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Re: CRETACEOUS AMPHIBIAN...HELP!

Steve, Christian, and Ray,
I agree that if it is most likely a salamander, and both Families Batrachosauroididae and Albanerpetontidae (apparently two "t"s in the latter name) would be likely candidates. Of course, perhaps we should call albanerpetontids something like "allo-salamanders" since they are sometimes split off from Caudata as "Allocaudata".
Does anyone know if either or both of these families have members that fall into a size range that would leave a two-inch track?
--------Ken
P.S. The Arizona Tree of Life is completely silent on the subject of albanerpetontids. I don't know if this is an oversight, or if they just couldn't decide what to do with them. Perhaps this family will turn out to be the basal sister group of all the other salamanders.
******************************************* 
From: "Steve  Brusatte" <dinoland@lycos.com>
Reply-To: dinoland@lycos.com
To: dinosaur@usc.edu
Subject: Re: CRETACEOUS AMPHIBIAN...HELP!
Date: Fri, 17 Aug 2001 20:41:17 -0500

On Fri, 17 Aug 2001 18:46:04
christian farrell kammerer wrote:
><< Other than salamanders or frogs, the only other possibility I think
>of is that it was one of the last of the temnospondyls which apparently just
>barely survived into the Early Cretaceous (none in North America that I
>know of). So that doesn't seem very likely.>>
>
>Not likely for a temnospondyl, but what about an albanerpetonid? Although
>come to think of it, I'm not sure how easy it would be to tell an
>albanerpetonid and a salamander track apart.

Yeah, a temnospondyl would be pushing it. I have serious doubts that they even still existed at the time, especially in North America (as Ken said).

Hmmm...and albanerpetonid. Maybe. There are two references that may be of help (that I know of). Keep in mind that they are Middle and Late Cretaceous, though, do do address areas other than North America:

Gardner, J.D. & A.O. Averianov., 1998, Albanerpetonid Amphibians from the Upper Cretaceous of Middle Asia. Acta Palaeontologica Polonica 43(3):453-467.

McGowan, G. & Evans, S. E., 1995, Albanerpetonid amphibians from the Cretaceous of Spain. Nature: Vol. 373, 12 January, pp. 143-145.

And, this ref may be of even more help. Keep in mind, again, that it is specifically about Late Cretaceous forms, but it does address fossils found along the East Coast:

Denton, Jr. R.K. & O'Neill R.C., 1995, Amphibians from the Late Cretaceous (Campanian) of Eastern N.America, including a new genus of
batrchosauroidid salamander. J.Vert.Paleont. 15(3, Suppl.): 26A.

This one may be able to help you narrow it down, especially if your track is actually that of a salamander. Another possibility is that your track isn't amphibian in origin at all. Perhaps it is a small reptile...or mammal. I really don't know, as I haven't seen it. Maybe it is even some sort of juvenile dinosaur. But, Ray, if you say you think it is amphibian I trust your judgment! I hope that the above references have some nice diagrams, especially of the feet. I haven't actually read any of them, though...

It is VERY frustrating working on amphibians!

Steve

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Steve Brusatte-DINO LAND PALEONTOLOGY
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