55-Million-Year-Old Tree Frog Fossil Unearthed in Australia
The discovery of Litoria Tylerantica suggests that the fruits of Australian trees (perodyaadides) were present in Australia by the start of the Eocene, when the continent was still linked to Antarctica and South America as the last remains of the Gondwana Supercontinent.
The reconstruction of an artist of Litoria Tylerantica (right) and species described above Platplectrum Casca (on the left) of Mongon, southeast of Queensland. Image: Samantha Yabsley, https://www.instagram.com/shy_art.
Litoria Tylerantica lived in Australia at the start of the Eocene era, about 55 million years ago.
Fossil bones of the frog were collected in the 1990s by paleontologists from the University of New South Wales by clay samples washing the screen of the fossil fossil deposit of Tingamarra in Mongon, Queensland.
“About 55 million years ago, Australia, Antarctica and South America were linked together as the last remains of the Gondwana,” said Dr. Roy Farman, a researcher at the University of South Wales and at the Australian National University, and his colleagues.
“World climates were warmer during this period, while a wooded corridor linked South America and Australia.”
“Until now, it was thought that the first Australian frogs came from the late Oligocene (about 26 million years ago) and the start of the Miocene (23 million years ago).”
“Oligocene fire fossils were found in Kangaroo Well in the Northern territory and the formation of Etadunna at Lake Palankarinna, South Australia, while the World Heritage Region of Riversleigh in Queensland has revealed tree frogs of early Miocene.”
“But the new species extends the fossil recording of perodyadids over 30 million years old, at a time potentially close to the divergence of the Australian trees of the south American trees,” they said.
“Anterior estimates based on molecular clock studies have suggested that the frogs of Australian and South American trees separated from each other about 33 million years ago.”
Litoria Tylerantica joins the only other Mongon frog, the ground floor Platplectrum Casca (previously described as Lechriodus Casca), like the oldest known frogs in Australia.
The two have living parents in Australia and New Guinea demonstrating remarkable resilience over time.
“Despite their delicate nature, the frogs have been surprisingly successful to survive several mass extinction events since their origins about 250 million years ago, including mass extinction 66 million years ago which eliminated non -flying dinosaurs,” said Dr. Farman.
“Although global extinction events triggered by human activities – such as rapid climate change and the propagation of chytrides fungi – can be among the worst challenges that the frogs have to face, the fossil file could reveal how certain groups of frogs have surmounted previous challenges, perhaps adapting to new less threatening habitats.”
“This could provide clues to how we could be able to help by translating certain threatened frogs in more secure habitats.”
“Frogs such as the southern corroborated frog (Corroboree pseudophryne) are threatened in their current habitats which have become more hostile due to climate change. »»
“If the fossil file shows physically similar frogs living in very different habitats, today’s frogs can benefit from reintroducing themselves from similar environments.”
Discovery is described in an article in Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology.
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Roy M. Farman and al. Eocene early pelodyadid of local fauna of Tingamarra, Mongon, southeast of Queensland, Australia and a new fossil calibration for the molecular phylogenies of the frogs. Journal of Vertebrate Paleontologypublished online on May 14, 2025; DOI: 10.1080/02724634.2025.2477815
