Ranidae Batsch 1796

Ranidae indet. Figure 22 G-N Material. Hambach 6C: nine sacral vertebrae (IPB-HaH 2193/2194, IPB-HaH 2209/2215); one scapula (IPB-HaH 2323). Hambach 11: one trunk vertebra (IPB-HaR 2184); three sacral vertebrae (IPB-HaR 2018/2019; IPB-HaR 2031); one ilium (IPB-HaR 2087). Description. IPB-HaR 2184 is a small and amphicoelous trunk vertebra, with a short neural arch and laterally directed transverse processes. Sacral vertebrae (Figure 22 G-J) are small and provided with one anterior and two posterior condyles. They have cylindrical transverse processes. IPB-HaH 2323 (Figure 22 K-L) is an elongated scapula. It has no ridges on the anterior margin, but it is provided with a ridge on the inner surface. The cavitas glenoidalis opens in posterior direction and is partially hidden by the pars acromialis in ventral view. The ilium (Figure 22 M-N) is small and poorly preserved, missing completely the shaft. It has a large and subcircular acetabular fossa. Dorsal to the latter, a deep supraacetabular fossa is present. The dorsal tubercle is also present, even though mostly broken away. Nevertheless, it appears moderately distinct. Anteriorly, it is in continuation with a dorsal crest. Both the dorsal and ventral acetabular expansions are broken, but the former appears well developed based on what is preserved. Medially, there is no interiliac groove or tubercle. The ilioischiatic juncture seems rather low and large, but it is not completely preserved. Remarks. All these specimens present a combination of features supporting attribution to indeterminate ranids according to the criteria presented by Bailon (1999). For the trunk vertebra, this combination includes amphicoely, the short neural arch, and the laterally directed processes; this further suggests that it represents the eighth vertebra in the column (Bailon, 1999). In the sacral vertebra, the diagnostic combination consists of the anterior condyle, the two posterior condyles, and the cylindrical processes. For the scapula, significant are the elongation, the absence of crista anterior, the cavitas glenoidalis hidden in ventral view, as well as the presence of an inner ridge on scapula. The attribution of the ilium is supported by the presence of the dorsal crest and the absence of interiliac tubercles and grooves. The low and large juncture could hint at green frogs for the ilium (Gleed-Owen, 1998), but it is not clear how much this apparent morphology may be influenced by the preservation.