Carnivoran fossils from the Pampean region (Argentina): Santiago Roth collections in Switzerland

Santiago Roth (1850–1924) was a naturalist that collected and sold fossils from the Pampean region (Argentina) in Europe. Much of the specimens collected by Roth are hosted at the Paläontologisches Institut und Museum, Universität Zürich and Muséun D’Histoire Naturelle of Geneva in Switzerland, but were never studied. In this article, we review the specimens of the order Carnivora under a taxonomical and temporal approach. We confirm the presence of 16 specimens of Carnivora collected by Roth between the provinces of Santa Fe and Buenos Aires. We identify felids (Smilodon sp., Panthera onca, and specimens related to these taxa), ursids (Arctotherium sp.), and canids (Dusicyon avus and specimens related, Lycalopex sp., and Caninae indet.). According to the information reported by S. Roth, all materials are from the Pleistocene of the Pampean Formation. However, given the scarcity of data, only the specific age of few specimens could be more accurately established

Presence of Amphimachairodus coloradensis (Cook, 1922) (Felidae: Machairodontinae) in the Neogene of Hidalgo, Central Mexico

The Neogene Amphimachairodus coloradensis appears to be one of the most abundant species of Machairodontine in Mexico. However, its fossil record is composed of scarce, fragmented, and poorly studied material. New remains discovered in La Plegaria locality (late Hemphillian), in the State of Hidalgo, in Central Mexico, offers the opportunity to review some morphological aspects and phylogenetic relationships of this species within the subfamily Machairodontinae. Our observations allow us to recognize that the material from La Plegaria looks like the paratype of A. coloradensis (DMNH EPV 207, from the Ogallala Fm. in the western United States); this means, m1 with reduced talonid and paraconid almost as large as protoconid, and p4 with posterior cingulum. Phylogenetic analysis confirms the relationship of La Plegaria felid with A. coloradensis and A. alvarezi; although the last one presents autapomorphies that differentiate it from others Amphimachairodus: highly developed mandibular flange. We concluded that the material from La Plegaria corresponds to the southernmost record of an A. coloradensis. This work made it possible to review variation within this species and its morphological relationship with M. catocopis.Fil: Ruiz Ramoni, Damián. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Regional de Investigaciones Científicas y Transferencia Tecnológica de La Rioja. - Universidad Nacional de La Rioja. Centro Regional de Investigaciones Científicas y Transferencia Tecnológica de La Rioja. - Universidad Nacional de Catamarca. Centro Regional de Investigaciones Científicas y Transferencia Tecnológica de La Rioja. - Secretaría de Industria y Minería. Servicio Geológico Minero Argentino. Centro Regional de Investigaciones Científicas y Transferencia Tecnológica de La Rioja. - Provincia de La Rioja. Centro Regional de Investigaciones Científicas y Transferencia Tecnológica de La Rioja; Argentina. Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México; MéxicoFil: Montellano Ballesteros, Marisol. Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México; MéxicoFil: Rincón Rincón, Ascanio Daniel. Instituto Venezolano de Investigaciones Científicas; VenezuelaFil: Solórzano, Andrés. Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México; MéxicoFil: Guzmán, Germán. Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México; Méxic

