? Gen. et sp. indet., Gunther, 1858

Lapparent, France de, Bailon, Salvador, Augé, Marc Louis & Rage, Jean-Claude, 2020, Amphibians and reptiles from the Neogene of Afghanistan, Geodiversitas 42 (22), pp. 409-426 : 410-411

? Gen. et sp. indet. ( Figs 1A ; 2 AB)

LOCALITY AND AGE. — Sherullah 9, Khordkabul basin, Afghanistan, late Miocene, Late Vallesian-basal Turolian transition. MN10/11.

MATERIAL EXAMINED. — One fragmentary humerus (AFG 1650), 1 incomplete vertebra (AFG 1651). This material was mentioned by Roček & Rage (2000).

DESCRIPTION

The humerus is represented by a distal extremity which comprises the humeral ball, ulnar epicondyle and a short part of the diaphysis ( Figs 1A ; 2A ). The condyle is large and spherical. The cubital fossa is poorly limited laterally.The well-developed ulnar crest extends laterally; it is not deflected dorsally. It was likely short anteroposteriorly. The ulnar epicondyle is large whereas the radial epicondyle is damaged. A small radial crest slightly deflected ventrally is present. Because of the large size of the condyle and ulnar epicondyle, the distal extremity is widened transversely; moreover, it appears to be somewhat flattened dorsoventrally. Such a morphology recalls that of Alytidae of the Discoglossinae subfamily.

The vertebra is a presacral one ( Fig. 2B ). The anterior part of the centrum is damaged and covered by matrix. The vertebra is apparently opisthocoelous but this cannot be definitely confirmed. If it is really opisthoceoelous, then it probably belongs to the Alytidae . Its size is consistent with that of the humerus.

COMMENTS

The referral of these two specimens to the Alytidae is doubtful. It is based only on the overall morphology of an incomplete humerus and on a vertebra the main characteristic of which (opisthocoely) is not certain. The Alytidae is a primitive family whose earliest representative was recovered from the middle Jurassic of England ( Evans et al. 1990). Today they are known in Europe, west Asia, and northernmost Africa ( Frost et al. 2006). In the Cenozoic of Asia, apart from the possible alytid of Sherullah 9, the family was reported from the early Eocene of the Vastan Lignite Mine ( Bajpai & Kapur 2008) and the middle Miocene lower Siwalik deposits ( Parmar & Jigmet 2014), in India; from the Miocene of Turkey ( Claessens 1995; Sanchiz 1998; Rückert-Ülkümen et al. 2002) and in the Miocene of Thailand ( Rage & Ginsburg 1997). However, this latter identification cannot be confirmed ( Roček & Rage 2000).

Figures

FIG. 1. — Anura. Sherullah, late Miocene, photos, A-D: A,? Discoglossinae (? Alytidae), right humerus AFG 1650, ventral view; B-D, “Ranidae”, B, right humerus AFG 1653, ventral view; C, right coracoid AFG 1652, inner face; D, right ilium AFG 1655, lateral view; Hadji Rona, early Pliocene; E, Anura indet. sp. C, sacral vertebra AFG 1680, dorsal view. Scale bars: 2 mm.

FIG. 2. — Anura. Sherullah, late Miocene, drawings, A-F: A, B,? Discoglossinae (? Alytidae); A, right humerus AFG 1650, ventral view; B, presacral vertebra AFG 1651, dorsal (B1) and ventral (B2) views; C-E, “Ranidae”; C, right humerus AFG 1653, ventral view; D, right ilium AFG 1655, lateral view; E, right coracoid AFG 1652, inner face. Hadji Rona, early Pliocene, F, Anura indet. sp. C, sacral vertebra AFG 1680, ventral view. Scale bars: 3 mm.