New amphibian species named for two jeans
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Scientists in Illinois named a 309-million-year-old amphibian species, Jeanerpeton mazonensis, after the mothers of two student researchers.
The early amphibian lived in a swampy river delta near present-day Chicago, an area known as Mazon Creek, which is rich in well-preserved fossils. The researchers identified Jeanerpeton as distinct from a previously categorized species, Amphibamus grandiceps, after studying a specimen donated to the Field Museum.
Mazon Creek’s unique environment allowed for exceptional fossilization, preserving details like scales and even eye impressions on the Jeanerpeton fossil. This discovery helps scientists understand how traits seen in modern frogs and salamanders developed over time.
Previously, fossils like this one were often grouped together without careful study, a practice researchers call using a “waste bin taxon.” The team, including undergraduate students Allison Sefcovic and Payton Kohlberg, worked in a lab led by Arjan Mann at the Field Museum, participating in the museum’s Women in Science internship program. The researchers chose to honor the mothers of Sefcovic and Kohlberg because the new species represents an early ancestor to many amphibians, effectively a “mother” to future generations.
