Late Pliocene Anurans from Inglis 1A, Citrus County, Florida

Abstract

On the basis of qualitative osteological characters, six anuran taxa are present in the late Pliocene Inglis 1A Local Fauna, an apparent natural trap in karst Eocene limestone. They are Scaphiopus holbrookii, Gastrophryne carolinensis, Hyla cinerea, Rana catesbeiana, Rana capito, and Bufo defensor n. sp. (that appears to be related to Bufo terrestris). The predominance of adults in the size class distribution of the Bufo sample suggests that at least some individuals may have been trapped during migrations to and from breeding sites. Frog species with xeric adaptations dominate the sample, supporting previous theories that the region around the sinkhole that formed the Inglis 1A site was well drained and xeric. Comparison with other known anuran fossils from Florida indicates that the Inglis site is currently the oldest record in Florida of an essentially modern anuran fauna.