Puesto Estancia La Costa Fossiliferous Level 5.3: Santacrucian, Argentina

List of taxa
Where & when
Geology
Taphonomy & methods
Metadata & references
Taxonomic list
Mammalia - Mylodontidae
Nematherium sp. Ameghino 1887
Bargo et al. 2012
MPM-PV 3703, mandible
Mammalia - Megalonychidae
Eucholoeops ingens Ameghino 1887
Bargo et al. 2012
MPM-PV 3451, skull and postcrania. See also ref 71644
cf. Hapalops sp. Ameghino 1887
Bargo et al. 2012
MPM-PV 3462, incomplete skull and postcrania
Hapalops sp. Ameghino 1887
Bargo et al. 2012
MPM-PV 3412, skull and postcrania; MPM-PV 3467, skull and postcrania
cf. Hyperleptus sp. Ameghino 1891
Bargo et al. 2012
MPM-PV 3410, skull and postcrania
Mammalia - Cingulata - Chlamyphoridae
Proeutatus oenophorus (Ameghino 1887)
Vizcaíno et al. 2012
MPM-PV 3415, skull and postcrania; MPM-PV 3425, skull fragment; MPM-PV 3430, skull and postcrania; MPM-PV 4256, skull
Prozaedyus proximus (Ameghino 1887)
Vizcaíno et al. 2012
MPM-PV 3418, skull fragment; MPM-PV 3423, skull; MPM-PV 3506, complete skeleton; MPM-PV 3617, skeleton and carapace; MPM-PV 4182, skull, mandible, osteoderms
Vizcaíno et al. 2012
MPM-PV 3429, mandible and osteoderms
Mammalia - Cingulata - Propalaehoplophoridae
Vizcaíno et al. 2012
MPM-PV 3420, skull, partial skeleton, carapace
Vizcaíno et al. 2012
MPM-PV 3422, skull and postcrania
Mammalia - Cingulata
Peltephilus pumilus Ameghino 1887
Vizcaíno et al. 2012
MPM-PV 3414, skull and pelvis fragment; MPM-PV 3431, osteoderms
Mammalia - Notoungulata - Interatheriidae
Cassini et al. 2012
MPM-PV 3530, mandible; 3659, cranium and mandible;
Cassini et al. 2012
MPM-PV 3470, cranium and mandible
Mammalia - Notoungulata
Cassini et al. 2012
MPM-PV 3526, cranium; 4316, mandible
Mammalia - Notoungulata - Toxodontidae
Cassini et al. 2012
MPM-PV 4377, cranium
Mammalia - Panameriungulata - Proterotheriidae
Cassini et al. 2012
MPM-PV 3529, cranium, femur, ulna, tibia
Cassini et al. 2012
MPM-PV 3493, cranium
Mammalia - Primates - Homunculidae
Kay et al. 2012 5 specimens
MPM-PV 3500, humerus (see also Kay et al. 2021); 3501, cranium; 3503, cranium; 3504, mandible; 3505, juvenile cranium (see ref 58229)
Mammalia - Rodentia
Neoreomys australis Ameghino 1887
Candela et al. 2012
MPM-PV 3514, partial skull, left femur; 3674, skull, postcrania; 3676, partial skull; 4340, skull and postcrania; 4341, skull and postcrania; 4342, skull and postcrania; 4343, skull and vertebrae; 4344, dentary
Steiromys detentus Ameghino 1887
Candela et al. 2012
MPM-PV 4358, dentary dp4–m2; 4271, partial skull
Steiromys duplicatus Ameghino 1887
Candela et al. 2012
MPM-PV 4273, skull and right mandible
Mammalia - Paucituberculata - Palaeothentidae
Abello et al. 2012 1 specimen
MPM-PV 3494, dentary m2-4, humerus, ulna, pelvis, tibia, astragalus
Mammalia - Sparassodonta
Borhyaena tuberata Ameghino 1887
Prevosti et al. 2012
MPM-PV 3625, 4254, 4321, 4320
Prevosti et al. 2012
MPM-PV 4318, 4331
Prevosti et al. 2012
MPM-PV 4322
Sipalocyon sp. Ameghino 1887
Prevosti et al. 2012
MPM-PV 4319
Sipalocyon gracilis Ameghino 1887
Prevosti et al. 2012
MPM-PV 4317
Prevosti et al. 2012
MPM-PV 4253
Reptilia - Gruiformes - Phorusrhacidae
1 specimen
MPM-PV 4243, furcula and left fore- and hindlimb fragments
Reptilia - Cariamiformes - Cariamidae
Cariaminae indet. Bonaparte 1853
1 specimen
MPM-PV 3512, tibiotarsus fragment
1 specimen
MPM-PV 3511, incomplete cranium
see common names

Geography
Country:Argentina State/province:Santa Cruz
Coordinates: 51.2° South, 69.1° West (view map)
Paleocoordinates:50.6° South, 66.9° West (Wright 2013)
Basis of coordinate:stated in text
Altitude:0 meters
Geographic resolution:local area
Time
Period: Neogene Epoch: Miocene
Stage: Burdigalian 10 m.y. bin: Cenozoic 5
Key time interval: Santacrucian
Age range of interval: 17.5 - 16.3 m.y. ago
Stratigraphy
Formation:Santa Cruz Member:Estancia La Costa
Stratigraphic resolution:formation
Stratigraphy comments: The age of this level is between 17.3 and 17.6 Ma, based on the age of two radiometrically dated tuffs that bracket it: the CO tuff of Perkins et al. (2012) and the CV-13 tuff of Trayler et al. (2020). The former as refined by high-precision U–Pb age modeling is 17.31 Ma and the latter is 17.62 Ma (Trayler et al., 2020).
Lithology and environment
Primary lithology:green sandy claystone
Secondary lithology:tuffaceous silty sandstone
Includes fossils?Y
Includes fossils?Y
Environment:terrestrial indet.
Taphonomy
Modes of preservation:body
Size of fossils:macrofossils
Collection methods and comments
Collection methods:field collection
Reason for describing collection:paleoecologic analysis
Metadata
Database number:176602
Authorizer:J. Zijlstra Enterer:J. Zijlstra
Modifier:G. Varnham Research group:vertebrate
Subset of collection #:142533
Created:2016-02-17 23:58:19 Last modified:2025-02-22 15:12:02
Access level:the public Released:2016-02-17 23:58:19
Creative Commons license:CC0
Reference information