The large jaguar that lived in the past of México: A forgotten fossil

In the 1970’s, Oswald Mooser delivered to the Instituto de Geología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, a fossil jaw recovered from the Chapala region, Jalisco, that he identified as Panthera onca. The collection label indicates doubts about this taxonomic assignment; an issue that remains unsolved. The aim of this work is to study the taxonomy and biogeographic implications of this material. With this aim, morphological and morphometric comparisons were made using fossil and current feline specimens. Additionally, a review of the fossil record of Pa. onca in Mexico was carried out using the material deposited in collections and reported in the literature. Our results indicate that the jaw from Jalisco belongs to a large Pleistocene form of jaguar historically called Pa. onca augusta. With the present record, there is a total of 10 paleontological localities in México where fossil jaguar records have been reported. Curiously, only one of these locations matches with the current distribution of this feline in North America, the San Josecito Cave in Nuevo León. With this information, there is evidence to confirm that the range distribution of the jaguar has been reduced significantly since the Pleistocene to the present.En los 70, Oswald Mooser entregó al Instituto de Geología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, una mandíbula fósil recuperada de la región de Chapala, Jalisco, que identificó como Panthera onca. La ficha de colección señala dudas sobre esta asignación taxonómica, un tema que no se ha resuelto. El objetivo de este trabajo fue estudiar la taxonomía y las implicaciones biogeográficas de este material. Para esto, se realizaron comparaciones morfológicas y morfométricas utilizando especímenes de felinos fósiles y actuales. Adicionalmente, se realizó una revisión del registro fósil de Pa. onca en México utilizando el material depositado en colecciones y reportado en la literatura. Nuestros resultados indican que la mandíbula de Jalisco pertenece a una forma grande de jaguar del Pleistoceno que históricamente ha sido llamado Pa. onca augusta. Con este registro, hay un total de 10 localidades paleontológicas en México donde se han reportado jaguares fósiles. Curiosamente, solo uno de estos lugares coincide con la distribución actual de este felino en América del Norte, la Cueva de San Josecito en Nuevo León. Con esta información, hay evidencia para confirmar que el rango de distribución del jaguar se ha reducido significativamente desde el Pleistoceno hasta el presente.Fil: Ruiz Ramoni, Damián. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Regional de Investigaciones Científicas y Transferencia Tecnológica de La Rioja. - Universidad Nacional de La Rioja. Centro Regional de Investigaciones Científicas y Transferencia Tecnológica de La Rioja. - Universidad Nacional de Catamarca. Centro Regional de Investigaciones Científicas y Transferencia Tecnológica de La Rioja. - Secretaría de Industria y Minería. Servicio Geológico Minero Argentino. Centro Regional de Investigaciones Científicas y Transferencia Tecnológica de La Rioja. - Provincia de La Rioja. Centro Regional de Investigaciones Científicas y Transferencia Tecnológica de La Rioja; Argentina. Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México; MéxicoFil: Montellano Ballesteros, Marisol. Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México; MéxicoFil: Arroyo Cabrales, Joaquín. Instituto Nacional de Antropología E Historia; MéxicoFil: Caso, Arturo. Subsecretaría de Planeación y Política Ambiental, Secretaría de Medio Ambiente y Recursos Naturales; MéxicoFil: Carvajal Villarreal, Sasha. No especifíca

Nearctic Pleistocene ungulates from the Pampean region (Argentina) in the historical collections of Santiago Roth in Switzerland: an overview

Nearctic ungulates such as artiodactyls, perissodactyls, and proboscideans arrived in South America during the Great American Biotic Interchange. Among them are camelids, cervids, tayassuids, equids, tapirids and gomphotherids. A historical collection of Nearctic ungulates from Pleistocene deposits of the Pampean region in Argentina is here studied and described. The collection consists of specimens collected by Santiago Roth in the nineteenth century and brought to Europe, where they are housed in the paleontological collections of the University of Zurich and the Natural History Museum of Geneva. Among the taxa reported here are Notiomastodon platensis,Lama guanicoe, Hemiauchenia paradoxa, Tayassu pecari, Morenelaphus sp., Hippidion cf. H. principale, Equus cf. E. neogeus, and other indeterminate gomphotherids, camelids, tayassuids, cervids, and equids. The exact stratigraphic position of these fossils collected more than 130 years ago is in many cases uncertain. The historical collection is still relevant for taxonomic studies and for offering new insights into palaeobiogeography and palaeobiology of mammalian fauna of the region during the Pleistocene

Cauca: megafaunal and felid fossils (Mammalia) from a Pleistocene site in northwest Venezuela

Numerous surveys and three excavation and surface collection field seasons resulted in the discovery of numerous megafaunal remains and that of a medium-sized felid in a new site located on the coastal plain of the Gulf of Venezuela, in Western Falcón State. The faunal assemblage is represented by South American natives such as megatheres (cf. Eremotherium laurillardi), an indeterminate mylodontid and a glyptodont (probably related to Glyptotherium) and Nearctic representatives such as gomphotheres (Notiomastodon platensis), equids (Equus sp.) and a feline (Felidae cf. Leopardus pardalis), providing novel information for the distribution of some of these mammals. Radiocarbon indicates that this deposit is at least 40,000 years old. Lithic artefacts of a kind reported for other Pleistocene sites in the region document the presence of humans in Cauca, but as these cultural remains were found on the surface, their association with the fauna is uncertain

