Hassiacoscutum fossil map
Where fossils of Hassiacoscutum have been found, shown on the Earth as it looked about 252 million years ago and on today’s map.
Dots are fossil collections recorded in the Paleobiology Database. The “then” view moves today’s fossil sites back to their positions 252 million years ago (the time slice nearest the median age of the fossils) using the Merdith et al. (2021) plate model; positions are approximate. Open on the timeline map →
| Group | Early tetrapods & amphibians |
|---|---|
| Lived | 259.857–254.14 million years ago |
| Periods | Permian |
| Family | Bystrowianidae |
| Named by | Witzmann et al. 2019 |
| Fossil records | 1 occurrences at 1 locations (PBDB) |
| Found in | Germany |
| Rock formations | Werra |
About Hassiacoscutum
Hassiacoscutum is an extinct genus of bystrowianid chroniosuchian found in the Korbach Fissure of the Werra Formation in Hesse, Germany.
Hassiacoscutum is known by one species, Hassiacoscutum munki, from a single holotype specimen, SMNK-PAL-9104. The specimen consists of a preserved dorsal osteoderm, and incomplete, crushed ventral processes.
The discovery of Hassiacoscutum in central Germany represents the first Permian chroniosuchian found outside of Russia and China, as well as providing a link to other Permian tetrapods found in Laurasia. The name of the genus is derived from Latin 'Hassiacus', the medieval term for Hesse, and from Latin 'scutum' meaning shield. The species epithet munki honors Wolfgang Munk, for his contributions to the State Museum of Natural History Karlsruhe and original involvement in the excavation of the Korbach Fissure in the 1990s.
Text in “About” is quoted from the Wikipedia article Hassiacoscutum (revision 1313391031), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0; introduction excerpted verbatim, formatting removed. Ages, family, authority and fossil records: Paleobiology Database, accessed 23 October 2026. Ages are those of the rock layers the fossils were found in. Wikidata: Q125510393.
