Dental nomenclature follows Marivaux et al. (2004), Antoine et al. (2012), and homologies of crests are after Verzi et al. (2016). References of publications that include at least partial descriptions of the listed characters are indicated. Ten new characters are listed at the end.Character 1. Premaxillary septum separating incisive foramina (Verzi, 2001): with posterior ends of premaxillae joined medially, forming a pointed or rounded projection which may join an anterior apophysis of the maxilla (0); with posterior ends of premaxillae divergent, each one forming a small lateral apophysis (1).Character 2. Lateral walls of incisive foramina (or of the corresponding cavity in case of partially obliterated foramina) (Verzi, 2008): with concave margins (0); with protruding medial walls of premaxillae producing anteriorly convergent margins (1); margins very narrow or not developed posterior to premaxillary-maxillary suture (2).Character 3. Premaxillary-maxillary suture at medial margin of incisive foramen (Verzi, 2008;Verzi et al., 2010): level with the portion of the suture located lateral to the foramen (0); displaced anteriorly (1); displaced posteriorly (2).Character 4. Medial margins of maxillary fossae (Olivares et al., 2012): separated (0); approximating each other or fused along the midline and generally forming a crest (1).Character 5. External margins of incisive foramina posterior to premaxillary-maxillary suture: separated (0); very close or fused to each other (1). Character 6. Anterior portion of premaxilla anterior to incisive alveolus in lateral view (Carvalho and Salles, 2004;Olivares et al., 2012): low to very low (0); high, forms the ventrolateral side of a tube that is dorsally completed by the nasal (1).Character 7. Alveolar margins of M1-M2: level with palatal bridge, or ventral and forming acute alveolar margins (0); dorsal to the palatal bridge, forming wide to moderately convex, sometimes swollen, margins (1).Character 8. Protuberance on maxilla ventral to bottom of alveolar sheath of I1: absent (0); present and located at the level of the external alveolar margin of DP4 (1); present and located at the level of the external alveolar margin between DP4 and M1 (2). Character 9. Lateral flange of canal for infraorbital nerve in zygomatic root (Verzi ,2008;Verzi et al., 2010): with dorsal margin free or slightly in contact with bottom of alveolar sheath of upper incisor (0); with dorsal margin joined to bottom of alveolar sheath of upper incisor (1).Character 10. Lacrimal foramen: opens into the orbital portion of the lacrimal (0); opens into the maxilla (1).Character 11. Portion of maxilla surrounding foramen into lacrimal canal: with a suture posterior to the foramen (0); continuous around foramen (1).Character 12. Foramen into nasolacrimal canal: open on side of the base of rostrum or anterior portion of orbital region, visible in lateral view (0); open on medial side of maxillary lamina posterior to incisor alveolar sheath, on the margin of sphenopalatine fissure, and oriented posteriorly to...
Vetelia is a Miocene genus of armadillos from Argentina and Chile, traditionally included within the subfamily Euphractinae (Chlamyphoridae, Cingulata, Xenarthra). It includes the species Vetelia puncta (early-middle Miocene), Vetelia perforata (middle-late Miocene), and Vetelia gandhii (late Miocene), mostly known by isolated osteoderms. In this contribution, we provide the first description of the skull for this genus, based on new materials here assigned to V. gandhii . A detailed characterization allows us to amend the diagnosis of the three known species, and to include, for the first time, the genus Vetelia into a morphological phylogenetic analysis. Phylogenetic results reveal a closer affinity to the Tolypeutinae, including the extant genera Priodontes (giant armadillos), Cabassous (naked-tailed armadillos), and Tolypeutes (three banded armadillos), and the fossil genera Pedrolypeutes and Kuntinaru, than to the Euphractinae. More specifically, Vetelia is included within the Priodontini, as sister group of the clade composed by Cabassous + Priodontes. Taking into account the scarce record of fossil Tolypeutinae, this new proposal fills an important temporal gap in the evolutionary history of this linage. Finally, we also provide new information on the diagnostic morphological characters of the Priodontini and Tolypeutini.
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