Kyrinion
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Description
The holotype skull of Kyrinion is well preserved with the back of the skull and both stapes, or ear bones, intact. The orbits, or eye sockets, are somewhat triangular in shape. Areas connecting the palate with the jaws and braincase make the skull inflexible. Lateral lines, used for sensory perception in aquatic environments, are present on the quadratojugal bone behind the eyes. The lower jaw lacks the distinctive features of some other baphetids, such as teeth on the parasymphysial plate, a piece of bone that overlies the dentary symphysis.
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Classification
Kyrinion is a member of the family Baphetidae, a group of large aquatic tetrapodomorphs that somewhat resembled salamanders. Among baphetids, Kyrinion is most closely related to Loxomma and Megalocephalus. In 2009, all three genera were placed within the newly erected subfamily Loxommatinae.
Discovery
The holotype skull of Kyrinion was found embedded in a piece of ironstone by paleontologist David Martill in 1993. Martill found the rock on a beach at Whitley Bay and noticed part of an exposed bone. In 2003, after extensive preparation of the holotype, paleontologist Jennifer A. Clack described the specimen and named the species after Martill. It is now housed in the Hancock Museum in Newcastle upon Tyne.