Description of a New Species of Fossil Ceratophrys (Anura: Ceratophryidae) From Versalles Cave, São Paulo, Brazil

ABSTRACT

We describe a new fossil species of Ceratophrys from cave sediments in Brazil tentatively assessed as late Pleistocene–early Holocene in age. The specimen consists of a nearly complete skull that is missing only the right premaxilla and the right columella. A detailed description and comparative analysis, which considers both living and fossil species, supports the conclusion that the specimen represents a previously unknown, extinct species of Ceratophrys. Poorly represented and assessed characters, paleodistribution of Ceratophryidae, and the taxonomic rectification of the Ceratophrys fossil specimens described by Günther (1859) are also discussed.

http://zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:17DCC830-93AB-4FB6-9377-0467E8F3BDF9

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

We are very grateful to the São Paulo Research Foundation (FAPESP) (2017/04849-1 to LAB; 2017/11768-8 to CMDS) and the National Council for Scientific and Technological Development (CNPq) grants (305630/2016-4 to CMDS), and to UFABC logistical support. This work was also partially supported by the CAPES–Finance Code 001. We thank A. Oliveira (UFABC) and the EGRIC–Espeleo Grupo de Rio Claro, collectors of the fossil specimen. M.T. Rodrigues (IBUSP) provided stereomicroscope access. H. Zaher (MZUSP) allowed access to the micro-CT facilities at MZUSP and A. Carvalho (MZUSP) performed the scanning. A. Benetti (MZUSP) and T. Grant (MZUSP) allowed access to the Amphibian collection of MZUSP. We thank M. Ezcurra (MACN) and M. Reguero (MLP) for access to their respective collections. We thank I. S. Nunes (UNESP) and H. R. da Silva (UFFRJ), for comments on the first draft of the text, and J. Jia and an anonymous reviewer for the effort and suggestions that strongly improved the manuscript.