Exceptional avian pellet from the Paleocene of Patagonia and description of its content: a new species of calyptocephalellid (Neobatrachia) anuran

Abstract

A fossil gastric pellet from the Danian ‘Banco Negro Inferior’ of the Salamanca Formation at Punta Peligro Locality (Chubut, Argentina) and its 3D preserved fossil content is studied herein. The structure of the pellet and the condition of the enclosed bones suggest that it was produced by a bird of prey, although birds of any kind are as yet unknown from osteological remains in the Banco Negro ecosystem. The content of the pellet originated from a single anuran individual, representing a new species of the genus Calyptocephalella, is described herein as C. sabrosa sp. nov. The new find highlights the broad temporal, geographical and taxonomic diversity of this frog genus in Patagonia's geological past.