FIRST RECORD OF PUMA CONCOLOR (MAMMALIA, FELIDAE) IN THE EARLY-MIDDLE PLEISTOCENE OF SOUTH AMERICA

DONDAS, A.; CHIMENTO, N. R.

Buenos Aires

Jornada; XXX Jornadas Argentinas de Paleontología de Vertebrados; 2016

Laboratorio de Anatomìa Comparada, MACN

Felidae is represented in South America by aproximately 10 species, belonging to three main phylogenetic lineages: the Ocelot lineage, the Puma lineage and the Panthera lineage. Pumas (Puma concolor) and jaguarundis (Puma yagouaroundi), together with the African cheetahs (Acinonyx jubatus), compose the puma lineage. The palaeontological knowledge about Puma concolor in North and South America is mainly restricted to the late Pleistocene and Holocene. In this contribution, we describe the first skull of Puma concolor from the early-middle Pleistocene (Ensenadan Stage/Age) of the costal cliffs of Santa Elena Creek, north of Mar del Plata city (37°52?03??S - 57°30?49??W, Buenos Aires province, Argentina). The remains (MMP 1476-M) come from the stratigraphic Level 2 of the Miramar Formation and were found by one the authors (AD). The specimen here described was compared with a large number of recent and fossils individuals. This material is represented by a partial skull and mandible with complete dental series. The anatomical analysis demonstrates that remains perfectly matches with the morphology of living puma specimens. The associated fauna (e.g. Protocyon scagliarum, Theriodictis platensis, Mesotherium cristatum) and palaeomagnetic data support an Upper Ensenadan age. The previously published ensenadan pumas (e.g. MLP 54-VI-19-4 and MMP 417) do not show a consistent anatomy with Puma concolor. Thus, here we report confirming the Puma concolor presence previous to Late Pleistocene times in South America. Previous hypotheses of the South American origin of Puma concolor are in congruence with the fossil record of North, Central, and South America.