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Proboscideans are megamammals widely recorded in South America Quaternary deposits, especially in Brazil, where many specimens were found in tanks and caves. In tank deposits, the fossil remains are usually recognized as adult individuals, although highly and usually fragmented. The records of immature proboscideans are rare, consisting of isolated teeth and jaw fragments, especially from tank deposits. Here we describe a new and rare occurrence of an immature proboscidean — a second upper left deciduous premolar (DP2) of Notiomastodon cf. platensis — from Pernambuco state, Brazil. This record increases the number of immature individuals known for Notiomastodon in Brazil, contributes to the understanding of the frequency of immature individuals in tank deposits, and increases Notiomastodon geographic distribution in South America. Keywords: South America, Quaternary, Notiomastodon platensis, immature, tank deposit.

Este trabalho descreve marcas encontradas em fosseis de mamiferos pleistocenicos do Sitio Lagoa da Pedra, que fica localizado no distrito de Conceicao das Creoulas, identificando possiveis relacoes temporais e/ou fisicas entre os grupos pre-historicos e a megafauna que coabitou a regiao nordeste do Brasil, em Salgueiro - PE, no Pleistoceno Final - Holoceno Inicial. A metodologia aplicada, utilizando microscopio estereoscopico, identificou fosseis que apresentam marcas que foram possivelmente causadas por instrumentos liticos. O trabalho apresenta indicios de interacao homem-megafauna atraves da caca desses animais, reforcando evidencias ja existentes sobre a coabitacao durante o final do Pleistoceno e inicio do Holoceno. BRANDS ON MEGAFAUNA FOSSILS IN LAGOA DA PEDRA, SALGUEIRO-PE, BRAZIL ABSTRACT This work describes marks found on fossil mammals of the Pleistocene Lagoa da Pedra Site, which is located in the Conceicao das Creoulas district, identifying possible temporal and / or physical relationships between prehistoric groups and the megafauna that cohabitated the northeast region of Brazil. , in Salgueiro - PE, in the Late Pleistocene - Early Holocene. The applied methodology, using stereoscopic microscope, identified fossils presenting marks that were possibly caused by lithic instruments. This work presents evidence of human-megafauna interaction through hunting of these animals, reinforcing existing evidence on cohabitation during the late Pleistocene and early Holocene. Keywords : Quaternary; marks; fossils; pleistocene mammals; megamammals.

We performed a macroscopic and radiological inspection in a set of bones belonging to the fossil mammal assemblage of Zabele Paleontological Site (Late Pleistocene-Northgrippian), in northeastern B...

The Pediomyiodea has been largely regarded as a Late Cretaceous North American metatherian lineage; however, some studies have suggested that a few South American taxa could be related to this family. Herein, Austropediomys marshalli gen. et sp. nov. from the Itaborai Basin, Brazil (lower Eocene – Itaboraian SALMA), is described. Austropediomys gen. nov. represents the first report of a pediomyoid metatherian in the Paleogene of South America backed by a phylogenetic analysis. Several derived features in the upper molars support its belonging to the Pediomyoidea: presence of accessory ‘conular-like’ structures (here named conuloids) lingual to the conules; supernumerary stylar cusps; asymmetric stylar shelf, with parastylar shelf reduced to a narrow rim in M1; straight centrocrista; short and obliquely oriented prepacrista, which contacts StA in M2–3. The presence of ‘conular-like’ structures lingual to the paraconule and metaconule is identified in Austropediomys gen. nov. and in Late Cretaceous pediomyoids as well, and results in the phylogenetic analysis as a synapomorphy of the Pediomyoidea. Austropediomys gen. nov. is autapomorphyc in the presence of enlarged conuloids on protocristae. The record of a pediomyoid in the Paleogene of South America increases the temporal and biogeographical range of this lineage. Also, our results support the hypothesis that several non-related metatherian lineages dispersed from North to South America via the Caribbean Plate, most probably during the latest Cretaceous, in an island-hopping or sweepstakes model.

In Brazil, Glyptotherium findings occur mainly in the Northeastern region. In the northeast, Brazilian Intertropical Region (BIR), there are records of Glyptotherium of the Upper Pleistocene, mainly in the State of Pernambuco. This work reports new findings of Glyptotherium in a tank deposit from the Upper Pleistocene of Pernambuco, corresponding to isolated osteoderms and an astragalus which approaches in detail to North American forms. This record expands both the distribution of Glyptotherium to the BIR, and the data regarding the paleobiogeographic relations among the faunas of megamammals of the North of South America, Central America, and the South of North America during the Late Pleistocene.

