Amphibians from the Late Cretaceous Sierra Perenchiza Formation of the Chera Basin, Valencia Province, Spain

Abstract

The Late Cretaceous continental deposits of the Sierra Perenchiza Formation in the Chera Basin, Eastern Iberian Ranges, Spain, have produced a rich aquatic and terrestrial vertebrate assemblage, mainly dominated by dinosaurs, crocodiles and turtles. Recent screen-washing campaigns also yielded a particularly diverse microvertebrate fauna composed of fishes, squamates and amphibians. The amphibian remains include several fragmentary albanerpetontid dentaries and fossils from two different anuran taxa: a discoglossid and a pelobatid. The taxa collected and the sedimentological traits of the sediments suggest a swamp or lacustrine palaeoenvironment located in a coastal area. The amphibians are typical Laurasian taxa, like those of other Late Maastrichtian Iberian localities reflecting a similar palaeoenvironment. This record provides important information on the biodiversity of amphibians in the meridional part of the Iberoarmorican realm throughout the Campanian–Maastrichtian transition.