Rana sp.

Rana sp.

Figures 21 View Fig , 22a View Fig

Material. Spilia 1: six humeri ( UU SP1 1035, UU SP1 1038, and UU SP1 1108) and one ilium ( UU SP1 1109); Spilia 3: one humerus ( UU SP3 668); Spilia 4: one humerus ( UU SP4 684); Vevi: two humeri ( UU VE 544 and UU VE 545).

Description.

Te medium-sized humeri from Spilia are slender and devoid of crista paraventralis ( Fig. 21a–c View Fig ). Te spherical eminentia capitata is aligned with the straight shaft. Te humerus is provided with a deep fossa cubitalis ventralis, a narrow and elongated olecranon scar, and moderately developed cristae lateralis and medialis. Te crista medialis displays a light dorsal bending.

Te humeri from Vevi are small and rather slenderly built ( Fig. 22a View Fig ). Te proximal half is missing in both cases. Te diaphysis is straight. Te eminentia capitata is sphaerical and located in line with the main axis of the bone. Te fossa cubitalis ventralis is deep. A moderately-developed crista medialis is present. In medial view, it shows an incipient dorsal bending, which is more evident in UU VE 545. Te crista lateralis is absent in UU VE 544

( Fig. 22a View Fig ), but present as a low ridge in UU VE 545. Te epicondylus ulnaris is robust and well ossified in UU VE 545, but partially uncoossified in UU VE 544. Te olecranon scar is elongated. UU VE 544 ( Fig. 22a View Fig ) is 8.6 mm long, whereas the length of UU VE 545 is 8.5 mm.

Te single ilium (UU SP1 1109) from Spilia 1 is medium-sized ( Fig. 21d, e View Fig ). Te shaft is almost completely not preserved, but the base of a dorsal crest is visible. In the same place, there is an evident dorsal tubercle, which is however poorly preserved as well. Posteriorly, the dorsal acetabular expansion is moderately long. Te angle composed by the latter and the dorsal tubercle is very wide, much more than 90°. Te acetabulum is moderately wide. Dorsal to it, there is a rather deep supraacetabular fossa. Te ventral acetabular expansion appears short, even though its distal tip is broken. Tere is no preacetabular fossa. Te medial surface is rather flat, without distinct interiliac tubercle or groove. Te ilioischiatic junction is high and narrow.

Remarks. Tese fossils from Spilia share the diagnostic features of brown frogs according to Gleed-Owen (1998) and Bailon (1999), but due to either preservation or absence of known diagnostic features, they cannot be identified more precisely. Tey might either pertain to the same taxon as UU SP4 683 or to a different brown frog. Similarly, the two humeri from Vevi are referred to brown frogs because of the combination of straight diaphysis, eminentia capitata not shifted laterally, and dorsally-bent crista medialis (see characters in Bailon, 1999).

Ranidae indet.

Figures 22b–f View Fig , 23 View Fig

Material. Spilia 1: one sacral vertebra ( UU SP1 1143) and three humeri ( UU SP1 1115 and UU SP1 1145); Spilia 4: one humerus ( UU SP4 701); Vevi: one coracoid ( UU VE 547) and three humeri ( UU VE 543, UU VE 546, and UU VE 549).

Description.

Te sacral vertebra (UU SP1 1143) from Spilia 1 is small-sized ( Fig. 23a View Fig ). It preserves only the left half of the bone. Te centrum has an anterior condyle. Posteriorly, the left posterior condyle is visible, whereas the right one is missing. Te neural arch is slenderly built. Te left transverse process is cylindrical.

Te coracoid (UU VE 547) from Vevi is small and slen- der ( Fig. 22b, c View Fig ). It has a narrow and straight middle portion, which expands towards the ends. Te medial end, which is the pars epicoracoidalis, is almost twice as wide as the lateral pars glenoidalis. Te length of the coracoid, which is almost complete, is 6.2 mm.

Te morphology of the humeri from Vevi ( Fig. 22d–f View Fig ) is the same as the one described above for the humeri attributed to Rana . Te only exception is that these humeri lack a crista medialis. Tey are well ossified, except for the very thin UU VE 549. Te length of the most-preserved one is 7.9 mm.

Te humeri from Spilia 1 and Spilia 4 are small and slen- der ( Fig. 23b View Fig ). Tey have a straight diaphysis, with no crista paraventralis. Te eminentia capitata is spherical and located in line with the diaphysis. Te fossa cubitalis ventralis is present. Te epicondyles are poorly ossified. Both the cristae lateralis and medialis are present, but very poorly developed. On the dorsal side, the olecranon scar is elongated.

Remarks. Sacral vertebrae with an anterior condyle, two posterior condyles, and cylindrical transverse processes, as well as humeri with a straight diaphysis, no crista paraventralis, and a not-shifted eminentia capitata can be assigned to indeterminate ranids (Bailon, 1999). It is not clear whether they could pertain to the brown frogs already identified from Spilia or not. Te small size of the humeri, together with the poor development of the cristae and the poorly ossified epicondyles, are indicative of a juvenile condition for these elements. As for the indeterminate ranids from Vevi, they may pertain to Rana that is present in the locality, also considering the comparable size, but this cannot be stated with certainty.