Abstract:The present work concerns xenarthrans from the collection of Santiago (Kaspar Jakob) Roth (1850–1924) housed at the Palaeontological Institute and Museum of the University of Zurich, one of the most important collections of Pleistocene mammals from Argentina in Europe. Roth was a paleontologist originally from Switzerland who prospected and collected a large amount of Pleistocene megafauna of the Pampean Region of Argentina. The xenarthrans are the main representatives of this collection in Zurich, with 150 sp… Show more
“…T. platensis and Mesotherium cristatum ) and one litoptern ( Macrauchenia patachonica ), restricted to the “Lower” and “Intermediate” Pampean (Ensenadan to Bonaerian Stages/Ages). Although the SANUs diversity in the Roth collection is low in comparison with other groups, such as xenarthrans (Le Verger, 2023 ), Neartic ungulates (Carrillo-Briceño et al, 2023 ), and rodents (Kerber, 2023 ), some of the specimens are very complete, including skulls and postcranial remains. The completeness and quality of the fossil material allow us to examine and discuss previously unnoticed anatomical aspects, including new interpretations on patterns of dental wear and on the identity of the cusps present on the upper molars in Ma.…”
Section: Discussionmentioning
confidence: 89%
“…When possible, we provide the original strata provenance of each specimen as indicated by Roth in Table 1 . Recent revisions on the chronostratigraphy and geochronology of the Pampean Region have considered that the age of the sediments, where Roth made his collections roughly correspond to the Ensenadan, Bonaerian, and Lujanian Ages/Stages (Table 1 ) (see Cione & Tonni, 1995 ; Cione et al, 2015 ; Voglino, 2020 ; Voglino et al, 2023 ; Le Verger, 2023 ; Fernández-Monescillo et al, 2023d and references therein). Fig.…”
Section: Methodsmentioning
confidence: 99%
“…Roth sold part of his collection to institutions in Denmark and Switzerland (Hansen, 2019 ), and today, the specimens are housed in the Zoological Museum of the University of Copenhagen (Hansen, 2019 ), the Natural History Museum of Geneva, the Cantonal Museum of Geology of the University of Lausanne, and the Palaeontological Institute and Museum of the University of Zurich (Voglino et al, 2023 ). The important collections of Santiago Roth in Switzerland include iconic Pleistocene megafauna from the Pampean Region, represented by a rich collection of giant glyptodonts and ground sloths, gomphotheres, and native ungulates (Carrillo-Briceño et al, 2023 ; Christen et al, 2023 ; Le Verger, 2023 ; Püschel & Martinelli, 2023 ; Roth, 1889 ).…”
Section: Introductionmentioning
confidence: 99%
“…The palaeontological significance of the Pampean Region that attracted the attention of Roth and other explorers, relies on its abundant record of fossil vertebrates that documents diversity dynamics and paleoenvironmental change in southern South America and serves as the basis for the South American biochronological scale of the late Neogene and Quaternary (Cione & Tonni, 1995 ; Cione et al, 2015 ; Domingo et al, 2020 ; Gasparini et al, 2023 ; Pascual & Jaureguizar, 1990 ; Prado et al, 2021 ; Prevosti et al, 2021 ). The Pleistocene was a period of high mammal diversity in the Pampean Region, in particular megafauna, that was affected by paleoenvironmental changes (Le Verger, 2023 ; Prado et al, 2001 ; Prado et al, 2021 ). The SANUs megafauna survived in the Pampean Region until the Late Pleistocene/Holocene boundary (Prado et al, 2015 ), and its extinction in the region was likely the result of a synergy of paleoclimatic changes and anthropogenic impacts (Barnosky & Lindsey, 2010 ; Cione et al, 2003 ).…”
