Anuran and snake fossils from the Pliocene Tsubusagawa Formation of Ajimu-machi, Oita Prefecture, Northern Kyushu, Japan

Tadahiro Ikeda, Eiichi Kitabayashi, and Takafumi Kato

Several fossil fragments of anurans and snakes were collected from the Pliocene Tsubusagawa Formation of Ajimu-machi, Oita Prefecture, Northern Kyushu, Japan. Among anuran fossils, four ilia were identified as Ranidea gen. et sp. indet, and two vertebrae as Rhacophoridae gen. et sp. indet, Two snake vertebrae were identified as Colubridae gen. et sp. indet. The identification were based on morphological characters of extant anurans and snakes from Japan and previous report from other countries Specific identifications of the genera or species for these fossils have yet to be performed due to their poor preservation and insufficient comparisons between fossils and extant species occurring in East and South Eastern Asia. However, the results of this study indicates that the faunas of the Pliocene Tsubusagawa Formation includes two anuran families and one snake family, each of which includes two morphotypes.

Research Report of the Lake Biwa Museum

Lake Biwa Museum

31

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https://doi.org/10.51038/rrlbm.31.0_28