Seymouria sanjuanensis (Amphibia, Batrachosauria) from the Lower Permian Cutler Formation of north-central New Mexico and the occurrence of sexual dimorphism in that genus questioned

Abstract

Six specimens of the amphibian Seymouria, preserved in a single block of matrix from the Lower Permian Cutler Formation of north-central New Mexico, are described and referred to Seymouria sanjuanensis Vaughn. They are the only Seymouria specimens known from New Mexico and provide a more extensive definition of the species. It is interpreted that the specimens from New Mexico were collected from an early to middle Wolfcampian horizon and therefore represent the earliest known members of the genus. Evidence is presented that challenges previous explanations for the variability of several features of the skull and axial skeleton in specimens of Seymouria baylorensis and S. sanjuanensis as an indication of sexual dimorphism. Differences in the number of maxillary teeth, depth of the maxilla, and development of the maxillary dentition, particularly in the "canine" region, are interpreted as closely related morphological trends in Seymouria. Although no satisfactory explanation is offered for differences in the serial position of the first haemal arch and in the interorbital breadth, sexual dimorphism is considered very unlikely.