FIRST AMPHIBIAN FIND IN EARLY PERMIAN FROM SARDINIA (ITALY)

An amphibian fauna from Permo-Carboniferous boundary beds is recorded for the first time in Italy. A thin fossiliferous level has been found in the Perdasdefogu Basin in southeastern Sardinia; it yields several specimens of Branchiosaurus cf. ''B.'' petrolei (Gaudry 1875), often in mass mortality assemblages. Repeated mass mortality events testify to sudden changes in the environment of the basin, possibly due to sea sonal variations. The finding of specimens very close to Branchiosauru s petrolei, which is a common species in the Central France basins, co nfirms that Sardinia at the time belonged to the same hydrographic bas in of continental Europe, with no seaway in between. Furthermore, thou gh not the primary focus of this note, we report the first discovery o f xenacanth teeth and acanthodian spines in Italy.