The earliest fossil of the African clawed frog (Genus Xenopus) from Sub-Saharan Africa

Blackburn, David C., Paluh, Daniel J., Krone, Isaac, Roberts, Eric M., Stanley, Edward L., and Stevens, Nancy J. (2019) The earliest fossil of the African clawed frog (Genus Xenopus) from Sub-Saharan Africa. Journal of Herpetology, 53 (2). pp. 125-130.

[img] PDF (Published Version) - Published Version
Restricted to Repository staff only

View at Publisher Website: https://doi.org/10.1670/18-139
 
10
1


Abstract

Although the fossil record of pipoid frogs is more extensive than for other anuran clades, crown-group genera are poorly documented throughout the Cenozoic. We report an isolated neurocranium from the Nsungwe Formation (similar to 25 million years ago; Oligocene) in southwestern Tanzania, providing the earliest evidence for the genus Xenopus in sub-Saharan Africa. The specimen is well preserved, allowing us to use three-dimensional geometric morphometrics to compare the shape of this neurocranium to those of all extant species of Xenopus based on microcomputed tomography scans. Analyses revealed that this small fossil resembles diminutive extant species of Xenopus such as X. longipes. The fossil neurocranium preserves well-ossified tectum nasi and septum nasi, the latter separating large ovoid olfactory foramina, contributing to a more-ossified region surrounding the prootic foramen than observed in extant species of similar size. The Nsungwe Formation pipoid fossil contributes new information to the early biogeography and body-size diversification within the genus Xenopus.

Item ID: 60411
Item Type: Article (Research - C1)
ISSN: 1937-2418
Copyright Information: Copyright 2019 Society for the Study of Amphibians and Reptiles
Funders: National Geographic Society's Committee for Research and Exploration, Leakey Foundation, Ohio University, California Academy of Sciences, James Cook University, US National Science Foundation (NSF)
Projects and Grants: NSF AR/IF 0933619 BCS 131367, NSF BCS1127164, NSF BCS 1313679
Date Deposited: 18 Sep 2019 07:32
FoR Codes: 37 EARTH SCIENCES > 3705 Geology > 370506 Palaeontology (incl. palynology) @ 100%
Downloads: Total: 1
More Statistics

Actions (Repository Staff Only)

Item Control Page Item Control Page