Pleistocene South American native ungulates (Notoungulata and Litopterna) of the historical Roth collections in Switzerland, from the Pampean Region of Argentina
Abstract 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 San...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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SpringerOpen
2023-10-01
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| Series: | Swiss Journal of Palaeontology |
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| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1186/s13358-023-00291-5 |
| _version_ | 1797556738106327040 |
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| author | Juan D. Carrillo Hans P. Püschel |
| author_facet | Juan D. Carrillo Hans P. Püschel |
| author_sort | Juan D. Carrillo |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract 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. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-10T17:07:09Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-ac2276856e03470fb178eba80ca720f0 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1664-2376 1664-2384 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-10T17:07:09Z |
| publishDate | 2023-10-01 |
| publisher | SpringerOpen |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Swiss Journal of Palaeontology |
| spelling | doaj.art-ac2276856e03470fb178eba80ca720f02023-11-20T10:47:06ZengSpringerOpenSwiss Journal of Palaeontology1664-23761664-23842023-10-01142112510.1186/s13358-023-00291-5Pleistocene South American native ungulates (Notoungulata and Litopterna) of the historical Roth collections in Switzerland, from the Pampean Region of ArgentinaJuan D. Carrillo0Hans P. Püschel1Department of Biology, University of Fribourg, and Swiss Institute of BioinformaticsRed Paleontológica U-Chile, Departamento de Biología, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de ChileAbstract 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.https://doi.org/10.1186/s13358-023-00291-5PleistoceneArgentinaSantiago RothPalaeontological collectionsSwitzerlandNotoungulata |
| spellingShingle | Juan D. Carrillo Hans P. Püschel Pleistocene South American native ungulates (Notoungulata and Litopterna) of the historical Roth collections in Switzerland, from the Pampean Region of Argentina Swiss Journal of Palaeontology Pleistocene Argentina Santiago Roth Palaeontological collections Switzerland Notoungulata |
| title | Pleistocene South American native ungulates (Notoungulata and Litopterna) of the historical Roth collections in Switzerland, from the Pampean Region of Argentina |
| title_full | Pleistocene South American native ungulates (Notoungulata and Litopterna) of the historical Roth collections in Switzerland, from the Pampean Region of Argentina |
| title_fullStr | Pleistocene South American native ungulates (Notoungulata and Litopterna) of the historical Roth collections in Switzerland, from the Pampean Region of Argentina |
| title_full_unstemmed | Pleistocene South American native ungulates (Notoungulata and Litopterna) of the historical Roth collections in Switzerland, from the Pampean Region of Argentina |
| title_short | Pleistocene South American native ungulates (Notoungulata and Litopterna) of the historical Roth collections in Switzerland, from the Pampean Region of Argentina |
| title_sort | pleistocene south american native ungulates notoungulata and litopterna of the historical roth collections in switzerland from the pampean region of argentina |
| topic | Pleistocene Argentina Santiago Roth Palaeontological collections Switzerland Notoungulata |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1186/s13358-023-00291-5 |
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