Abstract

SOIBELZON, Esteban; MINO-BOILINI, Angel Ramón; ZURITA, Alfredo Eduardo  and  KRMPOTIC, Cecilia Mariana. The Xenarthra (Mammalia) from the Ensenadean (lower to middle Pleistocene) of the Pampean region (Argentina). Rev. mex. cienc. geol [online]. 2010, vol.27, n.3, pp.449-469. ISSN 2007-2902.

Xenarthra is a monophyletic group, characterized by a particular skeletal architecture, different to other placental mammals. Its current distribution is exclusively Neotropical; however, the fossil record indicates a greater distribution. The aim of this paper is to provide an updated list of the Xenarthra of the lower to middle Pleistocene (Ensenadan Stage) of the Pampean Region (Argentina). The most conspicuous anatomical features that allowed the taxonomic identification offossil remains, especially those of particular biostratigraphic interest, are also briefly described andfigured here. We studied more than 700fossil remains mostly housed in palaeontological collections of Argentina. The study of these specimens (from the Pampean Region), revealed that during the Pleistocene there were marked variations in the composition and distribution ofthe faunas in general and particularly in xenarthrans. This situation was closely related to the Great American Biotic Interchange and climatic oscillations occurring in the Pleistocene. Thus, the Ensenadan fossil record of xenarthrans consists on exclusive taxa and numerous cases of first and last records. Finally, we expect that this contribution provide a starting pointforfuture contributions in respect of the Pleistocene fauna, not only from the Pampean Region, but also from the rest of Argentina and South America.

Keywords : biostratigraphy; systematic; Cingulata; Tardigrada; Quaternary; South America.

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