The Coal Measures Amphibia of North America

by Roy Lee Moodie

Huxley in 1869 proposed ([335]) the following classification, which does not differ essentially from that proposed in 1863:

Amphibia.
Order 1. Urodela.
Order 2. Batrachia.
Order 3. Gymnophiona.
Order 4. Labyrinthodontia.
Suborder Archegosauria.
Suborder Mastodonsauria.

The next classification of the extinct Amphibia of any importance was that devised by the committee ([450]) for the British Association in 1874. This committee was formed of Huxley, Harkness, Henry Woodward, Thompson, and Brigg, with Miall as secretary. This classification is, however, too cumbersome and has never come into general use, and indeed none but English authors have paid it a great deal of attention, although the contribution was a valuable one. The group Aistopoda, which was the ninth group proposed by the committee, has generally been accepted as the group represented by the snake-like forms. The committee's classification follows:

Labyrinthodontia.
Section I. Euglypta.
Genera: Mastodonsaurus, Jaeger; Capitosaurus, Münst.; Pachygonia, Huxley; Trematosaurus,
Braun; Gonioglyptus, Huxley; Metopias, von Meyer; Labyrinthodon, Owen;
Diadetognathus, Miall; Dasyceps, Huxley; Anthracosaurus, Huxley.
Section II. Brachyopina.
Genera: Brachyops, Owen; Micropholis, Huxley; Rhinosaurus, Waldheim; Bothriceps, Huxley.
Section III. Chauliodonta.
Genera: Loxomma, Huxley; Zygosaurus, Eich.; Melosaurus, Meyer.
Section IV. Arthroödonta.
Genera: Batrachiderpeton, Hancock and Atthey; Pteroplax, Hancock and Atthey.
Section V. An uncharacterized group.
Genera: Pholidogaster, Huxley; Ichthyerpeton, Huxley; Pholiderpeton, Huxley.
Section VI. Archegosauria, von Meyer.
Genera: Archegosaurus, Goldfuss.
Section VII. Heleothrepta.
Genera: Lepterpeton, Huxley.
Section VIII. Nectridea.
Genera: Urocordylus, Huxley; Keraterpeton, Huxley.
Section IX. Aistopoda.
Genera: Ophiderpeton, Huxley; Dolichosoma, Huxley.
Section X. Microsauria, Dawson.
Genera: Dendrerpeton, Owen; Hylonomus, Dawson; Hylerpeton, Owen.

The schemes of classification used for the next 10 years did not depart in any appreciable degree from those already given.

In 1875 Cope, in his Check-list of North American Batrachia and Reptilia ([120]), with a systematic list of the higher groups, published the following classification as being "adopted provisionally by the Smithsonian Institution":

Class Batrachia.
Order Anura. (Anura, Duméril; Salientia, Merrem, Gray.)
Raniformia. (Raniformia, Cope, Nat. Hist. Rev., V, 114, 1865.)
Families: Ranidæ, Colostheidæ.
Firmisternia. (Bufonoid Raniformia, Cope, Jour. Acad. Nat. Sci., Philadelphia, n.s., VI,
190, 1867.)
Families: Dendrobatidæ, Phryniscidæ, Engystomidæ, Breviceptidæ.
Gastrechmia. (Gastrechmia, Cope, Jour. Acad. Nat. Sci., Philadelphia, n.s., VI, 198, 1867.)
Family: Hemisidæ.
Bufoniformia. (Bufoniformia, Duméril et Bibron, partim; Cope, partim.)
Families: Rhinophrynidæ, Bufonidæ, Batrachophrynidæ.
Aglossa.
Family: Pipidæ.
Odontaglossa.
Family: Dactylethridæ.
Arcifera. (Arcifera, Cope, N. H. Rev., V, 104, 1865.)
Families: Cystignathidæ, Hemiphractidæ, Hylidæ, Scaphiopidæ, Pelodytidæ, Asterophrydidæ, Discoglossidæ.
Order Stegocephali. (Stegocephali Cope, Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci., Philadelphia, 1868, 209.)
Labyrinthodontia.
Families: Baphetidæ Cope, Anthracosauridæ Cope.
Ganocephala.
Family: Colosteidæ Cope.
Microsauria.
Families: Phlegethontiidæ Cope, Molgophidæ Cope, Ptyoniidæ Cope, Tuditanidæ Cope,
Peliontidæ Cope.
Order Gymnophiona. (Gymnophiona Müller.)
Family: Cœciliidæ Gray, 1850.
Order Urodela.
Families: Pleurodelidæ Gray, 1858; Salamandridæ: Gray, 1858; Hynobiidæ Cope, 1866;
Desmognathidæ Cope, 1866; Thoriidæ Cope, 1869; Plethodontidæ Cope,
1866; Amblystomidæ Cope, 1866; Menopomidæ (Protonopsidæ Gray,
1850), Amphiumidæ Cope, 1866; Cocytinidæ Cope.
Order Proteida.
Family: Proteidæ Gray, 1850.
Order Trachystomata.
Family: Sirenidæ Gray, 1850.

In 1885 Cope proposed 2 new orders, which he arranges with the other orders already known, as follows:

Batrachia.		Order	I.	Rachitomi.	Order	V.	Urodela.
		Order	II.	Embolomeri.	Order	VI.	Trachystomata.
		Order	III.	Stegocephali.	Order	VII.	Anura.
		Order	IV.	Proteida.

The new order Rachitomi was to include forms like Eryops and the new order Embolomeri was to include forms like Cricotus; the other orders were as they had been given before.