Dissorophoidea

Dissorophoid diversity was highest in the Permian; some of the more diverse families within the group include Dissorophidae (toad-like amphibians with armored scutes along their backbone), Trematopidae (terrestrial predators with large triangular skulls), and Branchiosauridae (small neotenic amphibians with large external gills). The small Permo-Carboniferous Micromelerpetontidae are another example of neotenic dissorophoids. Many small dissorophoids with short rounded skulls were historically known as "amphibamids"; in 2018, the name Amphibamiformes was erected for a clade equivalent to the broad historical definition of "Amphibamidae".

Since 2008, a consensus of early amphibian researchers consider Lissamphibia (modern amphibians) to be part of this clade. There is a large degree of similarity between lissamphibians (for which the oldest known fossils are Early Triassic) and certain Early Permian amphibamiforms, such as Gerobatrachus and Doleserpeton. A few authors still dispute affinities between dissorophoids and lissamphibians.

Taxonomy

• †Micromelerpetontidae
• Xerodromes
  • †Olsoniformes
    • †Dissorophidae
    • †Trematopidae
  • Amphibamiformes
    • †Amphibamidae
    • †Branchiosauridae
    • †Micropholidae
    • †Eoscopus
    • †Georgenthalia
    • †Gerobatrachus
    • †Nanobamus
    • †Platyrhinops
    • †Plemmyradytes
    • †Rubeostratilia
    • Lissamphibia (according to the consensus position)
      • †Allocaudata / †Albanerpetontidae
      • Gymnophiona (total group of caecilians)
      • Batrachia
        • Salientia (total group of frogs)
        • Caudata (total group of salamanders)