This document summarizes the exceptional preservation of tracheal rings found in a fossil mammal specimen of Panochthus sp. (an extinct armored glyptodont). Twenty-three fragments of tracheal rings were found preserved at a site along the Salado River in Buenos Aires Province, Argentina. The reconstructed tracheal ring is transversely ovoid in shape, similar to tracheal rings of modern domestic animals like horses. Future analyses of these preserved tracheal rings could provide insights into the paleobiology of glyptodonts.

1. EXCEPTIONAL PRESERVATION OF TRACHEAL RINGS IN A
FOSSIL MAMMAL: THE CASE OF PANOCHTHUS SP.
(XENARTHRA; GLYPTODONTIDAE)
Martín Zamorano and 2
•1CONICET. División Paleontología Vertebrados, Museo de La Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y Museo, Universidad Nacional de La Plata.
marzamorano@fcnym.unlp.edu.ar; 2Centro de Investigación Esquel de Montaña y Estepa Patagónica (CIEMEP), CONICET-UNPSJB. Roca 780, 9200 Esquel.
Argentina. gonzalezlaureano@yahoo.com.ar
Figura 2. Twenty-three fragments of tracheal rings.
Figura 1. Geographic location of the site where the studied specimen was
found. X, Salado River margins, General Belgrano city, Buenos
Aires Province.
SYSTEMATIC PALEONTOLOGY
Magnorden Xenarthra Cope, 1889
Orden Cingulata Illiger, 1811
Suborden Glyptodontia Ameghino, 1889
Superfamilia Glyptodontoidea Gray, 1869
Familia Glyptodontidae Gray, 1869
Género Panochthus Burmeister, 1866
Especie tipo: Glyptodon tuberculatus Owen, 1845
Panochthus sp.
DESCRIPTION
We reconstructe one tracheal ring (Fig. 3) and
compared it with tracheal rings of common domestic
animals (e.g., dog, horse, sheep); the specimens are
transversely ovoid in shape and very similar to those
of the horse in general aspect. Although there are no
studies on this structure, with future analyses we
could obtain information about paleobiological
implications of this structure in glyptodonts.
DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS
Figura 3. Tracheal rings.