Nuevo registro de Conepatus primaevus (Mammalia, Carnivora, Mustelidae) del Pleistoceno de la Provincia de Buenos Aires, Argentina

FORASIEPI, A. M.

Rev. Mus. Argentino Cienc. Nat., n.s.

Lugar: Buenos Aires; Año: 2003 vol. 5 p. 21 - 29

1514-5158

A new specimen referred to Conepatus primaevus Burmeister, 1864 from the Pleistocene of Buenos Aires Province is described. The specimen consists in a very well preserved skull with associated mandibles. This species differs from the others of the genus by the following features: large and robust skull; tympanic bulla and squamosal area dorsal to the meatus acusticus externus less inflated; paracondylar process well developed; mandibular condyle thick laterally; small diastemata among upper incisors; well defined lingual cingulum and accessories cusps in the upper and lower canines; M1 with an accessory cusp posterolingually to the metacone; and hypocone aligned with the posterior edge of the metacone. The living species show evident intraespecific variation; nevertheless, the differences between the new material and the species compared lead to infer that C. primaevus correspond to a valid species.