''Baurubatrachus'' is an extinct

genus Genus (; : genera ) is a taxonomic rank above species and below family (taxonomy), family as used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In bino ...

of prehistoric

frog A frog is any member of a diverse and largely semiaquatic group of short-bodied, tailless amphibian vertebrates composing the order (biology), order Anura (coming from the Ancient Greek , literally 'without tail'). Frog species with rough ski ...

s found in the

Maastrichtian The Maastrichtian ( ) is, in the International Commission on Stratigraphy (ICS) geologic timescale, the latest age (geology), age (uppermost stage (stratigraphy), stage) of the Late Cretaceous epoch (geology), Epoch or Upper Cretaceous series (s ...

Marília Formation The Marília Formation is a geological Formation (geology), formation in Minas Gerais state of southeastern Brazil. Its strata date back to the Maastrichtian, and are part of the Bauru Group. The fossil-bearing Serra da Galga and Ponte Alta member ...

of Brazil, formerly considered to be related to the

extant Extant or Least-concern species, least concern is the opposite of the word extinct. It may refer to: * Extant hereditary titles * Extant literature, surviving literature, such as ''Beowulf'', the oldest extant manuscript written in English * Exta ...

family

Ceratophryidae The Ceratophryidae, also known as common horned frogs, are a family of frogs found in South America. It is a relatively small family with three extant genera and 12 species. Despite the common name, not all species in the family have the horn-like ...

. However, a detailed assessment of the anatomy and relationships of the single known

fossil A fossil (from Classical Latin , ) is any preserved remains, impression, or trace of any once-living thing from a past geological age. Examples include bones, shells, exoskeletons, stone imprints of animals or microbes, objects preserve ...

of ''Baurubatrachus'' demonstrated that it is not part of Ceratophryidae and might be part of a much ancient group of

Neobatrachia The Neobatrachia (Neo-Latin ''neo-'' ("new") + ''batrachia'' ("frogs")) are a suborder of the Frog, Anura, the order (biology), order of frogs and toads. This suborder is the most advanced and apomorphic of the three anuran suborders alive toda ...

Discovery and species

The type species of the genus, ''B. pricei'', was found in the

Serra da Galga Formation The Serra da Galga Formation is a geological formation in Minas Gerais state of southeastern Brazil. Its strata date back to the Maastrichtian, and are part of the Bauru Group. It was originally considered a member of the Marília Formation. Di ...

(formerly called the Serra da Galga Member of the

), near

Peirópolis Peirópolis is a rural district located within the municipality of Uberaba, in the western region of Minas Gerais, southeastern Brazil. The area is known for its paleontological discoveries dating back to the Late Cretaceous period, specifically t ...

(

Minas Gerais Minas Gerais () is one of the 27 federative units of Brazil, being the fourth largest state by area and the second largest in number of inhabitants with a population of 20,539,989 according to the 2022 Brazilian census, 2022 census. Located in ...

, Brazil), 200 km north of Catanduva City. A second species, ''B. santosdoroi'', was described in 2022 and the remains of two individuals were discovered in the

Adamantina Formation The Adamantina Formation is a geological Formation (geology), formation in the Bauru Basin of western São Paulo (state), São Paulo state in southeastern Brazil. Its strata date back to the Late Cretaceous epoch of the Cretaceous, Cretaceous Per ...

cropping out near Catanduva city,

São Paulo São Paulo (; ; Portuguese for 'Paul the Apostle, Saint Paul') is the capital of the São Paulo (state), state of São Paulo, as well as the List of cities in Brazil by population, most populous city in Brazil, the List of largest cities in the ...

, Brazil.

References

Cretaceous frogs Late Cretaceous amphibians Cretaceous amphibians of South America Maastrichtian life Fossils of Brazil Marília Formation Fossil taxa described in 1990 {{paleo-anura-stub

Discovery and species

See also

References