INVESTIGADORES
HONGN Fernando Daniel
artículos
Título:
Ceratophryid frogs in the Late Miocene of Central Andes of Argentina: insights on the paleoenvironment of Palo Pintado Formation
Autor/es:
ZIMICZ, N.; FABREZI, M.; ARAMAYO, A.; BIANCHI, C.; MONTERO, C.; HONGN, F.
Revista:
Historical Biology
Editorial:
Taylosr & Francis
Referencias:
Lugar: Londres; Año: 2024
ISSN:
0891 2963
Resumen:
Ceratophryid frogs inhabit the lowlands of South America and exhibit greater diversity in the semiarid GranChaco. The presence of Ceratophryidae dates back to the late Miocene on the eastern slopes of the Andes inArgentina. Herein, we describe the remains of Ceratophrys from late Miocene of Palo Pintado Formation(Salta, Argentina). Fragmentary bones were recovered from the base of the unit in beds dated between 8 and7.7 million years ago. The specimen IBIGEO-P141 exhibits the fusion of dentary and mentomeckelian bonesforming a fang, a sharp-edged lower jaw, and sculptured bones as Ceratophryidae. The granular pattern ofsculpturation, differences between pars facialis and pars dentalis of maxillary, and the shape of lower jaw,support its assignment to the genus Ceratophrys. Combined bioclimatic data and geographic distribution ofliving Ceratophrys indicate a strong influence of precipitation variables in the distribution of these frogs withadaptations to survive long dry periods. These facts suggest a seasonal rainfall with a well-defined dry seasonduring the deposition of lower levels of Palo Pintado Formation. The palaeoclimatic conditions resemblethose occurring in the actual semiarid Chaco, and reveal that the historical geographic distribution ofCeratophryidae was retracted eastward due to the Andean uplift.
