First record of the Neolicaphrium recens Frenguelli, 1921 (Mammalia, Litopterna) in the Pleistocene of Santiago del Estero Province, Argentina

New records and diet reconstruction using dental microwear analysis for Neolicaphrium recens Frenguelli, 1921 (Litopterna, Proterotheriidae)

“…Later, Luna et al (2015) communicated the finding of dental remains in Córdoba but, unfortunately, there is no precise stratigraphic provenance. Schmidt et al (2016) shown new materials from Pleistocene deposits of Córdoba, including postcranial remains, and Gaudioso et al (2017) present the first record for Santiago del Estero Province, from layers of the same age. In southern Brazil (Rio Grande do Sul State) there are some postcranial materials from Pleistocene deposits that probably correspond to N. recens, although more findings are necessary to confirm this hypothesis (Scherer et al, 2009).…”

“…Despite the fact that Frenguelli (1921) described Neolicaphrium recens found in Pleistocene sediments from Argentina, at that time this family was believed extinct in the Pliocene. New findings in Uruguay (Perea et al, 1995) suggested the presence of Neolicaphrium recens in the Quaternary, later confirmed by more collected and reviewed material from north center Argentina, northern Uruguay and probably in southern Brazil (Tauber, 2000;Bond et al, 2001;Scherer et al, 2009;Vezzosi et al, 2009;Ubilla et al, 2011;Luna et al, 2015;Schmidt et al, 2016;Vezzosi, 2016;Gaudioso et al, 2017).…”

A Patagonian swan (Anatidae: Anserinae) from the Upper Pleistocene of Austral Chaco (Argentina)

“…On the other hand, fossil remains of vertebrates that come from the Dulce River Basin; represent a mixture of diverse taxa, mostly Pleistocene mammals, with different ages and states of preservation (Gramajo, 1992;Powell & Deraco, 2003;Alberdi et al, 2008;Chimento & Agnolin, 2011;Gaudioso et al, 2017;Albino & Gaudioso, 2018). These records suggest that the depositional environment is composed of remains from different sources with varying taphonomic histories and probably subject to several episodes of exhumation-transportburial (Behrensmeyer, 1982;Montalvo et al, 2008).…”

“…For the Upper Pleistocene of the austral Chaco region, several lithostratigraphic units from both principal fluvial basins are recognized, the Dulce and Northern Salado Rivers (Battaglia, 1982;Iriondo, 2010;Vezzosi et al, 2019). Some of these sequences are fossiliferous with aquatic and continental vertebrates (Frenguelli, 1920;1932;Castellanos, 1924;Vezzosi, 2016;Vallone et al, 2017;Gaudioso et al, 2017;Vezzosi et al, 2017;Albino & Gaudioso, 2018;Brandoni & Vezzosi, 2019;Gaudioso et al, 2019). Along the cut banks of the Dulce River the Tasigasta, Atamisqui and Dos de Mayo geological formations crop out, as well as other fluvial lithostratigraphic units such as the Capellanía Formation (Battaglia, 1982;Iriondo, 2010), that have reported continental Pleistocene vertebrate.…”

“…Along the cut banks of the Dulce River the Tasigasta, Atamisqui and Dos de Mayo geological formations crop out, as well as other fluvial lithostratigraphic units such as the Capellanía Formation (Battaglia, 1982;Iriondo, 2010), that have reported continental Pleistocene vertebrate. Several fossil remains of continental mammals, as well as few reptiles, were recovered from the upper Dulce River catchment, where the Upper Pleistocene units crop out (Chimento & Agnolin, 2011;Gaudioso et al, 2017;Albino & Gaudioso, 2018); however, bird remains from these two important river basins have not yet been reported.…”