SKELETON OF A LEOPARD FROG (RANA-PIPIENS) FROM CHAMPLAIN SEA DEPOSITS(CA.10000 BP) NEAR EARDLEY, QUEBEC

A well-preserved skeleton of a leopard frog (Rana pipiens) was recover ed from a calcareous nodule collected near Eardley, Quebec. Such nodul es from the Ottawa area evidently date to the Ottawa Delta phase of th e Champlain Sea, ca. 10000 BP, and may contain remains of fishes, bird s, mammals, marine mollusc shells and other invertebrates, and plants. Palynological analysis of matrix from the specimen suggests either (1 ) that forest communities were prominent in the area where the frog li ved, or (2) that, presuming the specimen was from a large body of wate r, the environment supported herb and shrub tundra communities with on ly a Rw trees. This is the first record of an amphibian from Champlain Sea deposits. The specimen indicates the presence of grassy meadows n ear the seacoast.