The Paleogene vertebrate-bearing sites of Brazil are restricted to few formations such as Maria Farinha (Late Cretaceous-early Paleocene), Itaborai (early Eocene), Entre-Corregos (Eocene-Oligocene), and Tremembe (late Oligocene-early Miocene). A new Paleogene fauna is reported from an outcrop of the Guabirotuba Formation located at Curitiba, Parana State, southern Brazil. The Guabirotuba Formation is a stratigraphic unit of the Curitiba Basin, which belongs to the Cenozoic continental rift system of southeastern Brazil, a predominantly half-graben and horst system. The sedimentary facies indicate a fluvial distributary depositional system associated with floodplain, generated under humid climate conditions alternating with drier periods. This new Paleogene fauna, here named the Guabirotuba Fauna, has invertebrate and vertebrate taxa, including mammals (Cingulata, Notoungulata, Astrapotheria, and Metatheria). The fossil remains of seven armored xenarthrans are identified, including the description of a new species and genus named Proeocoleophorus carlinii. The Guabirotuba ungulates are assigned to Interatheriidae, Oldfieldthomasiidae, and Astrapotheria. The metatherian mammals are represented by a sparassodont, a palaeothentoid, and an argyrolagoid. This new mammalian fauna preliminarily suggests a late middle Eocene age (Barrancan South American Land Mammal Age) for the Guabirotuba Formation.

The fossil mammals that lived in the Brazilian Intertropical Region during the Quaternary are found in different types of deposits (e.g. natural tanks, ponds, caves, rockshelter, and riverbeds) throughout the Brazilian territory. The state of Bahia, located on northeastern Brazil, stands out for the presence of large and important caves, which are characterized by the natural deposition of sediments and fossils. The study aims to identify the fauna found in the Borboletas Cave, and to provide the first paleoecological inferences for the environment during the Late Pleistocene-Holocene. Here we present the first record of Palaeolama major, Hippidion principale and Smilodon populator in Paripiranga, Bahia. Coendou sp., Mazama gouazoubira, and Toxodon platensis, already known to the region, were also collected and identified. Based on the chronological and geographical distribution of the taxa, it is suggested that the faunal content found lived during the Late Pleistocene – Holocene. The presence of the taxa found indicate an open paleoenvironment, similar to savanna, with areas covered with grasses associated with areas with forest cover. This study demonstrates that the Borboletas Cave is the richest paleontological site carrying the mammals in this region.

Occurrences of gomphotheres in northeastern Brazil there are in tank deposits, caves and lagoons and many of these records are from the Pleistocene tank deposits, formed by physical and chemical erosion in crystalline rock. These deposits are common in northwestern of State of Ceara and correspond to the most Pleistocene fossil findings. This paper presents the description of two specimens of gomphotheres identified as Gomphotheriidae constituting an unprecedented record for the City of Iraucuba, Ceara, located 150 km from Fortaleza. In the same place, Xenarthra, Liptoterna, Notoungulata and Perissodactyla were also found.

