Marsupiales del Mioceno Superior de Caleufú (La Pampa, Argentina)

ABELLO MA; MONTALVO CI; GOIN FJ

AMEGHINIANA

ASOCIACION PALEONTOLOGICA ARGENTINA

Lugar: Buenos Aires; Año: 2002 vol. 39 p. 433 - 442

0002-7014

Recent excavations in Upper Miocene levels of Cerro Azul Formation at Caleufú (Province of La Pampa, Argentina) led to the recovery of around 2,000 mammal remains. Among them, 15 marsupial specimens are assignable to the folowing taxa: Didelphidae: Marmosinae indet. (one specimen); Didelphinae: Hyperdidelphys sp. (one specimen); Didelphinae indet (five specimens); Sparassocynidae (two specimens); Argyrolagidae: Argyrolagus sp. (six specimens). Fossils assigned to Hyperdidelphys sp., Sparassocynus sp., and Argyrolagus sp. may well represent new species; their few known remains have generalized features as compared to the remaining species of each genus. In consequence, evidence from the marsupials of Caleufú do not agree with a younger age for this fauna as previously suggested. Argyrolagus (an indicator of open and eremic environments) is the most abundant marsupial so far recorded at Caleufú; the specimens here studied constitute the oldest record of of this genus.