A Pliocene-Pleistocene continental biota from Venezuela

The Pliocene-Pleistocene transition in the Neotropics is poorly understood despite the major climatic changes that occurred at the onset of the Quaternary. The San Gregorio Formation, the younger unit of the Urumaco Sequence, preserves a fauna that documents this critical transition. We report stingrays, freshwater bony fishes, amphibians, crocodiles, lizards, snakes, aquatic and terrestrial turtles, and mammals. A total of 49 taxa are reported from the Vergel Member (late Pliocene) and nine taxa from the Cocuiza Member (Early Pleistocene), with 28 and 18 taxa reported for the first time in the Urumaco sequence and Venezuela, respectively. Our findings include the first fossil record of the freshwater fishes Megaleporinus, Schizodon, Amblydoras, Scorpiodoras, and the pipesnake Anilius scytale, all from Pliocene strata. The late Pliocene and Early Pleistocene ages proposed here for the Vergel and Cocuiza members, respectively, are supported by their stratigraphic position, palynology, nannoplankton, and 86 Sr/ 88 Sr dating. Mammals from the Vergel Member are associated with the first major pulse of the Great American Biotic Interchange. In contrast to the dry conditions prevailing today, the San Gregorio Formation documents mixed open grassland/forest areas surrounding permanent freshwater systems, following the isolation of the northern South American basin from western Amazonia. These findings support the hypothesis that range contraction of many taxa to their current distribution in northern South America occurred rapidly during at least the last 1.5 million years

Variation in dental size between Pleistocene and living coyotes (Canis latrans Say, 1823) from México

In México, the unique living member of the genus Canis Linnaeus, 1758, is the coyote (C. latrans Say, 1823). The wolf (C. lupus Linnaeus, 1758) is not considered because it is a recently reintroduced species. Not much is known about the biology and evolution of the coyote in the Mexican territory. However, the fossil record allows us to compare between the living and past members. The aim of this work is to evidence the variation in size of the teeth of the Pleistocene coyote with respect to living populations from México. For this research, we use dental material of specimens housed at paleontological and mastozoological collections. In the results, we observed a reduction in the size of all dental elements of the current coyotes with respect to the Pleistocene ones. In the case of the first upper molar (M1), the reduction is significant. The reduction in the size of skeletal elements in C. latrans has been reported in other studios. The dental narrowing observed in this canid is probably a reflection of an alteration in the diet of this mammal, as has been observed in other mammals carnivores with a similar evolutionary history (e.g., Panthera onca).Fil: Llano Enderle, Ricardo Alejandro. Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México; MéxicoFil: Ruiz Ramoni, Damián. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Regional de Investigaciones Científicas y Transferencia Tecnológica de La Rioja. - Universidad Nacional de La Rioja. Centro Regional de Investigaciones Científicas y Transferencia Tecnológica de La Rioja. - Universidad Nacional de Catamarca. Centro Regional de Investigaciones Científicas y Transferencia Tecnológica de La Rioja. - Secretaría de Industria y Minería. Servicio Geológico Minero Argentino. Centro Regional de Investigaciones Científicas y Transferencia Tecnológica de La Rioja. - Provincia de La Rioja. Centro Regional de Investigaciones Científicas y Transferencia Tecnológica de La Rioja; Argentin

Bat folivory in numbers: how many, how much, and how long?

Folivory in bats has been described as chewing bits of leaves to extract the liquids, and then discarding the remaining fibers in form of oral pellets. At least eight species of Neotropical fruit-eating bats have been reported to use folivory as a strategy potentially to provide bats with vitamins, micronutrients and proteins usually scarce in fruits, as well as secondary metabolites that stimulate or inhibit reproductive processes, or even as a supply of water. All reported cases of folivory in bats consist of short, descriptive natural history notes with few supporting details. In depth understanding of leaf consumption by bats is lacking. To bridge this gap, we studied two colonies of Artibeus living under different conditions in the Venezuelan Andes: an urban colony (A. lituratus) and a forest colony (A. amplus) whose individuals exhibited folivorous habits. We hypothesized that bats: (1) feed on leaves from many plant species, and more frequently eat certain plant species over others, (2) show monthly variation in leaf consumption, (3) eat specific parts of each leaf and discard the rest, and (4) within a plant species, eat the same part of each leaf. We collected leaves found below the roosting site of the colonies of both species and analyzed digital images of each leaf to quantify the consumed area. All leaves (n = 1,188) were classified and quantified in terms of the pattern of observed consumption (apical, basal, other). We found that both species of bats fed on leaves from certain plant species over others, showed monthly variation in leaf consumption, and on average consumed less than 50% of the leaf, equivalent to an area of 5–7 cm2 (n = 655). Maximum consumption of leaves was observed in both species in the weeks immediately prior to males exhibiting scrotal testes and females becoming palpably pregnant. Results from our study provide the first systematic and detailed assessment of folivory in bats, showing the use of leaves all year long by two bat species. Future research should investigate whether males and females consume leaves to the same extent, and on the chemical properties of consumed plant species.Fil: Duque Márquez, Adriana. Universidad de Los Andes; VenezuelaFil: Ruiz Ramoni, Damián. Universidad de Los Andes; Venezuela. Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México; México. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; ArgentinaFil: Ramoni Perazzi, Paolo. Universidad de Los Andes; Venezuela. Universidade Federal de Lavras; BrasilFil: Muñoz Romo, Mariana. Universidad de Los Andes; Venezuela. Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute; Panam