Primary reference:
58178. F. J. Degrange, J. I. Noriega, and J. I. Areta. 2012. Diversity and paleobiology of the Santacrucian birds. In S. F. Vizcaíno, R. F. Kay, M. S. Bargo (eds.), Early Miocene Paleobiology in Patagonia: High-Latitude Paleocommunities of the Santa Cruz Formation 138-155 [J. Zijlstra/J. Zijlstra]

Secondary references:

58179 M. A. Abello, E. Ortiz-Jaureguizar, and A. M. Candela. 2012. Paleoecology of the Paucituberculata and Microbiotheria (Mammalia, Marsupialia) from the late Early Miocene of Argentina. In S. F. Vizcaíno, R. F. Kay, M. S. Bargo (eds.), Early Miocene Paleobiology in Patagonia: High-Latitude Paleocommunities of the Santa Cruz Formation 156-172 [J. Zijlstra/J. Zijlstra]
58223 M. S. Bargo, N. Toledo, and S. F. Vizcaíno. 2012. Paleobiology of the Santacrucian sloths and anteaters (Xenarthra, Pilosa). In S. F. Vizcaíno, R. F. Kay, M. S. Bargo (eds.), Early Miocene Paleobiology in Patagonia: High-Latitude Paleocommunities of the Santa Cruz Formation 216-242 [J. Zijlstra/J. Zijlstra/J. Zijlstra]
58225 A. M. Candela, L. L. Rasia, and M. E. Pérez. 2012. Paleobiology of Santacrucian caviomorph rodents: a morphofunctional approach. In S. F. Vizcaíno, R. F. Kay, M. S. Bargo (eds.), Early Miocene Paleobiology in Patagonia: High-Latitude Paleocommunities of the Santa Cruz Formation 287-305 [J. Zijlstra/J. Zijlstra/J. Zijlstra]
58224 G. H. Cassini, E. Cerdeño, A. L. Villafañe and N. A. Muñoz. 2012. Paleobiology of Santacrucian native ungulates (Meridiungulata: Astrapotheria, Litoptera and Notoungulata). In S. F. Vizcaíno, R. F. Kay, M. S. Bargo (eds.), Early Miocene Paleobiology in Patagonia: High-Latitude Paleocommunities of the Santa Cruz Formation 243-286 [J. Zijlstra/J. Zijlstra/J. Zijlstra]
71644 G. De Iuliis, F. Pujos, N. Toledo, M. S. Bargo, and S. F. Vizcaino. 2014. Eucholoeops Ameghino, 1887 (Xenarthra, Tardigrada, Megalonychidae) from the Santa Cruz Formation, Argentine Patagonia: implications for the systematics of Santacrucian sloths. Geodiversitas 36(2):209-255 [P. Mannion/M. Kouvari]
81659 J. G. Fleagle, J. T. Gladman, and R. F. Kay. 2022. A new humerus of Homunculus patagonicus, a stem platyrrhine from the Santa Cruz Formation (Late Early Miocene), Santa Cruz Province, Argentina. Ameghiniana 59(1):78-96 [P. Mannion/G. Varnham/P. Mannion]
58226 R. F. Kay, J. M. G. Perry, M. Malinzak, K. L. Allen, E. C. Kirk, J. M. Plavcan, and J. G. Fleagle. 2012. Paleobiology of Santacrucian primates. In S. F. Vizcaíno, R. F. Kay, M. S. Bargo (eds.), Early Miocene Paleobiology in Patagonia: High-Latitude Paleocommunities of the Santa Cruz Formation 306-330 [J. Zijlstra/J. Zijlstra]
58229 J. M. Perry, R. F. Kay, S. F. Vizcaíno and M. S. Bargo. 2014. Oldest known cranium of a juvenile New World monkey (Early Miocene, Patagonia, Argentina): Implications for the taxonomy and the molar eruption pattern of early platyrrhines. Journal of Human Evolution 74:67-81 [J. Zijlstra/J. Zijlstra/M. Kouvari]
58202 F. J. Prevosti, A. M. Forasiepi, M. D. Ercoli and G. F. Turazzini. 2012. Paleoecology of the mammalian carnivores (Metatheria, Sparassodonta) of the Santa Cruz Formation (late Early Miocene). In S. F. Vizcaíno, R. F. Kay, M. S. Bargo (eds.), Early Miocene Paleobiology in Patagonia: High-Latitude Paleocommunities of the Santa Cruz Formation 173-193 [J. Zijlstra/J. Zijlstra/J. Zijlstra]
58206 S. F. Vizcaíno, J. C. Fernicola, and M. S. Bargo. 2012. Paleobiology of Santacrucian glyptodonts and armadillos (Xenarthra, Cingulata). In S. F. Vizcaí­no, R. F. Kay, M. S. Bargo (eds.), Early Miocene Paleobiology in Patagonia: High-Latitude Paleocommunities of the Santa Cruz Formation 194-215 [J. Zijlstra/J. Zijlstra/J. Zijlstra]