The present study acknowledges the diversity of fossil marsupials from the Gruta dos Moura cave, as well as environmental and climatic aspects during the Quaternary. The results show that this is the largest diversity of Pleistocene marsupials recorded in a single cave: Didelphis albiventris, D. aurita, Gracilinanus agilis, G. microtarsus, Marmosa murina, Monodelphis brevicaudata, M. domesticaand Sairadelphys tocantinensis. Furthermore, the described specimens are also part of the only fossil assemblage unequivocally referable to the late Pleistocene. Paleontological studies suggest an intimate association with dry and open environments with high abundance of water sources. Since most of the identified taxa are characteristic of open forests and gallery forests, this could represent the actual environment around the Gruta dos Moura cave. Recent studies identified sympatric occurrences between species from open and dry environments and species from humid forests that were identified among our material and are characteristic of humid regions. Therefore, these species could inhabit gallery forests and capons, or even ecotones, inside a dry and open environment. Moreover, the extinction of Sairadelphyscould also indicate that the climatic and environmental conditions changed or that the past environment was more heterogeneous than the current environment of the region. Neste estudo pretende-se reconhecer a diversidade de marsupiais fósseis da Gruta dos Moura além dos seus aspectos ambientais e climáticos durante o Quaternário. Constatou-se que esta é a maior diversidade de marsupiais Pleistocênicos coletados em uma única caverna: Didelphis albiventris, D. aurita, Gracilinaus agilis, G. microtarsus, Marmosa murina, Monodelphis brevicaudata, M. domestica e Sairadelphys tocantinensis. Além disso, esses marsupiais também reúnem a única assembleia fossilífera que seguramente está associada ao Neopleistoceno. Estudos paleontológicos realizados sugerem uma íntima associação com ambientes secos, abertos e de alta profusão de recursos hídricos. Assim, como a maioria dos táxons identificados são característicos de florestas abertas e matas de galerias, essa poderia ser de fato a paisagem do entorno da Gruta dos Moura. Estudos recentes identificaram simpatria entre espécies de ambientes secos/abertos e de florestas úmidas dos táxons aqui identificados e característicos de regiões úmidas. Assim, essas espécies poderiam habitar matas de galeria e capões, ou até ecótonos, em um ambiente mais seco e aberto. Além disso, a extinção de Sairadelphyspode ser outro indício de que as condições climático-ambientais mudaram ou que o ambiente pretérito era mais heterogêneo que o encontrado atualmente na região.

Pleistocene sites with mammals in Brazil are commonly recorded from limestone or dolomite caves, outcrops at rivers and creeks, coastal plain lagoon deposits, rock shelters, and natural tanks. This work presents a new late Pleistocene site containing bones and footprints of mammals. The footprints are assigned to llama (Lamaichnum), cervid (Pecoripeda), horse (Hippipeda), and at least one megamammal (?Toxodon), constituting the northernmost record for the late Pleistocene of South America and the first record from Brazil. Mammals are related to fluvial environments along with treeless vegetation during a sub-humid climate, in a region currently dominated by a semiarid biome.

The sparassodonts were the main mammalian predators during most of Cenozoic in South America. The lower Eocene Itaborai Basin/Formation includes the second oldest fossil records of this group in South America: Patene and Nemolestes. Patene is by far the most abundant sparassodont from this formation, with more than 30 specimens referable to a single taxon, Patene simpsoni. Some specimens recovered from the Quebrada de Los Colorados Formation (former Lumbrera Formation – middle Eocene) in Northwestern Argentina have been also referred to P. simpsoni. In order to test the affinities of Patene and the taxonomy of the Argentinean specimens, we performed a review of the genus. We concluded that the specimens from Northwestern Argentina show significant differences from the Brazilian specimens: smaller size, paraconid more developed; metaconid, entoconid and hypoconid more reduced. As a result, the specimens from the Quebrada de Los Colorados Formation were assigned to a new species, Patene coloradensis. Our phylogenetic analysis supported previous hypotheses that exclude Patene from the “Hathliacynidae”, as the former was recovered as an earlier divergent lineage. The results also supported the hypothesis that Allqokirus australis and Mayulestes ferox from the Tiupampa Basin (El Molino Formation, lower Paleocene – Tiupampian), Bolivia, are the oldest known representatives of the Sparassodonta. The results also supported the monophyly of the Pucadelphyida with the inclusion of the Jaskhadelphyidae and closely related taxa in addition to the Pucadelphyidae + Sparassodonta. The Late Cretaceous, North American Varalphadon was not recovered in our phylogenetic analysis as a representative of the Sparassodonta.Based on our results, the Sparassodonta should be considered, based on the current fossil record, as a South American endemic lineage. doi: 10.5710/AMGH.06.05.2019.3222

Fossil remains of the sigmodontine rodent Holochilus brasiliensis (Desmarest, 1819) from two geographic areas from the state of Rio Grande do Sul, southern Brazil are reviewed and described here. The specimens came from two localities: Quarai River in the western region, which has yielded a dentary with an incisor and molars, and Chui Creek in the eastern region, where a fragmented right dentary and a maxillary fragment with molars were collected. The presence of this taxon in the late Pleistocene of meridional Brazil suggests the existence of perennial water bodies. Keywords : mammals, rodents, late Pleistocene, paleoenvironment, Rio Grande do Sul.

