''Thoraciliacus rostriceps'' is an extinct species of

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 ...

from the

Cretaceous period The Cretaceous ( ) is a geological period that lasted from about 143.1 to 66 million years ago (Mya). It is the third and final period of the Mesozoic Era, as well as the longest. At around 77.1 million years, it is the ninth and longest geologi ...

and the only species of the genus ''Thoraciliacus'', which is classified in the unranked clade

Pipimorpha Pipoidea are a clade of frogs, that contains the most recent common ancestor of living Pipidae and Rhinophrynidae as well as all its descendants. It is broadly equivalent to Xenoanura. Description The synapomorphies that define Pipoidea are ...

. A recent phylogenetic analysis confirmed this conclusion, and further suggested that ''Thoraciliacus rostriceps'' is more closely related to

Pipidae The Pipidae are a family (biology), family of primitive, tongueless frogs. There are 41 species in the family, found in tropical South America (genus ''Pipa'') and sub-Saharan Africa (the three other genera). Description Pipid frogs are highly ...

and Shelaniinae than to Palaeobatrachus.

Fossils 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 preserved ...

of ''T. rostriceps'' were found in

Makhtesh Ramon Makhtesh Ramon (; ''lit.'' Ramon Crater/ Makhtesh; ; ''lit.'' The Ruman Wadi) is a geological feature of Israel's Negev desert. Located some 85 km south of Beersheba, the landform is the world's largest "erosion cirque" (steephead valley ...

Negev Desert The Negev ( ; ) or Naqab (), is a desert and semidesert region of southern Israel. The region's largest city and administrative capital is Beersheba (pop. ), in the north. At its southern end is the Gulf of Aqaba and the resort town, resort city ...

, Israel and it is believed they lived during the

Barremian The Barremian is an age in the geologic timescale (or a chronostratigraphic stage) between 125.77 Ma (million years ago) and 121.4 ± 1.0 Ma (Historically, this stage was placed at 129.4 million to approximately 125 million years ago) It is a ...

. Other fossils have been found near

Marydale Marydale is a town in the Northern Cape province in western South Africa. Established in 1903 by the Dutch Reformed Church, Marydale was named after Mary Snyman, the wife of Mr GP Snyman, owner of the farm on which the town was laid out. The town ...

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. Its Provinces of South Africa, nine provinces are bounded to the south by of coastline that stretches along the Atlantic O ...

in an

Upper Cretaceous The Late Cretaceous (100.5–66 Ma) is the more recent of two epochs into which the Cretaceous Period is divided in the geologic time scale. Rock strata from this epoch form the Upper Cretaceous Series. The Cretaceous is named after ''cret ...

lake.

Description

''Thoraciliacus rostriceps'' was a small frog, in length, with a large head. It had short hind limbs but its hands and feet were relatively large. Like its close relative '' Nevobatrachus gracilis'', ''T. rostriceps'' was highly aquatic evidenced by its flat

skull The skull, or cranium, is typically a bony enclosure around the brain of a vertebrate. In some fish, and amphibians, the skull is of cartilage. The skull is at the head end of the vertebrate. In the human, the skull comprises two prominent ...

, short axial column and long metapodials.

References

Pipoidea Prehistoric amphibian genera Early Cretaceous frogs Fossils of Israel Fossils of South Africa Early Cretaceous amphibians of Asia Late Cretaceous amphibians of Africa Fossil taxa described in 1968 {{Mesobatrachia-stub

Description

See also

References