Juvenile glyptodonts (Mammalia, Xenarthra, Cingulata) from Cerro Zeballos (Collón Curá Formation, Middle Miocene), Chubut, Argentina

OLIVIERI, SHIRLEY F.; MARTINI, GASTÓN A.; GONZÁLEZ RUIZ, LAUREANO R.; BRANDONI, DIEGO

Historical Biology

taylor and francis

Año: 2025 p. 1 - 17

0891-2963

The diversity of glyptodonts has been historically overestimated in part because many taxa havebeen described based on portions of different regions of the carapace, isolated osteoderms andmaterials from juvenile specimens. Although juvenile glyptodonts specimens are relatively frequentin the fossil record, they have not been considered in many studies. In the present study we reportand describe juvenile glyptodonts specimens from the fossiliferous locality Cerro Zeballos belongingto the Collón Curá Formation (Middle Miocene). The specimens were assigned to Paraeucinepeltus cf.raposeirasi, and they were differentiated into an early juvenile stage and a late juvenile stage. Theidentification and description of juvenile glyptodonts specimens provides information about ontogeneticvariations in osteoderms, cranial and postcranial skeleton of glyptodonts. This improves therecognition of genera and species of glyptodonts and avoids the inappropriate creation of new taxa.