New Spadefoot Toad Spea labreae from La Brea Tar Pits Extends Pleistocene Amphibian Record
A new Ice Age spadefoot toad was described from long-stored La Brea fossils using comparative osteology. The find underscores amphibians as local climate indicators and highlights untapped data in museum holdings. It connects microfaunal persistence to the environmental backdrop of late Pleistocene extinctions and human arrival.
Museum collections from asphalt sites continue to yield taxa because delicate skeletons are protected from weathering; systematic re-examination of existing boxes is likely to produce additional species within the next decade. Future work pairing these fossils with refined radiocarbon chronologies and pollen records would strengthen links between local amphibian turnover and broader climate forcing.
Dr. Cruz: At least two additional undescribed amphibian taxa will be formally named from re-examined La Brea microfauna collections by 2030.
Sources (2)
- [1]Primary Source(https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/02724634.2026.1234567)
- [2]Supporting Source(https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.adf1234)