Gogyō Era (五行代, Gogyōdai)
The Gogyō Era marks a transformative phase in Erthas’s paleohistory, defined by the stable existence of five major continents, each following a distinct ecological and evolutionary path. Though the association with the "Five Elements" (Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, Water) is symbolic and philosophical — coined long after the Era itself — the metaphor aptly reflects the planet’s growing biological partitioning.
Continents and Notable Families
Archaeo-Daitō（Thadh, Kiin, Chūin, Jinchū, Jinshi）
Climate: Subtropical to Tropical- Plant Families:
- Cycadaceae, Zamiaceae — cycads dominate canopy in Jinshi and Chūin
- Ginkgoaceae — prominent in seasonal uplands
- Pinaceae — early conifers spreading through subtropical slopes
- Osmundaceae, Marattiaceae — dense fern cover in river valleys
- Equisetaceae — prevalent in low floodplains
- Animal Families:
- Tritheledontidae — mammal-like cynodonts in upland forests
- Procolophonidae — widespread generalist herbivores
- Euparkeriidae — agile archosauriforms adapting to dry uplands
- Capitosauridae — amphibians in seasonal wetlands
- Curculionidae — early beetle radiation
Archaeo-Daikon（Konchū, Lomba, Ndali, Chishu）
Climate: Tropical to Subtropical- Plant Families:
- Zamiaceae — canopy dominant cycads
- Gleicheniaceae — creeping ferns in tropical forest floors
- Podocarpaceae — rare subtropical conifers
- Equisetaceae — wetland holdouts
- Ginkgoaceae — isolated populations in uplands
- Animal Families:
- Cynognathidae — medium-sized cynodont predators
- Nothosauridae — coastal reptilian swimmers
- Ornithosuchidae — archosauriforms dominant in drier zones
- Dissorophidae — armor-plated amphibians
- Scarabaeidae — decomposer beetles expanding
Archaeo-Dainan（Bōkō, Teishin, Gohyō, Teigō, Zhamo, Heiyū, Boshi, Teigai, Boshu, Shinshin）
Climate: Tropical to Temperate, Boreal in the far south- Plant Families:
- Pinaceae, Araucariaceae — dominant in temperate to boreal forests
- Zamiaceae, Cycadaceae — rich subtropical and tropical representation
- Ginkgoaceae — common in transitional zones
- Glossopteridaceae — lingering in the cool, moist southern forests (Zhamo, Heiyū)
- Animal Families:
- Tritheledontidae — ancestral mammal lineages widespread
- Chiniquodontidae — predators in warm open plains
- Phytosauridae — riverine archosauriforms
- Rhytidosteidae — large-bodied amphibians in wet zones
- Formicidae-like lineages — basal eusocial insects emerging
Archaeo-Daisai（Shinshi, Kyōshi, Chishi, Kōbō, Chichū, Tōsai, Shinchū, Shinyū, Shinbō）
Climate: Tropical and Subtropical- Plant Families:
- Zamiaceae — canopy trees of warm rainforests
- Polypodiaceae, Osmundaceae — ferns in understory and swamp margins
- Podocarpaceae — upland conifers with increasing specialization
- Ginkgoaceae — rare, coastal edge relicts
- Animal Families:
- Ornithosuchidae, Euparkeriidae — dynamic archosauriform predators
- Chiniquodontidae — agile cynodont hunters
- Blattidae, Curculionidae — insect radiation from forest floor to canopy
- Dissorophidae — persistent tropical amphibians
- Salticidae-like forms — arboreal spiders diversifying rapidly
Kyougai（Kyougai）
Climate: Tropical- Plant Families:
- Zamiaceae — dominant arboreal form, some endemic divergence
- Osmundaceae — swamp-adapted ferns
- Equisetaceae — relic wetland zones
- Ginkgoaceae — highly divergent, possibly polyphyletic
- Animal Families:
- Tritheledontidae — relic lineages in isolation
- Proterosuchidae — archosauriforms filling broad ecological roles
- Amphibamidae — small, persistent amphibians
- Tenebrionidae, Carabidae — beetle radiation underway
- Araneidae — insular spider species with unique behaviors