Presentación Congreso SBE

1. NEW ASSOCIATION OF EOCENE CINGULATES (MAMMALIA,
XENARTHRA) AT LOS CARDONES NATIONAL PARK (SALTA
PROVINCE, NORWESTERN ARGENTINA)
1 CONICET (Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas, Argentina)
2 Museo Argentino de Ciencias Naturales ‘Bernardino Rivadavia’, Av. Ángel Gallardo 470, 1405 Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires, Argentina,
jctano@yahoo.com; lauracruz@macn.gov.ar; lchorno@macn.gov.ar; mechisfernandezpaleo@gmail.com; magicacar7@gmail.com
3 Departamento de Ciencias Básicas, Universidad Nacional de Luján (UNLu), Ruta 5 y Avenida Constitución (6700), Luján, Buenos Aires, Argentina, mechi_985@hotmail.com;
4 Instituto de Bio y Geociencias del Noroeste Argentino, Av. Bolivia 5550, 4400 Salta, Salta, Argentina, natalia.zimicz@gmail.com
5 División Paleontología Vertebrados, Museo de La Plata, Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y Museo de La Plata, UNLP, Paseo del Bosque s/n, B1900FWA La Plata, Argentina,
constantino1453@yahoo.com.ar
6 División Paleontología Vertebrados, Unidades de Investigación Anexo Museo de La Plata, Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y Museo de La Plata, UNLP, Av. 122 y 60, B1900FWA La
Plata, Argentina, michoarnal@fcnym.unlp.edu.ar
JUAN C. FERNICOLA1,2,3,*, ANA N. ZIMICZ1,4, LAURA CHORNOGUBSKY1,2, LAURA
E. CRUZ 1,2, MARIANO BOND1,6, MICHELLE ARNAL1,7, MAGALÍ CÁRDENAS2, AND
MERCEDES FERNÁNDEZ 1,2,3

2. The Quebrada de los Colorados Formation (QLCF) outcrops at the Calchaquíes Valleys (Salta Province, Argentina). Its
basal levels were dated in ca. 40 Ma. The specimens here presented were exhumed from QLCF levels at Quebrada Grande, in the
area known as Camino de Los Colorados (Los Cardones National Park), below the dated levels and above the contact with the
lower section of the Lumbrera Formation (LSLF). In the last revision of the Cingulata from the NWA, Ciancio et al. (2016)
unequivocally recognized a single cingulate species, Pucatherium parvum, for these levels.
In this work we present a new cingulate association for the QLCF and we analyze its relationship with other NWA
associations.
INTRODUCTION
Localities of the studied area. From left to right: maps of South
America, Argentina showing NW region, and detail of north-
western Argentina showing the study area (star) in Salta Province. Detailed map of the study area, and stratigraphical column
showing the basal part of the Quebrada de los Colorados
Formation (QLCF)

3. Terminology of the osteoderm features mentioned in the studio. 1, fixed osteoderm; 2, moveable osteoderm.
MATERIALS & METHODS
The specimens of cingulates studied here were collected between 2016 and 2019 by us, and are deposited at the
Paleontology Collection of the Instituto de Bio y Geociencias del Noroeste Argentino (IBIGEO), Rosario de Lerma, Salta
Province, Argentina.
These specimens were identified through comparison with the type specimens and with more complete remains of
specimens housed in the institutions MLP: Museo de La Plata; Buenos Aires Province, Argentina; MACN-PV: Colección
Nacional Paleontología de Vertebrados Museo Argentino de Ciencias Naturales “Bernardino Rivadavia”; MACN-A: Colección
Nacional Ameghino Museo Argentino de Ciencias Naturales “Bernardino Rivadavia”; PVL: Colección de Paleontología de
Vertebrados Lillo, Tucumán, Argentina

4. 1.- Pucatherium parvum Herrera et al.,
2012, The following combination of
osteoderm features allows us to assign
these osteoderms to Pucatherium parvum.
The external articular surface of the
anterior part shows two or three well-
developed longitudinal crests, separated by
deep grooves. The external surface of the
posterior part of the osteoderm is slightly
wrinkled, with a principal central figure,
surrounded by lateral grooves, roughly
rectangular and with rounded corners.
RESULTS
The cingulates reported here correspond to three species of armadillos, one is new. The other two correspond to
2.- Parutaetus punaensis Ciancio et al., 2016. The following combination of fixed
osteoderms features allows us to assign these osteoderms to Parutetus: 1.- External
surface of the osteoderms is smooth and with convex figures, 2.- lateral contact
surface between osteoderms is smooth, 3.- Piliferous system restricted to the
posterior margin (two or six small foramina). 4.- Principal figure occupies the
posterior two-thirds of the external surface of the osteoderm and it is surrounded
by five or six peripheral figures delimited by narrow sulci. 5.- Principal figure is
teardrop shaped, with its wider portion in the anterior portion of the osteoderm,
and with its posterior narrower portion that does not reach the posterior edge of the
osteoderm.. The specimens are assigned to Parutaetus punaensis based on the
presence of a principal figure that gradually narrows towards the caudal part, while
in Parutaetus chilensis and Parutaetus chicoensis the shape sharply changes.
Scale bar 10 mm

5. DISCUSSION & CONCLUSIONS
Previous to this work, Pucatherium parvum and Parutaetus punaensis were recorded from the middle member of the
Geste Formation (Catamarca, Argentina), while the first species was also registered from the same formation in Salta and Jujuy
provinces and Upper section of the Lumbrera Fm. The middle section of the Geste Formation was dated between 37–35 Ma, while
the top of the Upper section of the Lumbrera Fm. was dated in 39.9 Ma, giving a temporal extension for these taxa of ca. 3 Ma.
The low number of species presented in this study (2 over 4) prevents us to formalize a new cingulate fauna for the
middle Eocene of NWA. However, it should be noted that, at a regional level, the unequivocally assigned species of the Quebrada
de Los Colorados and Geste formations, Pucatherium parvum and Parutaetus punaensis, have not yet been reported in any other
formation.
North-western Argentina Eocene–Oligocene biochronological successions
(after Woodburne et al. (2014a, b) for the early–middle Eocene; Dunn et al.
(2013) for the late Eocene–early Miocene).
TAXON USLF QLCF GF
New cingulate X
Pucatherium parvum X X X
Parutaetus punaensis X X
Punatherium catamarcensis X
Table 1. Comparative distribution of cingulates from Eocene age in Norwestern of
Argentina. Upper section of the Lumbrera Formation (USLF), Quebrada de Los
Colorados Formation (QLCF), and Geste Formation (GF).