The fossil collections made by early explorers in South America have been fundamental to reveal the past diversity of extinct mammals and unravel their evolutionary history. One important early explorer in South America was the Swiss-Argentine palaeontologist Kaspar Jacob Roth, known as Santiago Roth (1850, Herisau, Switzerland-1924, Buenos Aires, Argentina), who made significant collections of fossil mammals that are housed in museums in Europe and Argentina. The important collections of Roth in Switzerland include iconic Pleistocene megafauna from the Pampean Region (Argentina). The palaeontological significance of the Pampean Region relies on its abundant record of fossil vertebrates that documents diversity dynamics and paleoenvironmental change in southern South America, serving as the basis for the South American biostratigraphical scale of the late Neogene and Quaternary. The South American native ungulates (SANUs) were hoofed placental mammals that radiated in South America. The clades Notoungulata and Litopterna include, among others, the last representatives of SANUs megafauna in the continent. We revise and describe for the first time the SANUs specimens from the Pampean Region of the Roth collections in Switzerland. The collections include two species of notoungulates (Toxodon cf. T. platensis and Mesotherium cristatum) and one litoptern species (Macrauchenia patachonica). The occurrences are restricted to the early and middle Pleistocene (pre-Lujanian Stages/Ages). Although the SANUs diversity in the Roth collections is low in comparison with other groups (e.g., xenarthrans), some of the specimens are very complete, including skulls and postcranial remains. The completeness of the Ma. patachonica material allows an update and reinterpretation of some of the details of the dentition and the postcranial skeleton of this iconic species. In addition to its historical importance, the SANU specimens from the Roth collections provide important information to study the paleobiology and evolution of South American megafauna and evaluate hypotheses about their extinction in the continent.
“…T. platensis and Mesotherium cristatum ) and one litoptern ( Macrauchenia patachonica ), restricted to the “Lower” and “Intermediate” Pampean (Ensenadan to Bonaerian Stages/Ages). Although the SANUs diversity in the Roth collection is low in comparison with other groups, such as xenarthrans (Le Verger, 2023 ), Neartic ungulates (Carrillo-Briceño et al, 2023 ), and rodents (Kerber, 2023 ), some of the specimens are very complete, including skulls and postcranial remains. The completeness and quality of the fossil material allow us to examine and discuss previously unnoticed anatomical aspects, including new interpretations on patterns of dental wear and on the identity of the cusps present on the upper molars in Ma.…”
Section: Discussionmentioning
confidence: 89%
“…When possible, we provide the original strata provenance of each specimen as indicated by Roth in Table 1 . Recent revisions on the chronostratigraphy and geochronology of the Pampean Region have considered that the age of the sediments, where Roth made his collections roughly correspond to the Ensenadan, Bonaerian, and Lujanian Ages/Stages (Table 1 ) (see Cione & Tonni, 1995 ; Cione et al, 2015 ; Voglino, 2020 ; Voglino et al, 2023 ; Le Verger, 2023 ; Fernández-Monescillo et al, 2023d and references therein). Fig.…”
Section: Methodsmentioning
confidence: 99%
“…Roth sold part of his collection to institutions in Denmark and Switzerland (Hansen, 2019 ), and today, the specimens are housed in the Zoological Museum of the University of Copenhagen (Hansen, 2019 ), the Natural History Museum of Geneva, the Cantonal Museum of Geology of the University of Lausanne, and the Palaeontological Institute and Museum of the University of Zurich (Voglino et al, 2023 ). The important collections of Santiago Roth in Switzerland include iconic Pleistocene megafauna from the Pampean Region, represented by a rich collection of giant glyptodonts and ground sloths, gomphotheres, and native ungulates (Carrillo-Briceño et al, 2023 ; Christen et al, 2023 ; Le Verger, 2023 ; Püschel & Martinelli, 2023 ; Roth, 1889 ).…”
Section: Introductionmentioning
confidence: 99%
“…The palaeontological significance of the Pampean Region that attracted the attention of Roth and other explorers, relies on its abundant record of fossil vertebrates that documents diversity dynamics and paleoenvironmental change in southern South America and serves as the basis for the South American biochronological scale of the late Neogene and Quaternary (Cione & Tonni, 1995 ; Cione et al, 2015 ; Domingo et al, 2020 ; Gasparini et al, 2023 ; Pascual & Jaureguizar, 1990 ; Prado et al, 2021 ; Prevosti et al, 2021 ). The Pleistocene was a period of high mammal diversity in the Pampean Region, in particular megafauna, that was affected by paleoenvironmental changes (Le Verger, 2023 ; Prado et al, 2001 ; Prado et al, 2021 ). The SANUs megafauna survived in the Pampean Region until the Late Pleistocene/Holocene boundary (Prado et al, 2015 ), and its extinction in the region was likely the result of a synergy of paleoclimatic changes and anthropogenic impacts (Barnosky & Lindsey, 2010 ; Cione et al, 2003 ).…”
