A review of the Quaternary Tayassuidae (Mammalia, Artiodactyla) from the Tarija Valley, Bolivia

Three genera of Tayassuidae are recognized in South America: Platygonus Le Conte, 1848, Catagonus Ameghino, 1904 and Tayassu Fischer, 1814. This study provides the first systematic review of the Pleistocene tayassuids yet reported from Bolivia. The richest records of the family in South America derived from central-eastern Argentina and southern Brazil. Catagonus stenocephalus (Lund in Reinhardt, 1880) is documented for the first time in Bolivia, significantly extending the geographic distribution of this species in South America. We cannot confirm the validity of Platygonus tarijensis (Ameghino, 1904), but accept its generic allocation. Both taxa show adaptations to arid or semi-arid and relatively open environments, which is consistent with the palaeoenvironmental conditions previously proposed for the Tarija Valley. The veracity of other records of the family from Bolivia cannot be confirmed.