Duttaphrynus melanostictus ( Schneider, 1799 )

Lin, Chien-Hsiang, Lin, Si-Min, Chien, Chi-Wei, Lin, Te-En, Nazir, Haroon & Singh, Ningthoujam Premjit, 2025, First fossil frog and snake assemblage from southern Taiwan: a window into Pleistocene herpetofauna and palaeoenvironments in subtropical East Asia, Fossil Record 28 (2), pp. 293-308 : 293-308

Duttaphrynus melanostictus ( Schneider, 1799)

Fig. 2 A

Material.

Trunk vertebra ( ASIZF 0101045 ).

Description.

The vertebra is large, wider than long, with a centrum that is procoelous and slightly dorsoventrally compressed. The neural canal is larger than both cotyle and condyle. The walls of the neural arch are robustly built, bearing a low but distinct carina neuralis. The prezygapophyses and postzygapophyses are dorsally elevated and extend laterally. A single transverse process is preserved and extends distally.

Remarks.

The substantial size of the vertebra (> 4.5 mm in length), its proportions, and robust construction suggest that it belongs to the Bufonidae . Given its dimension and general morphology, the vertebra most likely represents a mid-trunk element, probably the 3 rd or 4 th presacral vertebra. Of the more than 30 native anuran species in Taiwan, only two bufonids, Bufo bankorensis (Barbour, 1908) and Duttaphrynus melanostictus , attain a comparable size. Trunk vertebrae of both species are morphologically similar; however, the centrum of B. bankorensis is more elevated in lateral view (Fig. 2 C 5 ), whereas that of D. melanostictus is flatter and more dorsoventrally compressed.

Figures

Figure 2. A. Duttaphrynus melanostictus (ASIZF 0101045) from the Middle Pleistocene Chiting Formation, southern Taiwan; B. Extant specimen of D. melanostictus (ASIZAM 000064), 4 th trunk vertebra, 94.12 cm SVL (snout – vent length), 66 g; C. Extant specimen of Bufo bankorensis (ASIZAM 000062), 4 th trunk vertebra, 10.7 cm SVL. A 1 – C 1. Anterior view; A 2 – C 2. Posterior view; A 3 – C 3. Ventral view; A 4 – C 4. Dorsal view; A 5 – C 5. Lateral view. Scale bar: 5 mm.