EURHINODELPHINIDS FROM THE EARLY MIOCENE OF PERU: FIRST UNAMBIGUOUS RECORDS OF THESE HYPER-LONGIROSTRINE DOLPHINS OUTSIDE THE NORTH ATLANTIC REALM

Among the many hyper-longirostrine dolphins (Odontoceti) from the Miocene, members of the family Eurhinodelphinidae bear two highly distinctive cranial features: a long and edentulous premaxillary portion of the rostrum and a mandible that is significantly shorter than the rostrum. Until now, unambiguously attributed members of this clade were only recorded from early to middle Miocene deposits of the North Atlantic realm (east coast U.S.A., North Sea Basin, and Mediterranean). In this work we describe and compare two partial skulls of longirostrine dolphins from late early Miocene (Burdigalian, 19.25-18 Ma) marine deposits of the Chilcatay Formation, in the East Pisco Basin (southern coast of Peru), preserving rostral and mandibular material, as well as ear bones. Based on these specimens we report diagnostic remains attributable to this family for the first time for the whole Southern Hemisphere and the whole Pacific Ocean. This major expansion of eurhinodelphinids' palaeogeographic distribution contrasts with their proposed shallow-water, coastal environments; it suggests a new dispersal route for members of the family across the Central American Seaway; and it further highlights the similarities between the odontocete faunas of the southeastern Pacific and North Atlantic realm during the Miocene. Better-preserved eurhinodelphinid specimens from the odontocete-rich Chilcatay Formation will allow for a more detailed comparison with North Atlantic members of the family

Pinniped turnover in the South Pacific Ocean: New evidence from the Plio-Pleistocene of the Atacama Desert, Chile

Modern pinnipeds distributed along the coasts of continental South America consist almost entirely of otariids (sea lions and fur seals). In contrast, phocids (true seals) are present only on the southernmost extreme of Chile. This recent biogeographic pattern is consistent with the zooarchaeological record (∼8-2 ka), but it is incompatible with the pinniped fossil record during the Neogene. From the middle Miocene to the Pliocene, true seals exclusively dominated pinniped assemblages, and they were only replaced by the fur seals and sea lions sometime after the early Pliocene. Here, we describe pinniped material collected from two new localities in the Atacama Desert, northern Chile, that clarifies this marine mammal faunal turnover. Specifically, these finds provide records of the first occurrence of Otariidae (late Pleistocene) and the last occurrence of Phocidae (early Pliocene) in Chile, which in turn constrain the timing of this turnover to between the early Pliocene and late Pl

A new marine mammal assemblage from central Chile reveals the Pliocene survival of true seals in South America

The fossil record of marine mammals from the upper Pliocene of the western coast of South America is poorly known, hindering our knowledge about how and when marine mammal faunas attained their modern distribution in the area. Here, we describe a new marine mammal assemblage from the Horcón Formation (upper Pliocene), located in the Valparaíso Region of central Chile. The material reported comprises postcranial remains of an indeterminate seal (Phocidae), Delphinoidea vertebrae, and mysticete elements (still in the field). The Phocidae remains constitute the youngest pre-Pleistocene record of this family in South America, providing new information regarding the timing for the establishment of the modern diversity and distribution of pinnipeds in the Southern Hemisphere. Furthermore, the pinniped and cetacean remains reported indicate that the marine mammal assemblage from the upper Pliocene along central Chile was composed of a mixture of modern and extinct taxa