The first caviine rodent referable to Galea Meyen, 1832 is described from the late Pleistocene of southern Brazil based on a left dentary with the p4–m3 series. The specimen derives from the Ponte Velha I locality in the Touro Passo Creek (Touro Passo Formation, upper Pleistocene), western Rio Grande do Sul State. The main characters used to assign this specimen to Galea are: anterior area of horizontal crest at the level of prism I of p4; deep anterior area of masseteric fossa; incisor alveolus on the medial face of the dentary extended up to the level of prism II of m2; and presence of cement in the hypoflexid. Currently, the genus has a disjunct distribution, with a group in Argentina, Bolivia and Peru, and another in northern and northeastern Brazil. The presence of this taxon in Pleistocene deposits of Rio Grande do Sul State, Uruguay and the Argentine Mesopotamian, where there are no extant representatives of the genus, indicates its wider distribution during the late Pleistocene.

Intertropical Pleistocene taxa of dasypodids and pampatheriids are reported for the Lagoon-Barrier III System (Arroio Chui locality) and for the Touro Passo Formation (Ponte Velha I locality), both from Rio Grande do Sul State, southern Brazil. The record of pampatheriids includes new specimens that confirm the presence of Pampatherium humboldti in the Arroio Chui assemblage. Material previously assigned to Holmesina majus is identified as H. paulacoutoi. The record of dasypodids includes a large-sized specimen of the genus Dasypus, represented by an isolated pelvic buckler osteoderm, closely related to Dasypus (Hyperoambon) kappleri, and of Propraopus sulcatus, represented by isolated moveable and fixed osteoderms. This southernmost Brazilian record of P. sulcatus extends their distribution by about 2200 km from Lagoa Santa (Minas Gerais State, Brazil). The first record of P. sulcatus also includes specimens previously referred to as Propraopus cf. grandis from the Touro Passo Formation. Propraopus sulcatus differs from P. punctatus and P. grandis in having: osteoderms with wrinkled external surface, with wide and relatively deep sulci; principal figure plane, ranging from subcircular to hexagonal in fixed osteoderms; and moveable osteoderms with principal sulci forming a lageniform figure, and with four to five larger foramina distributed on the posterior half of these sulci. The late Pleistocene mammals of the coastal province and western Rio Grande do Sul were previously considered closely related to those of the Pampean region of Argentina. However, the presence of intertropical mammals in southern Brazil (Arroio Chui locality and Touro Passo Formation) mixed with Pampean representatives, corroborates the proposal of a close paleobiogeographic relation with assemblages of northern Uruguay and Argentine Mesopotamia.

We describe a new metatherian of the genus Gaylordia Paula Couto, from the early Eocene Itaboraí Basin, Brazil. This new species (estimated body mass ~60-90.9 g) is based on lower and upper dentition elements and is characterized by a more plesiomorphic dental morphology with respect to G. macrocynodonta Paula Couto (with a larger body mass, estimated in ~74-103 g for large individuals or males). The species G. doelloi Marshall, represented by small individuals or females, is regarded a junior synonym of G. macrocynodonta. A phylogenetic analysis as well as details of the occlusal surface of its upper and lower molars suggests that Gaylordia is closely related to the Pucadelphyidae, a non-marsupial “ameridelphian” group previously recorded at the early Paleocene locality of Tiupampa, Bolivia., Descreve-se um novo marsupial basal do gênero Gaylordia Paula Couto, do Eoceno inicial da bacia de Itaboraí, Brasil. Esta nova espécie (massa corporal estimada ~60-90.9 g) está baseada na dentição superior e inferior, e é caracterizada por uma morfologia dentária mais plesiomórfi ca em relação a G. macrocynodonta Paula Couto (cuja maior massa corporal é estimada em ~74-103 g para grandes indivíduos ou machos). A espécie G. doelloi Marshall, representada por indíviduos pequenos ou fêmeas, é considerada um sinônimo junior de G. macrocynodonta. Uma análise fi logenética, bem como detalhes da superfície oclusal de seus molares superiores e inferiores sugerem uma relação próxima de Gaylordia aos Pucadelphyidae, um grupo de ameridélfi os não marsupiais previamente registrados no Paleoceno inicial da localidade de Tiupampa, Bolivia., Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y Museo

