| Basic info | Taxonomic history | Classification | Included Taxa |
| Morphology | Ecology and taphonomy | External Literature Search | Age range and collections |
Rhinella xerophylla
Taxonomy
Rhinella xerophylla was named by Ponssa et al. (2022). Its type specimen is JUY-P 316, a partial skull (squamosal), and it is a 3D body fossil. Its type locality is San Roque, which is in a Pliocene terrestrial sandstone in the Uquía Formation of Argentina.
Sister species lacking formal opinion data
Synonymy list
| Year | Name and author |
|---|---|
| 2022 | Rhinella xerophylla Ponssa et al. p. 2 |
Is something missing? Join the Paleobiology Database and enter the data
|
|
If no rank is listed, the taxon is considered an unranked clade in modern classifications. Ranks may be repeated or presented in the wrong order because authors working on different parts of the classification may disagree about how to rank taxa.
†Rhinella xerophylla Ponssa et al. 2022
show all | hide all
Diagnosis
| Reference | Diagnosis | |
|---|---|---|
| M. L. Ponssa et al. 2022 | Rhinella xerophylla sp. nov. is the largest species of the R. spinulosa Group sensu Pereyra et al. (2021). The assignation to this group is based on the occurrence of two osteological synapomorphies: (1) slightly exostosed dermal roofing bones and (2) slightly enlarged otic ramus of squamosal, whose dimensions and shape suggest an overlap with the dorsal surface of the crista parotica. Rhinella xerophylla sp. nov. differs from all the other species of the R. spinulosa Group in its largest size (comparable to that of species of the R. marina Group; see Table 1), shape of the ventral ramus of the squamosal in posterior view - which is angled laterally, with a deep external concavity and distal half markedly oriented laterally - and absence of the dorsal crest of ilial shaft. It is also distinguished by the following unique combination of character states (see photographs illustrating the character states of the fossil in the description section, and matrix of characters in Supplementary Material SII): (1) frontoparietal extends laterally beyond the lateral margin of the sphenethmoid through a supraorbital flange, (2) occipital artery pathway partially or completely covered; (3) the otic plate of the squamosal articulates with the large otic flange of the frontoparietal (this is suggested by the dimensions and shape of the frontoparietal and squamosal bones); (4) ventral ramus of the squamosal much angled laterally, bearing a deep external concavity, and distal half markedly oriented laterally; (5) alae of the parasphenoid expanded laterally; (6) ridge on ventral surface of alae of parasphenoid present; (7) crista ventralis of the humerus present and greatly expanded; and (8) crista medialis of the humerus present and greatly expanded.
The material includes numerous disarticulated elements of different sizes. It was considered a unique species because there was no variation in the characters of the bone pieces suggesting the occurrence of more than one taxon among the fossil remains. Since the only difference is the size of the pieces, we consider that the most parsimonious explanation is that all the remains represent specimens of different stages of the same species. |
Measurements
No measurements are available
|
|
||||
|
|
||||
|
|||||
|
|||||
|
|
||||
| Source: subo = suborder, c = class, subp = subphylum, uc = unranked clade | |||||
| References: Uhen 2004, Carroll 1988, Hendy et al. 2009 | |||||
Age range: Late/Upper Pliocene or 3.60000 to 2.58800 Ma
Collections: one only
| Time interval | Ma | Country or state | Original ID and collection number |
|---|---|---|---|
| Late/Upper Pliocene | Argentina (Jujuy) | Rhinella xerophylla (type locality: 198682) |