Cánidos (caninae) derl pasado de Venezuela

There are three extant species of wild canids in Venezuela: Urocyon cinereoargenteus, Cerdocyon thous, and Speothos venaticus, excluding the feral domestic dog (Canis familiaris). However, a review of paleontological material that was published previously, along with newly reported ancient specimens, reveals a distinct historical diversity for the same region. The gray fox, U. cinereoargenteus, is the only small-sized taxon and the only Vulpini (true fox) identified to date in the fossil record of Venezuela; its presence is limited to the late Pleistocene of the Mene de Inciarte site, Zulia State. In contrast, large canids are more abundant. Aenocyon dirus (subtribe Canina), the dire wolf from the late Pleistocene, was reported from the sites El Mene de Inciarte, Muaco in Falcón State, and for the first time in El Breal de Orocual (ORS20) in Monagas State. The genus Protocyon, a native South American canid (subtribe Cerdocyonina), is recognized in the country from late Pleistocene Inciarte (Protocyon troglodytes sensu lato), and late Pliocene-early Pleistocene Orocual (ORS16) (Protocyon orocualensis sp. nov.). Finally, we report a possible genus Theriodictis from the late Pleistocene Orocual; this is a Cerdocyonina not previously mentioned for the northern region of South America. These records present broader diversity and suggest a more complex evolutionary history than previously thought for South American canids.En Venezuela existen tres especies vivientes de cánidos: Urocyon cinereoargenteus, Cerdocyon thous y Speothos venaticus. Sin considerar al perro domestico asilvestrado (Canis familiaris), estos cánidos corresponden a formas de pequeño tamaño. La revisión del material paleontológico hasta ahora reportado para el país, más nuevos elementos fósiles, muestran una diversidad distinta para el pasado de la región. El zorro gris, U. cinereoargenteus es la única especie de tamaño pequeño y el único Vulpini (zorro real) identificado en el registro fósil de Venezuela; su presencia se limita al Pleistoceno tardío del sitio Mene de Inciarte, Estado Zulia. Por su lado, los grandes cánidos son más abundantes. Aenocyon dirus (subtribu Canina), el lobo terrible del Pleistoceno tardío, fue reportado en los sitios El Mene de Inciarte, Muaco en el Estado Falcón y por primera vez en El Breal de Orocual (ORS20) en el Estado Monagas. El género Protocyon, que pertenece a los cánidos nativos suramericanos (subtribu Cerdocyonina), está reconocido en el país para el Pleistoceno tardío de Inciarte, con la especie P. troglodytes (sensu lato) y para el Plioceno tardío–Pleistoceno temprano de Orocual (ORS16), por P. orocualensis sp. nov. Finalmente, se reporta la presencia del género Theriodictis en el Pleistoceno tardío de Orocual, un Cerdocyonina no antes mencionado para la región norte del continente. Estos registros muestran una amplia diversidad y una evolución más compleja de lo que se pensaba para los cánidos suramericanos.Fil: Ruiz Ramoni, Damián. Universidad Nacional de La Rioja; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Regional de Investigaciones Científicas y Transferencia Tecnológica de La Rioja. - Universidad Nacional de La Rioja. Centro Regional de Investigaciones Científicas y Transferencia Tecnológica de La Rioja. - Universidad Nacional de Catamarca. Centro Regional de Investigaciones Científicas y Transferencia Tecnológica de La Rioja. - Secretaría de Industria y Minería. Servicio Geológico Minero Argentino. Centro Regional de Investigaciones Científicas y Transferencia Tecnológica de La Rioja. - Provincia de La Rioja. Centro Regional de Investigaciones Científicas y Transferencia Tecnológica de La Rioja; ArgentinaFil: Wang, Xiaoming. Natural History Museum Of Los Angeles County; Estados UnidosFil: Rincón Rincón, Ascanio Daniel. Instituto Venezolano de Investigaciones Científicas; Venezuel