A salamandrid from the middle Pleistocene of northern Latium (Fosso di San Martino, Rome, Italy)

An almost complete salamandrid specimen has recently been discovered from diatomite deposits in the so-called Sabatini Volcanic District, at the Fosso di San Martino locality, about 45 km north of Rome (Rignano Flamino, Latium, central Italy). The age of the fossil-bearing level is constrained between 488±2 and 457±4 ka based on the presence of well-dated volcanic ash layers at the top and at the bed of the diatomite level where the specimen was embedded. The fossil record of Caudata from the Pleistocene of central Italy is scarce, and this new find adds important data on the presence of the taxon in this area. The specimen, although comprised of a fairly complete and articulated skeleton, shows a sub-optimal preservation of single bony elements, to such an extent that a definite taxonomic assignment is not feasible. Moreover, it probably represents a juvenile individual in somatic terms at the time of the death. The specimen is tentatively referred to Triturus sp.