60-58 Morphometric Analysis of Cranial Elements of the Late Triassic Metoposaur Buettnererpeton in Relation to Ontogeny

Session: 2YC and 4YCU Geoscience Student Research Poster Showcase

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Abstract:

Gee and Kuffner (2022) reclassified the Late Triassic metoposaur amphibian, Buettneria bakeri, under the newly described genus Buettnererpeton bakeri, distinguishing it from other metoposaurs belonging to the Dockum Group of Northwest Texas. Since its description in 2022, morphological comparisons have been made between Buettnerpeton and other metoposaurs. However, there remains little literature that describes the developmental patterns in the skeletal elements of metoposaurs as they developed, especially regarding the newly described Buettnererpeton. Here, we investigate patterns in the ontogeny of cranial elements belonging to Buettnererpeton. We hypothesize that there is considerable variation in the morphology of skull elements belonging to the genus Buettnererpeton, which we associate different developmental stages. We use this data to identify possible distinguishable developmental stages in Buettnererpeton by linking variations in proportions to particular size ranges of specimens. This study investigates cranial morphometrics to explore developmental patterns within this genus. Using landmark-based geometric morphometrics of the crania of Buettnererpeton using MorphoJ, here we present data to assess variation in skull shape in Buettnererpeton. The first principle component (93.04% variance) is a reflection of the anterior-posterior elongation and lateral expansion of the skull. The second principle component (5.24% variance) reflects lateral variation in skull shape. From the analysis on the data collected for this study, the distance from the anterior tip of the nares to the parietal fenestra shows the most significant variation. These results suggest that Buettnererpeton exhibits distinct ontogenetic stages between adolescence and adulthood, with changes in skull proportions reflecting development. The findings provide new insights into the ontogeny of Buettnererpeton, highlighting the role of cranial shape variation in understanding its growth patterns.

Geological Society of America Abstracts with Program. Vol. 57, No. 6, 2025

doi: 10.1130/abs/2025AM-9211

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