Nevobatrachus Temporal range: Lower Cretaceous, | |
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Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Amphibia |
Order: | Anura |
Genus: | Nevobatrachus Mahony, 2019 |
Species: | N. gracilis |
Binomial name | |
Nevobatrachus gracilis (Nevo, 1968) | |
Nevobatrachus gracilis is the only [1] species in the extinct genus Nevobatrachus, a genus of prehistoric frogs. The original generic name of this frog was Cordicephalus Nevo (1968); however, this generic name turned out to be preoccupied by a cestode genus Cordicephalus Wardle, McLeod & Stewart (1947), which remains nomenclaturally available in spite of being considered a junior synonym of the diphyllobothriid genus Pyramicocephalus. Mahony (2019) coined a replacement name Nevobatrachus. [2] Fossils of N. gracilis were found in a lacustrine deposit in Makhtesh Ramon called "Amphibian Hill" and it is believed they lived during the Lower Cretaceous. [3]
When first described by Eviatar Nevo of the University of Haifa [4] (in 1968) the genus Cordicephalus was thought to contain two species, C. gracilis and C. longicostatus. [5] Since then it was redescribed and it was determined that N. gracilis was the only species in the genus. [1]
The original genus' name derives from the Latin cordi (cor meaning heart) and cephalus (meaning head). The name comes from the heart-like shape of its skull. The species name, gracilis, comes from the Latin for slender. [6] The replacement generic name is derived from the surname of Eviatar Nevo and from batrachus, a Greek word for a frog. [2]
Like its close relatives, N. gracilis was fairly small, about 30 millimetres (1.2 in) in length. It had a flat skull which was almost as wide as it was long, features usually found in aquatic animals. Other features that support that view that N. gracilis had a mainly aquatic lifestyle is its short axial column as well as large foot bones which may imply extensive webbing. [1]
Nevobatrachus is considered to be a member of the clade Pipimorpha, related to the living family Pipidae. [2]
The Pipidae are a family of primitive, tongueless frogs. There are 41 species in the family, found in tropical South America and sub-Saharan Africa.
Palaeobatrachus is an extinct genus of frogs from Europe that existed from the middle Eocene to the middle Pleistocene, spanning almost 50 million years. They were obligately aquatic, and would have not spent much time on dry land. They are one of two genera and by far the largest genus in the family Palaeobatrachidae, which are considered to be members of Pipimorpha, related to the South American-African family Pipidae, which includes the African clawed frog and Surinam toad.
Albanerpeton is an extinct genus of salamander-like albanerpetontid amphibian found in North America, Europe and Asia first appearing in Cretaceous-aged strata. There are eight described members of the genus, and one undiagnosed species from the Paskapoo Formation, making it by far the most speciose genus in the family. Members of the genus had a robust head and neck which likely allowed them to actively burrow, characteristic of fossorial species, and they lived in a wide range of environments. This genus of amphibian was the last of its order, surviving until into the Early Pleistocene (Gelasian) of northern Italy, and possibly northern Spain, until around 2 million years ago. It likely became extinct when the region developed its present Mediterranean-type climate, having preferred one that was cold and humid. The monophyly of Albanerpeton has recently been questioned, with some authors regarding the genus as paraphyletic.
Jeholotriton is a genus of primitive salamander from the Daohugou Beds near Daohugou village of Inner Mongolia, China.
Saltenia is an extinct genus of frogs. It was assigned to the family Pipidae by R. L. Carroll in 1988 and again in 2005 by A. M. Báez and T. Harrison. The single described species, Saltenia ibanezi, is thought to have lived in South America in the Late Cretaceous.
Avitabatrachus uliana is the only species discovered so far in the extinct genus Avitabatrachus, a genus of prehistoric frogs that lived in the Middle Cretaceous. Fossils of A. uliana were found in the Candeleros Formation of northwestern Patagonia in Argentina. This prehistoric amphibian was properly described in 2000 and was then concluded to be most closely related to Pipidae frogs. Hence, it was included in Pipimorpha. A subsequent phylogenetic analysis confirmed this conclusion, and further suggested that Avitabatrachus uliana is more closely related to Pipidae and Shelaniinae than to Palaeobatrachus.
Doleserpeton is an extinct, monospecific genus of dissorophoidean temnospondyl within the family Amphibamidae that lived during the Upper Permian, 285 million years ago. Doleserpeton is represented by a single species, Doleserpeton annectens, which was first described by John R. Bolt in 1969. Fossil evidence of Doleserpeton was recovered from the Dolese Brothers Limestone Quarry in Fort Sill, Oklahoma. The genus name Doleserpeton is derived from the initial discovery site in Dolese quarry of Oklahoma and the Greek root "herp-", meaning "low or close to the ground". This transitional fossil displays primitive traits of amphibians that allowed for successful adaptation from aquatic to terrestrial environments. In many phylogenies, lissamphibians appear as the sister group of Doleserpeton.
