New records of frogs (Anura, Lissamphibia) from the Late Cretaceous Bauru Group of Brazil and its paleobiogeographic implications

Author(s)

Muniz, Fellipe ; Giaretta, Ariovaldo ; Fachini, Thiago S. ; Marinho, Thiago da Silva ; Buck, Pedro ; Rodrigues, Sabrina ; Martinelli, Agustin G.

• Document type: Journal article
• Source: CRETACEOUS RESEARCH; v. 175, p. 14-pg., 2025-05-08.

Abstract

South America hosts one of the largest diversities of living frogs in the world, but our knowledge of the group during the Mesozoic Era is still limited. The Upper Cretaceous Bauru Group, in the south-central region of Brazil, has yielded a variety of vertebrate groups. Frog records are rare and restricted to a few well-preserved skeletons and fragmentary material. Nevertheless, they have offered important clues about the early diversification and distribution of frogs, especially among the speciose clade Neobatrachia. Here, we report new records of frogs from the Adamantina and Serra da Galga formations. The described specimens expand the geographical range of frogs in the Bauru Group and corroborate the hypothesis of a widespread distribution of neobatrachians in Gondwana landmasses by the Late Cretaceous. The discovery of the first putative Calyptocephalella-like form from a northern region in South America sheds light on the proposed biogeographic provincialism of frog faunas in South America by the Late Cretaceous. (c) 2025 Elsevier Ltd. All rights are reserved, including those for text and data mining, AI training, and similar technologies. (AU)

• FAPESP's process: 20/07997-4 - Dinosaur diversity and associated faunas in the Cretaceous of South America
• Grantee: Max Cardoso Langer
• Support Opportunities: Research Projects - Thematic Grants
• FAPESP's process: 24/03599-5 - Life, death and preservation of vertebrates in desert environments: an integrative taphonomic approach to the Cruzeiro do Oeste bonebeds (Bauru Basin, Paraná)
• Grantee: Fellipe Pereira Muniz
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Post-Doctoral