This paper deals with xenarthrans osteoderms assigned to Dasypus aff. D. novemcinctus, Euphractus sexcinctus and Cabassous sp. The material was collected in subsurface, from 0.10 to 0.60 m in the Urso Fóssil Cave, Parque Nacional de Ubajara, State of Ceará, northeastern Brazil. The ages of sediment samples from levels 4 and 5 (depths of 0.40 and 0.50 m) were determined by thermoluminescence technique, and indicated ages of 8,000 and 8,200 years BP for each layer respectively. The presence in these layers of early Holocene xenarthrans taxa can contribute to the understanding of the biotic evolution of the northwest region of Ceará during the last 10,000 years. Two of the three identified taxa still occur in the region: Dasypus novemcinctus and Euphractus sexcinctus. The Dasypodidae fauna here reported includes animals with generalist feeding habits and current wide geographical distribution. It is suggested, therefore, that the climatic and environmental conditions in the early Holocene were very similar the actual ones, and that the absence of Cabassous may be conditioned to other factors, such as anthropogenic action and loss of habitat by fragmentation of the vegetation. Este artigo refere-se a osteodermos de xenarthras atribuídos a Dasypus aff. D. novemcinctus, Euphractus sexcinctus e Cabassous sp. O material foi coletado em subsuperfície, de 0,10 a 0,60 m na Gruta do Urso Fóssil, Parque Nacional de Ubajara, no estado do Ceará, nordeste do Brasil. As idades das amostras de sedimento dos níveis 4 e 5 (profundidades de 0,40 e 0,50 m) foram determinadas pela técnica de termoluminescência, e indicaram idades de 8.000 e 8.200 anos AP, respectivamente. A presença de táxons de xenarthras nestes níveis do Holoceno inicial, pode contribuir para um melhor entendimento da evolução biótica da região noroeste do Ceará durante os últimos 10.000 anos. Dois dos três táxons identificados ainda ocorrem na região: Dasypus novemcinctus e Euphractus sexcinctus. A fauna de Dasypodidae aqui relatada compreende animais de hábitos alimentares generalistas e com ampla distribuição geográfica atual. Sugere-se, pois, que as condições climáticas e ambientais no início do Holoceno foram muito semelhantes às atuais, e que a ausência de Cabassous pode estar condicionada a outros fatores, como ação antrópica e perda do habitat por fragmentação vegetacional.

New specimens of Glyptodon sp., Morenelaphus sp., Pampatherium typum and Testudines indet. from the outcroup Salatiel II, Sanga da Cruz, Alegrete, State of Rio Grande do Sul, are reported. The fossils are represented by long bones and isolated and articulated osteoderms. The fossil material comes from conglomerate sandstones assigned to the latest Pleistocene (Lujanian age). The reported absolute dates for the Sanga da Cruz are in according to the Lujanian age, but the reworking evidences coupled with the wide temporal range of the reported Pleistocene taxa disables a better correlation and a paleoecological interpretation.

Based on very small upper and lower molars recovered from the Quaternary limestone caves in the State of Tocantins, northern Brazil, we describe a new genus and species of a didelphimorphian marsupial. A phylogenetic analysis based on morphological + karyotypic data set recovered the new genus and species as the sister taxon to the living didelphid, Hyladelphys kalinowskii Voss, Lunde & Simons. The new taxon differs from the latter in having a slightly larger size, more inflated and blunt cusps, greater reduction in number and size of the stylar cusps, in the absence of an anterior cingulum, a deeper ectoflexus in M2, paracone and metacone subequal in M2, and narrower and eccentric protocones. The new marsupial probably weighed no more than 40 g and its molar morphology is suggestive of mixed, insectivorous-frugivorous feeding habits. Although we regard the fauna of Gruta dos Mouras cave as Pleistocene, we do not negate the possibility that a temporal mixing (“time-averaging”) of Pleistocene and Holocene specimens existed and that the newly described taxon is a living marsupial in the study area. Fil: Oliveira, Édison Vicente. Universidade Federal de Pernambuco; Brasil Fil: Nova, Patricia Villa. Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro; Brasil Fil: Goin, Francisco Javier. Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y Museo. División Paleontología Vertebrados; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina Fil: Avilla, Leonardo Dos Santos. Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro; Brasil