Late middle Miocene caviomorph rodents from Tarapoto, Peruvian Amazonia

Miocene deposits of South America have yielded several species-rich assemblages of caviomorph rodents. They are mostly situated at high and mid- latitudes of the continent, except for the exceptional Honda Group of La Venta, Colombia, the faunal composition of which allowed to describe the late middle Miocene Laventan South American Land Mammal Age (SALMA). In this paper, we describe a new caviomorph assemblage from TAR-31 locality, recently discovered near Tarapoto in Peruvian Amazonia (San Martín Department). Based on mammalian biostratigraphy, this single-phased locality is unambiguously considered to fall within the Laventan SALMA. TAR-31 yielded rodent species found in La Venta, such as the octodontoid Ricardomys longidens Walton, 1990 (nom. nud.), the chinchilloids Microscleromys paradoxalis Walton, 1990 (nom. nud.) and M. cribriphilus Walton, 1990 (nom. nud.), or closely-related taxa. Given these strong taxonomic affinities, we further seize the opportunity to review the rodent dental material from La Venta described in the Ph.D. volume of Walton in 1990 but referred to as nomina nuda. Here we validate the recognition of these former taxa and provide their formal description. TAR-31 documents nine distinct rodent species documenting the four extant superfamilies of Caviomorpha, including a new erethizontoid: Nuyuyomys chinqaska gen. et sp. nov. These fossils document the most diverse caviomorph fauna for the middle Miocene interval of Peruvian Amazonia to date. This rodent discovery from Peru extends the geographical ranges of Ricardomys longidens, Microscleromys paradoxalis, and M. cribriphilus, 1,100 km to the south. Only one postcranial element of rodent was unearthed in TAR-31 (astragalus). This tiny tarsal bone most likely documents one of the two species of Microscleromys and its morphology indicates terrestrial generalist adaptations for this minute chinchilloid

FIG. 4 in Restes inédits de rongeurs caviomorphes du Paléogène de la région de Juanjui (Amazonie péruvienne): systématique, implications macro-évolutives et biostratigraphiques

FIG. 4. — Images de microscopie électronique à balayage des dents jugales de caviomorphes fossiles de la région de Juanjui et de Balsayacu. A-F, J-S, vue occlusale; G, vue labiale; H-I, vue labiale. A-N, Cachiyacuy aff. contamanensis (TAR-47): A, MUSM-3385, M gauche; B, MUSM-3386, M gauche; C, MUSM-3525, dP4 gauche; D, MUSM-3387, dp4 droite; E, MUSM-3390, m2 droite; F-I, MUSM-3391, fragment de mandibule gauche portant m1 et m2; F-G, m1-2; H, m1; I, m2; J, MUSM-3389, m1 droite; K, MUSM-3393, m2 droite; L, MUSM-3388, m2 gauche; M, MUSM-3392, m3 droite; N, MUSM-3394, m3 droite. O-P, Canaanimys aff. maquiensis (TAR-55/ TAR-55bis): O, MUSM-3371, M3 gauche; P, MUSM-3379, M3 gauche. Q Caviomorpha gen. et sp. indet. 1. (TAR-56): MUSM-3370, m3 droite. R-S, Caviomorpha gen. et sp. indet. 2 (TAR-45): R, MUSM-3381, m2 droite; S, MUSM-3380, dP4 gauche. Échelle: 1 mm.Published as part of <i>Assemat, Alexandre, Boivin, Myriam, Marivaux, Laurent, Pujos, François, Benites-Palomino, Aldo, Salas-Gismondi, Rodolfo, Tejada-Lara, Julia V., Varas-Malca, Rafael M. & Negri, Francisco Ricardo, 2019, Restes inédits de rongeurs caviomorphes du Paléogène de la région de Juanjui (Amazonie péruvienne): systématique, implications macro-évolutives et biostratigraphiques, pp. 699-730 in Geodiversitas 41 (20)</i> on page 711, DOI: 10.5252/geodiversitas2019v41a20, <a href="http://zenodo.org/record/3695780">http://zenodo.org/record/3695780</a&gt

New record of Neosaimiri (Cebidae, Platyrrhini) from the late Middle Miocene of Peruvian Amazonia

The Honda Group of La Venta, Colombia, has yielded a wide array of crown platyrrhine primates, documenting the late Middle Miocene epoch (ca. 13.1–12.6 Ma, Laventan South American Land Mammal Age). Although exceptional, this record represents only a snapshot of the evolutionary history of New World monkeys because virtually none of the primate taxa recorded at La Venta had so far been found elsewhere. We describe here few dental remains of a cebine platyrrhine discovered from Laventan deposits in the San Martín Department of Peru (Peruvian Amazonia). The primate dental specimens from that new fossil-bearing locality (TAR-31) are strongly reminiscent morphologically of the teeth of Neosaimiri fieldsi from La Venta. However, given that several aspects of the dental variability from TAR-31 are unknown, we prefer to provide an assignment with open nomenclature (i.e., N. cf. fieldsi), instead of formally referring these remains to N. fieldsi, pending the discovery of additional specimens. The occurrence of Neosaimiri in Peru, in coeval deposits of La Venta, thus represents a second and southernmost record of that low-latitude genus in the Neotropics, thereby demonstrating its wide distribution along the northwestern edge of the Pebas Mega-Wetland System, in tropical western South Americ

