Salamandridae indet.

Vasilyan, Davit, Cernansky, Andrej, Szyndlar, Zbigniew & Moers, Thomas, 2022, Amphibian and reptilian fauna from the early Miocene of Echzell, Germany, Fossil Record 25 (1), pp. 99-145 : 99

Salamandridae indet.

Fig. 6N-S

Material.

One frontal, HLMD-Ez 2038, seven trunk vertebrae, HLMD-Ez 2034, 20 caudal vertebrae, HLMD-Ez 2035, nine vertebrae, HLMD-Ez 2051, 2052, 2062, two ribs HLMD-Ez 2036, HLMD-Ez 2037, two extremity bones HLMD-Ez 2052.

Description and remarks.

A single frontal, with a length of 6 mm, displays a flat dorsal surface (Fig. 6N ). In dorsal view, the most anterior portion of the bone possesses an articulation facet with the parietal that is covered by parallel to each other ridges. Comparison with recent similar-sized species shows most similarities with Salamandra salamandra (MJSN-OS 806). However, due to the lack of comprehensive studies of the skull bones among salamandrids, an allocation of the bone to the family Salamandridae is more appropriate.

The vertebrae are poorly preserved. They show ophistocoelous morphology partially with complex structures of haemal and neural processes, characteristic of the caudal region of the vertebral column ( Duellman and Trueb 1994). On the one hand, the poor preservation and, on the other hand, the poor knowledge on osteological differences of the caudal region in Chelotriton and Salamandra genera (both present in the fossil locality) make it at the moment impossible to identify the vertebrae correctly.

Nine small-sized opistocoelous vertebrae are available in the material. They have variable preservation; however, a large number of structures/characters are missing for further identification. Considering the vertebra sizes as well as available similar-sized salamander taxa present in the material, most probably, they represent remains of Lissotriton , Mertensiella or Chioglossa . The juvenile and most distal caudal vertebra of Salamandra and Chelotriton can be excluded because in the former form the juvenile vertebrae are not fully ossified, whereas in the latter the dorsal tip of the neural crest possesses a ornamented surface, which is missing here.

Two bicapitate rips are present (Fig. 6P-S ). Their lateral portion does not possess any process, which allows to exclude them from Chelotriton . Most probable, they should belong to the genus Salamandra , which has a similar rib morphology and is represented in the material by large-sized individuals as well.

Figures

Figure 6. Vertebrae (A-E. HLDM-Ez 2059; F-J. HLDM-Ez 2060) and ribs (K. HLDM-Ez 2054; L. HLDM-Ez 2053; M. HLDM-Ez 2055) of Chelotriton sp. Frontal (N, O. HLDM-Ez 2038) and ribs (P, Q. HLDM-Ez 2036; R, S. HLDM-Ez 2037) remains of Salamandridae indet. from Echzell. Bones in (A, H, N) dorsal, (B, I) lateral, (C, J, O) ventral, (D, F) anterior, (E, G) posterior, (K, L, M, P, S) posterior / anterior and (Q, R) medial views. Scale bars: 1 mm.