The Fossil Record of Amphibians (Amphibia: Urodela and Anura) in Greece

The oldest fossil amphibians from Greece are early Miocene in age, and therefore, only the last few millions of years of amphibian evolution are recorded in this country, and all but one (Mioproteus) of the identified taxa are referable to extant genera. No extinct species of amphibians have been described so far on the basis of Greek fossils. However, the fossil record indicates that some genera that are now absent in Greece were present in the past: the urodelans Ommatotriton and Salamandrina, and the anuran Latonia (also Discoglossus if its identification will be confirmed). However, only two of the five urodelan genera and six of the seven anuran extant genera have been detected so far in the fossil record, indicating that we still have a partial knowledge of the past amphibian diversity of Greece. The late Miocene/early Pliocene locality of Maramena provided the most informative and diverse amphibian assemblage of Greece with five urodelans and three anurans, some of which (Ommatotriton, Salamandra, Salamandrina and an indeterminate cryptobranchid) have not so far been identified in any other Greek palaeontological localities. The indeterminate cryptobranchid from Maramena represents by far the largest amphibian of Greece and demonstrates that giant salamanders were also present in the Balkans during the Neogene. The amphibian fossil record in Greece so far pertains to at least eight different families and originates from more than 40 localities across the whole country