha
Order:	†Nectridea
Family:	†Diplocaulidae Cope, 1881
Subgroups
See text.
Synonyms
Keraterpetontidae Jaekel, 1903

The Diplocaulidae ("double cauls") is an extinct family of "nectridean" tetrapodomorphs that arose during the Late Carboniferous and died out in the Late Permian. [1] They are distinguished by the presence of strange, horn-like protrusions jutting out from the rear of their skulls; in some genera said protrusions gave their heads an almost boomerang-like outline.

Diploceraspis burkei

Phylogeny

Below is a cladogram modified from Germain (2010):[1]

Nectridea	Ptyonius Urocordylidae Sauropleura Urocordylus Scincosaurus Diplocaulidae Keraterpeton Diceratosaurus Batrachiderpeton Peronedon Diplocaulus magnicornis Diploceraspis Diplocaulus minimus

References

1. Germain, D. (2010). "The Moroccan diplocaulid: the last lepospondyl, the single one on Gondwana". Historical Biology. 22 (1–3): 4–39. doi:10.1080/08912961003779678.