Ontogenetic change in the temporal region of the early permian parareptile Delorhynchus cifellii and the implications for closure of the temporal fenestra in amniotes
New research in UTM Biology shows that some ancient reptiles experienced a sort of “coming of age”. Graduate student Yara Haridy (Reisz Lab) just published her first 1st-authored paper with Ph.D. student Mark Macdougall as a collaborator. Their paper “Ontogenetic change in the temporal region of the early permian parareptile Delorhynchus cifellii and the implications for closure of the temporal fenestra in amniotes” recently appeared in PLoS ONE. In this work Yara studied fossilized skulls of the parareptile Delorhynchus cifellii. Previously this species was only known from adult specimens, but Yara and her collaborators determined that this new skull belonged to a juvenile individual. With this new specimen, they have the best ontogenetic series of any vertebrate found from the early Permian, and their research showcases some of the drastic changes in the openings of the skull this parareptile went through.
Congratulations, Yara, on this discovery of ancient life and your first paper award!