The Early Cretaceous frog .i.Genibatrachus./i. from China: Osteology, development, and palaeogeographic relations

0571323 - GLÚ 2024 RIV DE eng J - Článek v odborném periodiku
Roček, Zbyněk - Dong, L. - Wang, Y.
The Early Cretaceous frog Genibatrachus from China: Osteology, development, and palaeogeographic relations.
Palaeobiodiversity and Palaeoenvironments. Roč. 103, č. 4 (2023), s. 799-825. ISSN 1867-1594. E-ISSN 1867-1608
Institucionální podpora: RVO:67985831
Klíčová slova: Anura * Early Cretaceous * China * Osteology * Development
Obor OECD: Paleontology
Impakt faktor: 1.4, rok: 2022
Způsob publikování: Omezený přístup
https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s12549-023-00579-x

A thorough anatomical description of the Early Cretaceous frog Genibatrachus is presented, based on 84 fully grown adults and 75 metamorphosing larvae and juveniles. The most distinguishing cranial characters of the adults are premaxillae with a bifurcated facial portion, a pair of frontoparietals contacting one another through a median suture posteriorly but separated by a median fontanelle anteriorly, and free palatines. The postcranial skeleton is characterised by eight amphicoelous presacral vertebrae and an anteriorly convex sacral vertebra, by three pairs of free ribs on V₂–V₄ (those on V₂ small and hook-like, and those on V₃ provided with spike-like uncinate processes), by poorly ossified caput humeri even in fully grown adults, praepollex consisting of two segments (the distal one being strongly expanded), and by the tibiale and fibulare fused together at both ends. The development of Genibatrachus is characterised by the same degree of ossification in the forelimbs and hind limbs, no apparent developmental gradient within the vertebral column, and a pelvic girdle arising within the sacral region of the vertebral column, not behind it. The posteromedial processes of the hyoid ossify early, before the end of metamorphosis (when the vestigial tail is still present). The end of metamorphosis is marked by the establishment of a sutural contact between the ilia. The parahyoid is poorly ossified, relatively common among juveniles (from SVL 24 mm), but not reliably discerned in fully grown adults. Genibatrachus seems to be related to coeval Hyogobatrachus and Tambabatrachus from Japan, and to extant Alytoidea, but differs from Liaobatrachus (e.g. by the number of presacral vertebrae). Some skeletal characteristics (e.g. bicondylar sacro-urostylar joint) suggest that Genibatrachus was capable of jumping.
Trvalý link: https://hdl.handle.net/11104/0347452