New specimens allow revisiting the dental anatomy of Middle Miocene fossil primates from Patagonia

Novo, Nelson M. ; Pardiñas, Ulyses F.J. ; Tejedor, Marcelo F. (Universidad de Zaragoza)

Resumen: After La Venta in Colombia, Argentine Patagonia has the second largest record of fossil platyrrhines, with eight genera and 11 species stemming from four geological formations of Early to Middle Miocene ages (see Tejedor and Novo, 2018). The oldest known Patagonian primates recorded thus far were found in Early Miocene sediments from four localities of the Sarmiento Formation (Fm) at Gaiman, Sacanana, Gran Barranca, and La Estrella and from the Cerro Bandera Fm (near the Puesto Calfú locality), in the provinces of Chubut and Neuquén, respectively. Three species have been described: Tremacebus harringtoni from Sacanana (Rusconi, 1933; Herskovitz, 1974), Dolichocebus gaimanensis from Gaiman (Kraglievich, 1951; Kay et al., 2008), and Mazzonicebus almendrae from Gran Barranca (Kay, 2010) and La Estrella (Novo et al., 2017). In addition, two isolated teeth from the Cerro Bandera Fm have been referred to an indeterminate form (Kramarz et al., 2012). Another fossil platyrrhine from the southern part of South America is Chilecebus, from the Early Miocene Abanico Fm, which is located approximately 100 km south of Santiago in extra-Patagonian territory. Primates have also been found in the Santa Cruz Fm (Early Miocene, ∼16.5 Ma, Tejedor et al., 2006; ∼16.9 Ma, Trayler et al., 2020) located in the southeastern coastal area of Santa Cruz Province, where the number of existing taxa remains controversial. Currently, Killikaike blakei (Tejedor et al., 2006) and two species of Homunculus, Homunculus patagonicus and Homunculus vizcainoi, have been reported (Ameghino, 1891; Tauber, 1991; Tejedor and Rosenberger, 2008; Perry et al., 2010, 2014; Novo et al., 2018; Kay and Perry, 2019). The most diverse records in terms of species richness comes from the Early Miocene Pinturas Fm in Santa Cruz Province (∼17 Ma for the primate levels of the Fm), representing the second largest assemblage of fossil platyrrhines after La Venta (see Novo et al., 2021). At least two genera and four primate species have been recognized in this unit: Carlocebus carmenensis, Carlocebus intermedius, Soriacebus ameghinorum, and Soriacebus adrianae (Fleagle et al., 1987; Fleagle, 1990), as well as a third unpublished genus (Tejedor et al., 2012). Finally, Bobe et al. (2022) reported two isolated lower teeth and a mandibular fragment with two molars coming from the Middle Miocene sediments of Alto Río Cisnes, Chile, possibly correlated with those from Cañadón del Tordillo and with affinities to Proteropithecia. Uranium-lead (U-Pb) dating in this primate level from Chile yielded an age of 15.8 Ma (Bobe et al., 2022)...

Idioma: Inglés

DOI: 10.1016/j.jhevol.2025.103648

Año: 2025

Publicado en: JOURNAL OF HUMAN EVOLUTION 201 (2025), 103648 [6 pp.]
ISSN: 0047-2484

Tipo y forma: Comunicación congreso (Versión definitiva)

Área (Departamento): Área Paleontología (Dpto. Ciencias de la Tierra)