''Altanulia'' is an extinct
genus
Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus comes above species and below family. In binomial n ...
of prehistoric
amphibian.
Description
The holotype of ''Altanulia'' - PIN 553/300 -, consisting of an isolated 20 mm long maxilla bearing 45-47 teeth, was found by the Soviet-Mongolian Paleontological Expedition in the southern
Gobi Desert
The Gobi Desert ( Chinese: 戈壁 (沙漠), Mongolian: Говь (ᠭᠣᠪᠢ)) () is a large desert or brushland region in East Asia, and is the sixth largest desert in the world.
Geography
The Gobi measures from southwest to northeast ...
,
Nemegt Formation
The Nemegt Formation (also known as Nemegtskaya Svita) is a geological formation in the Gobi Desert of Mongolia, dating to the Late Cretaceous. The formation consists of river channel sediments and contains fossils of fish, turtles, crocodilians ...
, and dates from the Upper Cretaceous (Upper Campanian-Lower Maastrichtian). ''Altanulia'' was diagnosed on the basis in the "Posterior part of maxilla deep, with longitudinal wedge-shaped labial depression; pterygoid tubercle of maxilla well expressed; frontal process in anterior part of bone."
Classification
''Altanulia'' belongs to the
Discoglossidae, due to the shape and structure of the lingual surface of its maxilla.
See also
*
Prehistoric amphibian
This list of prehistoric amphibians is an attempt to create a comprehensive listing of all genera from the fossil record that have ever been considered to be amphibians, excluding purely vernacular terms. The list includes all commonly accepted g ...
*
List of prehistoric amphibians
This list of prehistoric amphibians is an attempt to create a comprehensive listing of all genera from the fossil record that have ever been considered to be amphibians, excluding purely vernacular terms. The list includes all commonly accepted g ...
References
Cretaceous frogs
Fossil taxa described in 1993
{{Cretaceous-animal-stub