Neusibatrachus is an extinct genus of frog, known from the Early Cretaceous (Barremian) La Pedrera de Rúbies Formation of Spain. It is one of the oldest representatives of Pipimorpha.
Liaobatrachus is a genus of prehistoric frog, the first fossil specimen of which was recovered from the Yixian Formation of Liaoning Province, China. It was the first Mesozoic era frog ever found in China. The species Callobatrachus sanyanensis,Mesophryne beipiaoensis and Yizhoubatrachusmacilentus were classified as species of Liaobatrachus in one study, but this has been rejected by other authors. The genus has been considered a nomen dubium by some authors due to the poor preservation of the holotype specimen. Fossils were found in the Sihetun locality of the western part of Liaoning province, in the lower part of the Yixian Formation, and date to approximately 124.6 Ma. Another specimen was collected near Heitizigou, 25 kilometres (16 mi) south of Beipiao. The specimen has a snout–vent length of 69 millimetres (2.7 in). Liaobatrachus is considered to be the most basal member of Discoglossidae based on phylogenetic analysis.
Kourerpeton is an extinct genus of dvinosaurian temnospondyl. Fossils of Kourerpeton were discovered in a window of a barber's shop in either Bisbee or Mesa, Arizona. Kourerpeton was named in 1976, with the type and only species being K. bradyi. It was originally assigned to the monotypic family Kourerpetidae, which has been alternatively spelled Kourerpetontidae.
Rhadinosteus parvus is an extinct species of prehistoric frogs that lived during the Late Jurassic. Fossils of the species were found at the Rainbow Park site in Utah's Dinosaur National Monument, from several slabs of rock which contain multiple partial specimens, from sediments belonging to the Morrison Formation. R. parvus was likely a member of Pipoidea and may have been a member of the family Rhinophrynidae.
Vulcanobatrachus is an extinct genus of fossil frog. The genus contains the single species Vulcanobatrachus mandelai found at Marydale, South Africa, described in 2005 and named after Nelson Mandela. The genus owes its name to the fact that fossils were recovered from an extinct volcanic crater lake of Late Cretaceous age. The fossil frogs are assumed to have died following a limnic eruption (a degassing event possibly of CO2) by the volcano.
Pachycentrata is an extinct genus of prehistoric amphibian.
Shomronella jordanica is the only species in the extinct genus Shomronella, a genus of prehistoric frogs. According to findings from fossils of S. jordanica, that were found in Jordan and Israel, the frog lived during the Lower Cretaceous, specifically in the Hauterivian to Barremian.
Trimerorhachis is an extinct genus of dvinosaurian temnospondyl within the family Trimerorhachidae. It is known from the Early Permian of the southwestern United States, with most fossil specimens having been found in the Texas Red Beds. The type species of Trimerorhachis, T. insignis, was named by American paleontologist Edward Drinker Cope in 1878. Cope named a second species from Texas, T. mesops, in 1896. The species T. rogersi and T. greggi are also from Texas, and the species T. sandovalensis is from New Mexico.
Enneabatrachus is an extinct genus of prehistoric frogs known from the late Jurassic Morrison Formation of the United States and also the Late Jurassic-Early Cretaceous Ksar Metlili Formation of Morocco. The type species is E. hechti, whose remains have been recovered from stratigraphic zone 5.
Thoraciliacus rostriceps is an extinct species of frog from the Cretaceous period and the only species of the genus Thoraciliacus, which is classified in the unranked clade Pipimorpha. A recent phylogenetic analysis confirmed this conclusion, and further suggested that Thoraciliacus rostriceps is more closely related to Pipidae and Shelaniinae than to Palaeobatrachus. Fossils of T. rostriceps were found in Makhtesh Ramon, Negev Desert, Israel and it is believed they lived during the Barremian. Other fossils have been found near Marydale, South Africa in an Upper Cretaceous lake.
Pipoidea are a clade of frogs, that contains the most recent common ancestor of living Pipidae and Rhinophrynidae as well as all its descendants. It is broadly equivalent to Xenoanura.
Nooxobeia is an extinct genus of dissorophid temnospondyl from the Early Permian (Guadalupian) of Oklahoma. The generic name is derived from the Arapaho word nooxobe, which means frog.