On the southermost presence of a tropical Pleistocene pampathere (Cingulata, Pampatheriidae) from Northern Pampa (Santa Fe, Argentina)

GÓIS, F.; VEZZOSI, R.I.

San Luis

Jornada; Reunión de Comunicaciones de la Asociación de Paleontológica Argentina, San Luis.; 2017

Asociación Paleontológica Argentina, FCFMyN-UNSL y CONICET

The Pleistocene nativeSouth American cingulated pampatheres are grouped in three genera: Holmesina Simpson, Pampatherium Gervais and Ameghino, and Tonnicinctus Góis et al. Among these Holmesina has a widest latitudinal distribution to North America, although by South America these records arereported only inside of tropical areas. The aim of this contribution is to present the southernmost fossiloccurrence of a tropical Pleistocene pampathere from fluvial sedimentarydeposit related with the Timbúes/Puerto San Martín Formations (late Middle-LatePleistocene) from Northern Pampa and to discuss the fossil ocurrence of Holmesina species into the temperatePleistocene plains (i.e. austral Chaco, Northern Pampa and Southern Pampa). Thetropical record is represented by disarticulated osteoderms. The complexosteoderm ornamentations and dimensions of MUFyCA 225b (partim) and MUFYCA 1109 are clearly clouslly with the Pleistocenepampathere Holmesina occidentalisHoffstetter. Until now the relatively restricted geographic and stratigraphicdistribution of this taxon appears to have been related only to areas ofdisjunctive distribution of seasonally dry tropical forest from northwesternSouth America. However this Quaternary record into the austral Pleistoceneplains, at the Carcaraña River Valley (Santa Fe province), suggests moreoverthat Holmesina genus had a wide rangeof distribution to the south in the center of Argentina.