Paleontologists identify new species of extinct armadillo Partetus From fossilized bone embryos collected in the state of Paraná in southern Brazil.
Hypothetical artistic reconstruction Partetus Oliveirai Middle to late Eocene of Brazil. Image credit: Marcio L. Castro.
Partetus Oliveirai It lived in South America from 42 million years ago to 39 million years ago (mid-late Eocene).
The ancient species belongs to Euphractinae group of armadillo family Dasipidae.
Paleontologist Tabata Klimek of Santa Federal University and his colleagues said, “The armadillo family is represented by modern armadillos and extinct armadillos.''
“This group is stratigraphically and geographically widespread, from southern Patagonia to southern North America.”
“The paleontological record of armadillos is represented primarily by osteoderms.”
“According to other interpretations, they are known from nearly all South American mammal faunas from the late Paleocene/early Eocene, or only from the early Eocene.”
“Euphractinae is the most diverse clade (subfamily) of Dasypodidae,” they noted.
“The earliest undisputed occurrences of euphractin date back to the mid-to-late Eocene of the Gran Barranca region of Argentine Patagonia and the mid-Eocene Upper Lumbrella Formation of northwestern Argentina.”
“Partetus “It is one of the earliest branching euphractins,” they added.
“The genus was described in 1902 and the type species is Partetus chicoensis I'm from Patagonia, Argentina. ”
8 bone embryo fossils Partetus Oliveirai It was discovered in the Guavirotuba Formation in Curitiba, Paraná, Brazil.
“The Guavilotuba Formation is the main lithostratigraphic unit of the Curitiba sedimentary basin,” the paleontologists said.
“It is represented by distributed fluvial system deposits consisting of immature subalcoholic sand and mud interspersed with limited gravel deposits at the edges of the basin.”
“Geological features indicate a semi-arid environment, with temporary rivers forming during the rainy season, transporting sediment and forming alluvial fans.”
This new species expands our knowledge of the diversity of armadillos, which lived in southeastern South America during the Paleogene period.
“Partetus OliveiraiThe osteoderm differs from other species of this genus in the following ways: (i) More surface glandular and ciliary pores. (ii) flat surface joint areas between osteoderms; There is no groove in the central part of the osteoderm. (iii) large size,” the researchers said.
“Combined, this set of traits does not exist in any other species. Partetus Genus. ”
“The increase in the number and size of surface glandular and ciliary pores may be related to the global cooling that occurred during the mid-to-late Eocene, which affected South American faunas. .”
“Finally, this new species expands our knowledge of the lesser-known diversity of mammals that lived in southeastern South America during the Eocene.”
of findings Published in Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology.
_____
TDF Klimek others. 2024. Uncovering the diversity of Paleogene zonal fauna from Brazil: new species Partetus (Euphractinae) Guavilotuba Formation (Middle to Late Eocene). Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology 44 (1): e2403581;doi: 10.1080/02724634.2024.2403581
Source: www.sci.news
