Theodore H. Eaton

“ The dorsal part of the bone flares out and down, forming a small otic notch at a point halfway back. Posteriorly, the flange attains a dorsoventral width of 2.0 mm. at the edge of the notch. The slender posterior [Pg 224] process of the tabular which continues beyond the flange is approximately 0.5 mm. in diameter and 5.0 mm. long.
Ventral Aspect (Fig. 4)
The palatal view of the skull shows the paired premaxillary, maxillary, palatine, pterygoid, and quadrate bones. The openings for the internal nares, the ventral orbital fenestrae, and the subtemporal fossae are readily recognized. ”

“ Large notochordal canal below foramen magnum, otico-occipital block separate from ethmosphenoid, postaxial processes on three axial bones of forelimb, pectoral girdle (probably) articulated with tabular. Nevertheless, Hesperoherpeton has short digits, an anthracosaurian type of pectoral girdle, an otic rather than spiracular notch, nostrils separate from the mouth, and vertebrae in which the intercentrum is U-shaped and the pleurocentra large but paired. The stapes reaches the quadrate. ”

“ The jagged edge directly posterior to the area occupied by the neural arch in the type extends 0.5 mm. farther back in our specimen. The angle formed between the recurved dorsal ramus and the edge of the ventral flange is seen in our specimen to be less than 90°. The glenoid fossa, appearing as a concave articular surface for the cap of the humerus, was in part covered by cartilage and shows as "unfinished" bone (Peabody, 1958, p. 572) ”

“ The bones of the left forelimb are close together but not in a natural position. The tail, pelvis, hind limbs and right forelimb are missing. Nearly all the bones present are broken, distorted by crushing, incomplete and scattered out of place, probably by the action of currents. The complete skeleton, in life, probably measured between 150 and 200 mm. ”

“ Except for the anterior part of the braincase, there is no indication that the skeleton was not well ossified. The postaxial processes on the humerus, ulna and ulnare could scarcely have been larval features only, since they are so clearly homologous with those in adult Rhipidistia; a larval limb should indeed be simple, but its simplicity is unlikely to involve paleotelic adult characters. The scapulocoracoid of our specimen is of practically the same shape and size as that in the only other known individual, the type ”

“ The stapes apparently reaches the quadrate, and could therefore serve in hyostylic suspension of the upper jaw.
The pectoral limb has an axial series of bones carrying hooklike flanges on their posterior edges. The other bones of the limb show little modification of form beyond the nearly flat, aquatic type seen in Rhipidistia. No distinct elbow or wrist joints are developed.
Characters of Hesperoherpeton common to most primitive Amphibia, in contrast with Crossopterygii, are: Nares separated from edge of jaw ”

“ Fig. 10. Hesperoherpeton garnettense Peabody. Right clavicle in external view. Anterior edge to right. KU 10295, × 4.
[Pg 233]
The right clavicle is complete, and resembles a spoon having a slender handle. The dorsal tip of the handle is L-shaped. The expanded ventral part is convex externally, and rested upon the anteroventral surface of the scapulocoracoid. The lateral edge next to the "stem" is distinctly concave, abruptly becoming similar in contour to the opposite edge, and giving the impression of an unsymmetrical spoon. ”

“ The Rock Lake shale, deposited under alternately marine and freshwater lagoon conditions, is a thin member of the Stanton limestone formation, Lansing group, Missourian series, and thus is in the lower part of the Upper Pennsylvanian. ”

“ The posterior edge of the supratemporal protrudes as a convex border slightly behind the end of the parietal, and measures 3.0 mm. around the curve to the parietal suture.
Fig. 3. Hesperoherpeton garnettense Peabody. A, left squamosal, internal surface. B, left squamosal, external surface. C, right tabular internal surface. D, right tabular, external surface. KU 10295, all × 4.
The squamosal (Fig. 3 A, B) is a large, somewhat rectangular bone extending from the back of the orbit to the posterior extremity of the cheek. ”