INVESTIGADORES
ZURITA Alfredo Eduardo
congresos y reuniones científicas
Título:
Taxonomic considerations about the genus Urotherium Castellanos (Xenarthra, Glyptodontidae): a common problem shared with other glyptodonts
Autor/es:
ZURITA, A. E; DE LOS REYES, M.; SOIBELZON, E.; OLIVA, C.; SCILLATO-YANÉ, G. J.; POIRÉ, D
Lugar:
Buenos Aires
Reunión:
Jornada; XXVI Jornadas Argentinas de Paleontología de Vertebrados; 2012
Institución organizadora:
APA
Resumen:
Urotherium is a genus recognized by Castellanos on the basis of an almost complete caudal tube (U. simplex Castellanos) coming from the Chapadmalalan Stage/Age (Pliocene) of the Buenos Aires province, Argentina. Currently, this genus is included in the tribes Lomaphorini or Neuryurini. There is some consensus that only two species constitutes the genus: U. simplex and U. simile Castellanos, from the ?Araucanian? (late Miocene-Pliocene?) of northwestern Argentina, plus some records in the Pampean Region assigned to Urotherium sp. Urotherium is characterized by a dorsal carapace and caudal tube constituted by osteoderms with their exposed surface clearly punctuate, some foramina, and smooth lateral surfaces. Some osteoderms assigned to Urotherium sp. show a very rugose exposed surface and a high number of foramina. In this context, a detailed comparison with two dorsal carapaces and one associated caudal tube from the Chapadmalalan of Buenos Aires province assigned to Eosclerocalyptus cf. lineatus shows that the osteoderm morphology of U. simplex and Urotherium sp. is also observed in some eroded region of the dorsal carapace in E. cf. lineatus; in addition, the caudal tube presents the same morphology. In that concerning U. simile, the osteoderms are typical of juvenile Glyptodontidae, as demonstrated in several groups of glyptodonts, particularly in Glyptodontinae and ?Nethoracophorini?. To summarize, the evidence indicates that the main morphological characters of Urotheriumsimplex and Urotherium sp. are also present in some osteoderms belonging to the genus Eosclerocalyptus, whereas the holotype of U. simile seems to corresponds to a juvenile specimen