An enigmatic Arthropoda from Upper Triassic (Carnian) Southwestern Gondwana (Argentina)

LARA, M.B.; CARIGLINO, B.; ZAVATTIERI, ANA M.; ZACARÍAS, I.

JOURNAL OF PALEONTOLOGY

PALEONTOLOGICAL SOC INC

Lugar: Lawrence; Año: 2019

0022-3360

The presence of a new taxon, Duraznovis gallegoi n. gen. n. sp. is reported and described from an early Late Triassic (Carnian) deposit in Argentina. The two specimens, recovered from the Quebrada del Durazno locality, uppermost levels of the Potrerillos Formation, Cuyana Basin (Mendoza), are represented by the molds of their shield and imprints of soft parts. The identity of these specimens appears enigmatic but closely resembles in the possession of a generalized arthropod morphology and a distinctive combination of characters, to living and fossil representatives of xiphosurans (Chelicerata) and notostracans (Branchiopoda). The new fossils are associated to a rich biota comprising abundant insects, spinicaudatans, plants, and scarce fish remains living in semi-permanent swamps and/or ponds within a delta plain environment with intermittent episodes of flooding, in a warm temperate and humid megamonsoonal climate during Triassic times. In this context, we analyze the taphonomic and ecological implications of their presence. Lastly, these unique specimens at the Quebrada del Durazno locality adds to the diversity of the biota, revealing the importance of this site as an exceptional paleontological Triassic deposit.