Taxonomy and Stratigraphy of Late Mesozoic Anurans and Urodeles from China

Three anurans (Callobatrachus sanyanensis, Liaobatrachus grabaui, Mesophryne beipiaoensis) and six urodeles (Laccotriton subsolanus, Liaoxitriton zhongjiani, Jeholotriton paradoxus, Sinerpeton fengshanensis, Chunerpeton tianyiensis, Liaoxitriton daohugouensis) are reported from the late Mesozoic tuff-interbedded lacustrine deposits (mostly of the Jehol Group) in northeastern China. They document the first discovery of Chinese Mesozoic lissamphibians, and their old geological age, superb preservation condition, and large taxoncmic diversity are unique compared with other findings worldwide. The anurans occupy a higher evolutionary position than typical Jurassic taxa, supporting a post-Late Jurassic age of the fossil horizons. The urodeles all have unicapitate ribs, suggesting an evolutionary grade at the cryptobranchoid level, and are advanced in osteological features over non-urodeles from the Middle and Upper Jurassic in England and Central Asia. Some urodeles (Jeholotriton and Chunerpeton) exhibit neotenic features, representing the earliest occurrence among such findings. Six fossil horizons are rscognized for the known Chinese Mesozoic anurans and urodeles: the Daohugou fossil bed, the Dabeigou Formation, the Lujiatun Bed, Jianshangou Bed and Dawangzhangzi Bed of the Yixian Formation, and the Jiufotang Formation. As implied from the osteological and phylogenetical studies, the geological age of these anurans and urodeles is the Early Cretaceous.