Avitabatrachus uliana is the only species discovered so far in the extinct genusAvitabatrachus, a genus of prehistoric frogs that lived in the Middle Cretaceous. Fossils of A. uliana were found in the Candeleros Formation of northwestern Patagonia in Argentina. This prehistoric amphibian was properly described in 2000 and was then concluded to be most closely related to Pipidae frogs. Hence, it was included in Pipimorpha.[1] A subsequent phylogenetic analysis confirmed this conclusion, and further suggested that Avitabatrachus uliana is more closely related to Pipidae and Shelaniinae than to Palaeobatrachus.[3]
Etymology
The genus name, Avitabatrachus, is derived from the Greek words avita meaning "ancient" and batrachos meaning "frog", so called because it is the oldest record of pipids in South America. The species is named after Miguel Uliana.[1][4]