Article
Biology
Luana C. Andrade, Fernando H. de S. Barbosa, Luiza B. Melki, Edison Oliveira, Herminio de Araujo-Junior, Vanderlei Maniesi
Summary: A study conducted on a fossil mammal assemblage in northeastern Brazil identified four different types of diseases, primarily found in a giant ground sloth and an indeterminate mammal species, expanding the understanding of disease occurrences in xenarthras species.
HISTORICAL BIOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Biology
Timothy Gaudin, Thomas Scaife, Nestor Toledo, Gerardo De Iuliis
Summary: This study provides a comparative description of the skull anatomy of the basal megatherioid sloth Schismotherium fractum. It highlights the distinct features that distinguish Schismotherium and Pelecyodon, even though there is variation in various skull characteristics within S. fractum. The study supports the current taxonomic status of these sloths but emphasizes the need for further anatomical and phylogenetic investigations.
HISTORICAL BIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Paleontology
Adriana M. Candela, Maria A. Abello, Marcelo A. Reguero, Cesar M. Garcia Esponda, Ulyses F. J. Pardinas, Alfredo A. Zurita, Francois Pujos, Angel Mino-Boilini, Sofia Quinones, Claudia I. Galli, Carlos Luna, Damian Voglino, Martin de los Reyes, Pedro Cuaranta
Summary: This study describes new Late Miocene mammalian specimens found in the Humahuaca Basin in northwestern Argentina, and analyzes their taxonomy and significance in understanding the initial stages of the Great American Biotic Interchange. The stratigraphy and age of the specimens provide crucial data for establishing the oldest records of Holarctic immigrants in GABI. The study also reports the first record of cricetid rodents and procyonids in South America, and describes the first records of several autochthonous mammals from the Maimara Formation.
PAPERS IN PALAEONTOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Paleontology
Lazaro W. Vinola-Lopez, Elson E. Core Suarez, Jorge Velez-Juarbe, Juan N. Almonte Milan, Jonathan Bloch
Summary: A study reported the oldest known fossil ground sloth from the Dominican Republic in the late Miocene-early Pliocene, filling a temporal gap in the continuous presence of the group in the Greater Antilles since the Oligocene. The combination of characters observed on the tibia suggests a close relationship with Megalocnus.
JOURNAL OF PALEONTOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Biology
Angel R. Mino-Boilini, Diego Brandoni, Claudia Montalvo, Rodrigo L. Tomassini, Daniel Barasoain, Alfredo E. Zurita
Summary: Among extinct sloths, the subfamily Nothrotheriinae is known for their distinctive dental features, including caniniforms separated from the molariform tooth row and molariforms with longitudinal grooves on the lingual and labial surfaces. The subfamily has been found in various regions of South America, Central America, and North America, ranging from the Middle Miocene to the Pleistocene. Several well-known representatives include Pronothrotherium, Huilabradys, Mionothropus, and Mcdonaldocnus. New cranio-dental remains of Mcdonaldocnus have been discovered in Argentina and Bolivia, as well as in the Cerro Azul Formation in Buenos Aires Province and the provinces of La Pampa.
HISTORICAL BIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Paleontology
Jose L. Roman-Carrion, Richard Madden, Angel R. Mino-Boilini, Alfredo E. Zurita
Summary: Xenarthra, an important endemic clade in South America during the Cenozoic, has been found in new fossil discoveries from southern Ecuador. Comparative studies reveal morphological differences with other Miocene specimens from different regions, suggesting the possibility of new taxa and indicating isolation of these putative endemic paleofauna in southern South America.
JOURNAL OF VERTEBRATE PALEONTOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Paleontology
Sofia Quinones, Alfredo E. Zurita, Angel R. Mino-Boilini, Adriana M. Candela, Carlos A. Luna
Summary: Xenarthra is likely the most primitive clade among Placentalia and its formation is the result of the Splendid Isolation in South America. Despite being the only endemic clade with living representatives, the current diversity of Xenarthra is significantly less rich compared to the majority of the Cenozoic era. Thalassocnus, a particular clade within Folivora (sloths), is an enigmatic animal with previous records limited to coastal areas of Miocene and Pliocene in Peru and Chile. This study presents the first record of Thalassocnus in Argentina, indicating a more complex evolutionary and paleobiogeographic history than previously interpreted.
JOURNAL OF VERTEBRATE PALEONTOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Paleontology
Karina Chichkoyan, Chiara Villa, Viola Winkler, Luigi Manuelli, Gabriel E. Acuna Suarez
Summary: This study presents the pathological conditions observed in the clavicular joints of the extinct giant ground sloth Megatherium americanum, providing important insights into the paleoecological aspects of this species.
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Thayara S. Carrasco, Carolina S. Scherer, Ana Maria Ribeiro, Francisco S. Buchmann
Summary: Through the analysis of carbon and oxygen stable isotope ratios, this study investigated the diet and foraging behaviors of camelids in southern Brazil during the Pleistocene. The results showed that Hemiauchenia paradoxa and Lama guanicoe predominantly consumed C-3 grasses, while Vicugna vicugna had a mixed C-3-C-4 diet. These different dietary preferences may have minimized interspecific competition and facilitated the coexistence of related species. The climate, as inferred from the oxygen and carbon isotope data, likely played a role in shaping the diet of camelids, with cool-season grasses being more available during glacial periods. The extinction of camelids in southern Brazil was likely influenced by climate change and the loss of grasslands.
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Laureano R. Gonzalez Ruiz
Summary: This study describes the materials of cingulates (armadillos and glyptodonts) from Roth's collection, which have been previously mentioned but remained unpublished. These materials were used for the recognition of the Miocene sediment of South America. The fossil localities and levels of the Alto Rio Cisnes area in Chile contain various cingulate species.
JOURNAL OF SOUTH AMERICAN EARTH SCIENCES
(2022)