Palæos: Paleozoic		Mississippian Epoch
CARBONIFEROUS PERIOD		Viséan Age

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The Viséan Age

Mississippian (Early Carboniferous Period): 327 to 342 Mya

Paleozoic Era     Cambrian Period     Ordovician Period     Silurian Period     Devonian Period     Carboniferous Period        Mississippian Epoch             Tournaisian Age          Viséan Age          Serpukhovian Age       Pennsylvanian Epoch    Permian Period

Introduction

The later Early Carboniferous; a time of great innovation on land, with a great radiation of stem tetrapods and the first proto-amniotes.

Major Events

typical Carboniferous Tetrapods appear for the first time.

Stratigraphy

Plants

Vegetation includes the lycopsid tree Archaeosigillaria, sphenopsids like Archaeocalamites/Calamites and Sphenophyllum, filicalean ferns, and small pteridosperms such as Heterangium.

Invertebrates

Class Trilobita Order Ptychopariida Suborder: Illaenina Superfamily: Proetacea Family: Phillipsiidae Phillipsia sp. Horizon: Middle Mississippian, Warsaw Formation Locality: Sunset Hills, Missouri

Vertebrates

Class: Tetrapoda Subclass "Lepospondyli" (polyphyletic?) Order: Aistopoda Family: Lethisciidae Lethiscus stocki Wellstead 1982 Horizon: Holkerian Stage Locality: Comments: This small eel-like amphibian is one of the earliest known non-Devonian tetrapods.  The body is already very specialized, with no trace of limbs or limb girdles
Class: Tetrapoda Order: Embolomeri Pholidogaster Horizon: Locality: Comments:	Class: Tetrapoda Order: Temnospondyli Superfamily: incertae sedis Family: Dendrerpetontidae Dendrerpeton Horizon: Brigantian Age Locality: Comments: a genus of temnospondyl found at East Kirkton (early Serpukhovian) and elsewhere drawing by Mike Coates