The fossil collections made by early explorers in South America have been fundamental to reveal the past diversity of extinct mammals and unravel their evolutionary history. One important early explorer in South America was the Swiss-Argentine palaeontologist Kaspar Jacob Roth, known as Santiago Roth (1850, Herisau, Switzerland-1924, Buenos Aires, Argentina), who made significant collections of fossil mammals that are housed in museums in Europe and Argentina. The important collections of Roth in Switzerland include iconic Pleistocene megafauna from the Pampean Region (Argentina). The palaeontological significance of the Pampean Region relies on its abundant record of fossil vertebrates that documents diversity dynamics and paleoenvironmental change in southern South America, serving as the basis for the South American biostratigraphical scale of the late Neogene and Quaternary. The South American native ungulates (SANUs) were hoofed placental mammals that radiated in South America. The clades Notoungulata and Litopterna include, among others, the last representatives of SANUs megafauna in the continent. We revise and describe for the first time the SANUs specimens from the Pampean Region of the Roth collections in Switzerland. The collections include two species of notoungulates (Toxodon cf. T. platensis and Mesotherium cristatum) and one litoptern species (Macrauchenia patachonica). The occurrences are restricted to the early and middle Pleistocene (pre-Lujanian Stages/Ages). Although the SANUs diversity in the Roth collections is low in comparison with other groups (e.g., xenarthrans), some of the specimens are very complete, including skulls and postcranial remains. The completeness of the Ma. patachonica material allows an update and reinterpretation of some of the details of the dentition and the postcranial skeleton of this iconic species. In addition to its historical importance, the SANU specimens from the Roth collections provide important information to study the paleobiology and evolution of South American megafauna and evaluate hypotheses about their extinction in the continent.
“…The extensive work of Roth in the Pampean region covered at least 25 localities in the Buenos Aires, Santa Fe, Córdoba, and Entre Ríos provinces (Voglino, 2020 ; Fig. 1 ; see also Carrillo & Püschel, 2023 ; Carrillo-Briceño et al, 2023 ; Le Verger, 2023 ; Ruiz-Ramoni et al, 2023 ). From these, the most profusely studied were sites in the neighborhood, where he lived (Baradero, Pergamino, and San Nicolás de los Arroyos—San Nicolás for brevity in the rest of the text) in the north east area of Buenos Aires Province (Torres, 1927 ).…”
Section: Stratigraphy From Pampean Sites and Roth’s Legacymentioning
Santiago Roth was a Swiss fossil finder, naturalist, and paleontologist that emigrated to Argentina in 1866. His work largely influenced the discipline in the country at the end of the twentieth century, particularly the stratigraphy of the Pampean region. Some of his collections of Pampean fossils were sold to museums and private collectors in Europe and were accompanied by elaborated catalogues. Fossils in the Roth’s catalogues N° 2 and 3 are housed today in the Natural History Museum of Denmark, fossils from catalogues N° 4 to 6, were sold to Swiss museums, with Catalogue N° 5 currently housed at the Department of Paleontology, Universität Zürich. Here, we provide a general framework on the stratigraphy from the Roth’s Pampean fossil sites, summarize the history of the Pampean fossils in Europe originally collected by Roth, and provide historical and curatorial details of the Roth’s collection at the Department of Paleontology, Universität Zürich.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.
