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Abstract
Amphibian trackways from the Bluefield Formation (Namurian, lowermost Upper Carboniferous=uppermost Mississippian), here named Hylopus hamesi, are the oldest record of terrestrial vertebrates from the eastern United States. Based on the five‐toed manus and pes impressions and comparisons to Proterogyrinus scheelei, a younger Carboniferous (Mississippian) amphibian also from West Virginia, the trackways were probably made by a member of the Embolomeri (Order Anthracosauria, Amphibia). Trackway morphology indicates that the trackmaker was a relatively elongate amphibian having an average width of 5 to 6 cm and body length of 80 cm (head to tail). Variation in footprint morphology indicates that the trackmaker was capable of both subaerial and subaqueous movement, behavior patterns that have also been hypothesized for P. scheelei.
Notes
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