Restes inédits de rongeurs caviomorphes du Paléogène de la région de Juanjui (Amazonie péruvienne) : systématique, implications macro-évolutives et biostratigraphiques

International audiencePaleogene deposits of Peruvian Amazonia have yielded the oldest caviomorph rodent communities from South America, and the clues that their early diversification had occurred in this area. Here we report fossil dental remains of rodents from two new sections located in the vicinity of Juanjui and Balsayacu (San Martín Department, Peruvian Amazonia). Analyses of the occlusal morphology of cheek teeth and of the incisor enamel microstructure indicate the occurrence of basal caviomorphs (such as CachiyacuyAntoine, Marivaux, Croft, Billet, Ganerød, Jaramillo, Martin, Orliac, Tejada, Altamirano, Duranthon, Fanjat, Rousse & Salas Gismondi, 2012, CanaanimysAntoine, Marivaux, Croft, Billet, Ganerød, Jaramillo, Martin, Orliac, Tejada, Altamirano, Duranthon, Fanjat, Rousse & Salas Gismondi, 2012, and EoespinaFrailey & Campbell, 2004, genera so far known from late middle Eocene deposits of Contamana, Pe-ruvian Amazonia) in levels situated in the lower part of the studied stratigraphic section. More derived taxa (such as Eoincamys Frailey & Campbell, 2004), known from early Oligocene deposits of Tarapoto/Shapaja and Santa Rosa, Peruvian Amazonia) occur only in upper levels of the section. Based on these considerations, the rodent-bearing localities of the Juanjui/Balsayacu area seem to be intermediate in age between the Contamana Eocene localities and the Tarapoto/Shapaja Oligocene ones and the Santa Rosa ?Eocene/Oligocene one. These new data document a poorly known period in Western Amazonia, in providing a sedimentological record most likely documenting the late middle Eocene, the late Eo-cene and the earliest Oligocene interval. Furthermore, the existence of a long temporal hiatus between Canaanimys-Cachiyacuy-Potamotrygon ucayalensis assemblages (Contamana, Pozo Formation; Balsayacu; lower levels at Juanjui) and Eoincamys-yielding faunas (Santa Rosa; Tarapoto/Shapaja; uppermost levels at Juanjui) is demonstrated in a single continuous and long-ranging stratigraphic section at Juanjui.Le Paléogène d’Amazonie péruvienne a livré les plus anciennes communautés de rongeurs caviomorphes d’Amérique du Sud, lesquelles sont le résultat des premières phases de diversification de ce groupe. Ce travail présente l’étude de restes dentaires inédits de rongeurs fossiles issus de deux nouvelles sections situées à proximité des villes de Juanjui et de Balsayacu (Département de San Martín, Amazonie péruvienne). Les analyses de la morphologie occlusale des dents jugales et de la microstructure de l’émail des incisives indiquent la présence de taxons basaux tels que les genres Cachiyacuy Antoine, Marivaux, Croft, Billet, Ganerød, Jaramillo, Martin, Orliac, Tejada, Altamirano, Duranthon, Fanjat, Rousse & Salas Gismondi, 2012, Canaanimys Antoine, Marivaux, Croft, Billet, Ganerød, Jaramillo, Martin, Orliac, Tejada, Altami-rano, Duranthon, Fanjat, Rousse & Salas Gismondi, 2012, et Eoespina Frailey & Campbell, 2004, dans les niveaux inférieurs de la série sédimentaire, auxquels succèdent des taxons plus dérivés, comme Eoinca-mys Frailey & Campbell, 2004, dans des niveaux plus récents. Ces taxons témoignent d’une morphologie intermédiaire entre ceux documentés en Amazonie péruvienne dans les localités éocènes de Contamana (fin de l’Éocène moyen) et ceux des localités oligocènes de Tarapoto/Shapaja et Santa Rosa (?Éocène supérieur/Oligocène inférieur). Ces fossiles apportent ainsi une documentation inédite en Amazonie, en ce que les secteurs de Juanjui et de Balsayacu présentent des dépôts sédimentaires couvrant vraisembla-blement la fin de l’Éocène moyen, une partie de l’Éocène supérieur et la base de l’Oligocène. Enfin, la continuité stratigraphique de la longue section de Juanjui permet de démontrer l’existence d’un hiatus temporel significatif entre les assemblages à Canaanimys-Cachiyacuy-Potamotrygon ucayalensis (Contamana, Formation Pozo ; base de la section de Juanjui ; Balsayacu) et ceux à Eoincamys (Santa Rosa ; Tarapoto/Shapaja ; sommet de la section de Juanjui)

