dissorophoids

Dissorophoidea is a clade of temnospondyl amphibians that includes a variety of late Paleozoic forms. Traditionally defined as a monophyletic group within Temnospondyli, it encompasses lineages such as the armored dissorophids and the smaller, more amphibian-like Amphibamidae. The group represents one of the more derived assemblages within temnospondyl evolution and shows considerable ecological and morphological diversity.

Members of dissorophoids occupied a range of lifestyles, from small, terrestrial, burrowing types to more aquatic forms. A notable feature in several dissorophids is the presence of osteoderms, bony plates under the skin that provided armor. By contrast, many amphibamids are small and show skull and tooth morphologies that have attracted particular interest in studies of amphibian evolution and diversification.

In evolutionary discussions, dissorophoids are central to questions about the origins of modern amphibians (lissamphibians). Some analyses place lissamphibians within or very close to Amphibamidae, suggesting a dissorophoid origin for frogs, salamanders, and caecilians; other studies contest this placement. Because of ongoing revisions in therapsid and temnospondyl phylogeny, the exact relationships of dissorophoids to living amphibians remain debated.

Fossils attributed to dissorophoids have been found on multiple continents, indicating a broad geographic distribution. The temporal range spans from the Carboniferous into the Permian, with diversity varying across regions and time. Notable genera include Dissorophus and Cacops, both armored dissorophids, and Amphibamus, an early amphibamid, which illustrate the group's ecological and morphological breadth.