SYDNEY, May 15 (Xinhua) -- Australian scientists' discovery of the continent's oldest known tree frog fossil, dating back 55 million years, reshapes the understanding of amphibian evolution in the Southern Hemisphere, the University of New South Wales (UNSW Sydney) has said.
Unearthed near Murgon in southeast Queensland, the fossil predates previous finds by more than 20 million years and challenges the widely accepted theory that Australian and South American tree frogs diverged around 33 million years ago, the UNSW Sydney said in a press release on Wednesday.
The study identifies "Litoria tylerantiqua" as the earliest known member of the pelodryadid family -- a group that includes today's green tree frogs and their relatives across Australia and New Guinea, the release said.
This fossil pushes the evolutionary split between Australian and South American tree frogs much further back than previously thought, said the study's lead author Roy Farman from UNSW Sydney.
It suggests these frogs may have traveled via forest corridors linking South America and Australia during the era of Gondwana, the southern supercontinent, according to the study published in the Journal of Vertebrate Palaeontology.
Researchers used advanced 3D imaging techniques to compare fossilized pelvic bones with those of modern frogs, enabling precise identification without damaging rare museum specimens. The new methods helped confirm the fossil's closer ties to the Australian tree frogs rather than the South American tree frogs.
"Litoria" joins another Murgon fossil as one of the oldest frog species recorded in Australia, demonstrating the lineage's resilience over time, the study shows.
Frogs have outlived the dinosaurs and adapted to massive environmental changes, said Farman, adding this could guide conservation strategies for modern threatened species. Enditem
京公网安备 11010802027341号