Sequence stratigraphy and paleontology of the Upper Miocene Pisco Formation along the western side of the lower Ica Valley (Ica Desert, Peru)

The sequence stratigraphic framework and a summary of the fossil fauna of the upper Miocene portion of the Pisco Formation exposed along the western side of the Ica River (southern Peru) is presented through a new geological map encompassing an area of about 200 km2 and detailed chronostratigraphic analyses. Extensive field mapping and sedimentological study of outcrop sections have shown that the Pisco Formation is a cyclical sediment unit composed of at least three fining-upward, unconformity-bounded depositional sequences, designated P0, P1, and P2 from oldest to youngest. In the study area, these sequences progressively onlap a composite basal unconformity from southwest to northeast. Integration of biostratigraphic and tephrochronologic age determinations constrains the ages of the three Pisco sequences within the study area. Based on the age of surrounding sediments, a conservative estimate of the age of P0 suggests deposition of these strata between 17.99 ± 0.10 Ma and 9.00 ± 0.02 Ma, whereas diatom biostratigraphy and calculated 40Ar/39Ar ages converge to indicate that strata of the P1 sequence were deposited sometime between 9.5 Ma and 8.9 Ma and that those of the P2 sequence are younger than 8.5 Ma and older than 6.71 ± 0.02 Ma. Our survey for both vertebrate and macro-invertebrate remains in the three sequences confirms the outstanding paleontological value of the Pisco Formation and contributes to depict regional faunal shifts in the fossil assemblage

Biotic community and landscape changes around the Eocene–Oligocene transition at Shapaja, Peruvian Amazonia: Regional or global drivers?

International audienceSince 2012, we have investigated a stratigraphic section encompassing the late Eocene–earliest Oligocene interval at Shapaja (Tarapoto area, Peruvian Amazonia, ca. 7°S), through paleontological and geological fieldwork. The measured sedimentary series (120 m-thick [West] plus 90 m-thick [East]), assigned to the upper member of the Pozo Formation, records fluvial micro-conglomeratic lenses intercalated with floodplain and evaporite-rich fine red deposits, estuarine/coastal-plain tidally-influenced fine sandstones, and oxbow lake nodule-rich blue clays. This sedimentary shift coincides locally with the demise of the large Eocene coastal-plain wetland known as Pozo System. The late Eocene–early Oligocene Shapaja section was extensively sampled for chemostratigraphy (δ13C on dispersed organic matter and pedogenic carbonate nodules), which in turn allowed for refining the location of the Eocene-Oligocene Transition (EOT) and other climatic events recognized at a global scale (i.e., Oi-1 and Oi-1a). The section has yielded nine fossil localities with plant remains (leaves, wood, charophytes, and palynomorphs), mollusks, decapods, and/or vertebrates (selachians, actinopterygians, lungfishes, amphibians, sauropsids, and mammals), documenting ~130 distinct taxa. Four localities of the upper member of the Pozo Formation at Shapaja predate the EOT, one is clearly within the EOT, while four are earliest/early Oligocene in age. The small leaf impressions found along the Shapaja section could be indicative of dry and/or seasonal conditions for this region throughout and after the EOT. Monkeys, indicative of tropical rainforest environments, are only recorded in a latest Eocene locality (TAR-21). Two biotic turnovers are perceptible in the selachian, metatherian, and rodent communities, well before the EOT [~35–36 Ma] and a few hundred thousand years after the EOT [~33 Ma]. The latter turnover seems to be primarily related to a global sea-level drop (ichthyofauna: marine-littoral elements replaced by obligate freshwater taxa) and/or the onset of a drier and more seasonal climate in early Oligocene times (terrestrial components). Changes in the structure of the Shapaja paleocommunities were mostly driven by the flexural subsidence during the late Eocene, and then globally driven by the earliest Oligocene climatic deterioration