The most complete known Neogene Glyptodontidae (Mammalia, Xenarthra, Cingulata) from northern South America: taxonomic, paleobiogeographic and phylogenetic implications

ZURITA, A. E; GONZALEZ-RUIZ, L.; GOMEZ, A.J.; ARENAS MOSQUERAS, J.E.

JOURNAL OF VERTEBRATE PALEONTOLOGY

SOC VERTEBRATE PALEONTOLOGY

Lugar: Lawrence; Año: 2013 p. 696 - 706

0272-4634

ABSTRACT--The knowledge of northern South American Glyptodontidae (Mammalia, Xenarthra, Cingulata) is very scarce compared with that of southern South American taxa, which are systematically studied since XIX century. Recently, the northern taxa (originally assigned to the Glyptodontidae Propalaehoplophorinae Asterostemma and Propalaehoplophorus) have been reinterpreted as basal Glyptodontinae, belonging to the new genus Boreostemma. In this contribution we present and describe the most complete Neogene Glyptodontidae from northern South America (Middle Miocene of the Honda Group, La Venta, Colombia), remarking its main taxonomic, paleobiogeographic and phylogenetic implications.  This new material completes the morphological characterization of B. acostae and corroborates the noticeable differences compared with Miocene southern South American Glyptodontidae. A cladistic analysis was carried out, corroborating that the Glyptodontinae constitutes a monophyletic group, being B. acostae and B. venezolensis the sister group of the remaining taxa of Glyptodontinae, in which the traditionally recognized genera (e.g. Glyptodon and Glyptotherium) constitute natural groups. Whereas the Miocene seems to represent a diversification period for Glyptodontidae in Southern South America, the recorded taxa in northern South America are restricted with certainty to the Glyptodontinae Boreostemma