Amphibia of Enspel (Late Oligocene, Germany)

Abstract

Amphibia from the Late Oligocene (MP 28) locality Enspel, Germany are represented by two caudates: a hyperossified salamandrid Chelotriton paradoxus and an indeterminate salamandrid different from Chelotriton in proportions of vertebral column. Anurans are represented by two forms of the genus Palaeobatrachus, one of which is nearly as large as P. gigas (now synonymized with P. grandipes). Pelobates cf. decheni, represented in this locality by three nearly complete adult skeletons and a large number of tadpoles, is the earliest record for the genus. Compared with later representatives of the genus, it does not yet possess specializations for burrowing. Ranidae are represented by two rather fragmentary and incomplete skeletons referred to as Rana sp. A comparatively large series of tadpoles was assigned to the Pelobatidae on the basis of tripartite frontoparietal complex. Most of them are premetamorphic larvae, and a few older ones are postmetamorphic, but they do not exceed Gossner stage 42.One specimen is a large premetamorphic tadpole (no rudimentary limbs) with a total body length of 147 mm. Anatomically, it can be equally assigned to Pelobates or to Eopelobates; the second possibility was excluded only on the basis of absence of adult Eopelobates in this locality.

Two pelobatid frogs from the late Miocene of Caucasus (Russia)

“…sanchizi, early-late Miocene of Hungary, Austria and Czech Republic (Venczel, 2004;Ivanov, 2008;Venczel and Hír, 2013;Böhme and Vasilyan, 2014); P. decheni Troschel, 1861, late Oligocene of Germany (Böhme et al, 1982;Roček and Wuttke, 2010); and P. praefuscus Khosatzky, 1985, early Pliocene of Moldavia (Khosatzky, 1985).…”

Palaeobatrachid frog from the late Miocene of Northern Caucasus, Russia

“…and Palaeobatrachus cf. grandipes from Enspel, late Oligocene (Roček and Wuttke, 2010). P. occidentalis from the late Maastrichtian and early Paleocene of North America (Estes and Sanchíz, 1982;Gardner, 2008) is not used in comparison since its generic assignment is questioned (Roček, 2013).…”

An Extremely Peramorphic Newt (Urodela: Salamandridae: Pleurodelini) from the Latest Oligocene of Germany, and a New Phylogenetic Analysis of Extant and Extinct Salamandrids

“…paradoxus , from the specimens from Enspel and the Randeck Maar traditionally referred to C . paradoxus [ 29 , 30 ], from “ Tylototriton primigenius ” [ 22 ], from both “ Chelotriton sp., type I” and “ Chelotriton sp., type II” [ 13 , 32 ], from tentatively referred material from Oberleichtersbach and Sandelzhausen (Germany) [ 19 , 39 ], and finally from C . robustus [ 17 ].…”

“…(The original box is not preserved.) Yet, we have been unable to find a mention of it in the literature, with one exception: the specimen was mentioned and referred to Chelotriton paradoxus , but neither described nor illustrated, on page 324 of [ 29 ].…”