CECOAL   02625
CENTRO DE ECOLOGIA APLICADA DEL LITORAL
Unidad Ejecutora - UE
congresos y reuniones científicas
Título:
Taxonomic considerations about the genus Urotherium Castellanos (Xenarthra, Glyptodontidae): a common problema shared with other glyptodonts
Autor/es:
ZURITA, A. E; DE LOS REYES, M.; SOIBELZON, E.; OLIVA, C.; SCILLATO-YANÉ, G. J.; POIRÉ, D
Lugar:
Buenos Aires
Reunión:
Jornada; XXVI Jornadas Argentinas de Paleontología de Vertebrados; 2012
Institución organizadora:
APA
Resumen:
Urotherium is a genus recognized by Castellanos on the
basis of an almost complete caudal tube (U.
simplex Castellanos) coming from the Chapadmalalan Stage/Age (Pliocene) of
the Buenos Aires province, Argentina. Currently, this genus is included in the
tribes Lomaphorini or Neuryurini. There is some consensus that only two species
constitutes the genus: U. simplex and
U. simile Castellanos, from the ?Araucanian?
(late Miocene-Pliocene?) of northwestern Argentina, plus some records in the
Pampean Region assigned to Urotherium
sp. Urotherium is characterized by a dorsal
carapace and caudal tube constituted by osteoderms with their exposed surface
clearly punctuate, some foramina, and smooth lateral surfaces. Some osteoderms
assigned to Urotherium sp. show a
very rugose exposed surface and a high number of foramina. In this context, a
detailed comparison with two dorsal carapaces and one associated caudal tube
from the Chapadmalalan of Buenos Aires province assigned to Eosclerocalyptus cf. lineatus shows that the osteoderm morphology of U. simplex and Urotherium sp. is also observed in some eroded region of the dorsal
carapace in E. cf. lineatus; in addition, the caudal tube
presents the same morphology. In that concerning U. simile, the osteoderms are typical of juvenile Glyptodontidae,
as demonstrated in several groups of glyptodonts, particularly in
Glyptodontinae and ?Nethoracophorini?. To summarize, the evidence indicates
that the main morphological characters of Urotheriumsimplex and Urotherium sp. are also present in some osteoderms belonging to the
genus Eosclerocalyptus, whereas the
holotype of U. simile seems to
corresponds to a juvenile specimen