Laguna Fría (Eocene of Argentina)

Where: Chubut, Argentina (42.7° S, 69.9° W: paleocoordinates 45.2° S, 60.1° W)

• coordinate stated in text

• outcrop-level geographic resolution

When: Lutetian (47.8 - 41.3 Ma)

• Proposed "Sapoan" South American Land Mammal Age (Tejedor et al. 2009)

•Gosses et al. (2020) Conclusions: The Laguna Fría fauna is younger, constrained between the 49.26 ± 0.30 Ma Laguna Fría orange ignimbrite and the 43.50 ± 1.14 Ma Laguna Fría capping basalt. The age of the nearby La Barda fauna is more difficult to confidently determine. If previous stratigraphic relations inferred by Tejedor et al. (2009) are correct, then the La Barda fauna is at least 2 m.y. younger than its previously assumed age range of 47–45 Ma. The detailed stratigraphy of basaltic eruptions is poorly known however, and it is therefore possible that the La Barda and Laguna Fría faunas are similar in age. Finally, the Laguna Fría age range overlaps with the age ranges proposed by Krause et al. (2017) for the Riochican and Vacan faunas and therefore does not directly support the existence of a temporally distinct “Sapoan” SALMA.

• bed-level stratigraphic resolution

Environment/lithology: terrestrial; tuff

Size classes: macrofossils, mesofossils

Primary reference: M. F. Tejedor, F. J. Goin, J. N. Gelfo, G. López, M. Bond, A. A. Carlini, G. J. Scillato-Yané, M. O. Woodburne, L. Chornogubsky, E. Aragón, M. A. Reguero, N. J. Czaplewski, S. Vincon, G. M. Martin, and M. R. Ciancio. 2009. New Early Eocene mammalian fauna from western Patagonia, Argentina. American Museum Novitates 3638:1-43 [J. Zijlstra/J. Zijlstra]more details

Purpose of describing collection: general faunal/floral analysis

PaleoDB collection 176059: authorized by Jelle Zijlstra, entered by Jelle Zijlstra on 23.01.2016, edited by Evangelos Vlachos, Miranta Kouvari and Kateryn Pino

Creative Commons license: CC BY (attribution)

Taxonomic list

unclassified
  -
? Amilnedwardsiidae "gen. et sp. indet. H"
two left mandibular fragments from Laguna Fr ́ıa, one with p2 and p3 par- tially broken, and p4–m2 (LIEB-PV 1616), and a second specimen with p3–4 (LIEB-PV 1617)
Mammalia
 Placentalia -
Chiroptera "gen. et sp. nov. 9"4 Blumenbach 1779 bat
well preserved left m?2 (LIEB-PV 999; Fig. 2a, b, c) and a right talonid (LIEB-PV 1000; Fig. 2d)
 Panameriungulata - Didolodontidae
Didolodontidae "gen. et sp. nov. 7" Simpson 1934 placental
well-preserved m3 (LIEB-PV 1611)
Didolodontidae "gen. et sp. nov. 8" Simpson 1934 placental
right partial mandible with part of the talonid of m2 and complete m3 (LIEB-PV 1612)
 Panameriungulata - Protolipternidae
Asmithwoodwardia subtrigona Ameghino 1901 placental
several isolated teeth
 Panameriungulata - Sparnotheriodontidae
Sparnotheriodontidae "gen. et sp. indet. G" Soria 1980 placental
right maxillary fragment (MLP 66-V-12-2; fig. 7D) with three molariforms (P4–M2?), right M3 (MLP 66-V- 12-1), and a broken left M1 or M2 (LIEB-PV 1615).
 Panameriungulata - Macraucheniidae
? Victorlemoineia longidens placental
incomplete right lower molariform (p4 or m1 LIEB-PV 1614)
 Cingulata - Dasypodidae
Stegosimpsonia sp. Vizcaino 1994 armadillo
isolated plates of the dorsal carapace
Riostegotherium sp. Oliveira and Bergqvist 1998 armadillo
Several isolated plates of the dorsal carapace
Astegotherium sp. Ameghino 1902 armadillo
isolated plates
Prostegotherium cf. astrifer Ameghino 1902 armadillo
osteoderms
 Notoungulata - Archaeopithecidae
Archaeopithecus cf. rogeri Ameghino 1897 notoungulate
Not clear which material comes from Laguna Fría and which from La Barda. "Several maxillary and mandibular fragments (e.g., LIEB-PV 1625 to 1628), as well as isolated teeth (e.g., LIEB-PV 1629) referred to this family have been found in La Barda and Laguna Fría."
Teratopithecus elpidophoros n. gen. n. sp.2 López et al. 2020 notoungulate
LIEB-PV 1627, partial right maxilla with P3- M2
 Notoungulata - Notostylopidae
Edvardotrouessartia sola Ameghino 1901 notoungulate
Two maxillary fragments were collected at Laguna Fr ́ıa, one with broken P2–4 (LIEB-PV 1619; fig. 7G), and the other with incomplete P4 (LIEB-PV 1620)
Notostylops sp. Ameghino 1897 notoungulate
Mandibular fragments and isolated upper teeth that can be referred to the genus Notostylops are abundant in both localities of Paso del Sapo.
 Notoungulata - Oldfieldthomasiidae
Oldfieldthomasiidae "gen. et sp. indet. I" Simpson 1945 notoungulate
mandibular fragments
 Notoungulata - Notopithecidae
"Notopithecinae "gen. et sp. indet. J"" = Notopithecidae
"Notopithecinae "gen. et sp. indet. J"" = Notopithecidae Ameghino 1897 notoungulate
A few isolated teeth, including LIEB-PV 1655, left lower p3
 Notoungulata - Isotemnidae
Isotemnus sp. Ameghino 1897 notoungulate
LIEB-PV 1646, right maxilla with P4–M3, LIEB-PV 1659, left m2
 Notoungulata - Henricosborniidae
Othnielmarshia lacunifera Ameghino 1901 notoungulate
right maxillary fragment with complete M1–3 (LIEB-PV 1618, fig. 7F)
Henricosbornia lophodonta Ameghino 1901 notoungulate
Maxillary and mandibular fragments re- ferred to the Family Henricosborniidae are abundant in both localities of Paso del Sapo
 Placentalia -
Astrapotheria "gen. et sp. indet. K" Lydekker 1894 placental
left m1 or m2 (LIEB-PV 1623)
? Astrapotheria "gen. et sp. indet. L" Lydekker 1894 placental
right maxillary fragment with part of the hypertrophied and compressed canine that may be attributable to the Astrapotheria (LIEB-PV 1624),
 Theriamorpha - Pucadelphyidae
cf. Itaboraidelphys sp. Marshall and de Muizon 1984 metatherian
illustrated is an isolated right m2 or m3 (LIEB-PV 1064), and addi- tional referred materials include an isolated left metastylar area (M1 or M2; LIEB-PV 1066); isolated lower left premolar (LIEB-PV 1067); fragment of left upper molar (Mx; LIEB-PV 1110); and right metastylar fragment (LIEB-PV 1075).
 Sparassodonta - Hathliacynidae
"Hathliacynidae "Gen. et sp. nov. 6"" = Hathlyacininae
"Hathliacynidae "Gen. et sp. nov. 6"" = Hathlyacininae Ameghino 1894 metatherian
LIEB-PV 1036, a maxillary fragment with M?3 (fig. 3H), and LIEB-PV 1037, isolated metastylar portion of a right M?2,
 Sparassodonta - Borhyaenidae
Nemolestes lagunafriensis3 Rangel et al. 2023 metatherian
LIEB-PV 1038 is an isolated left m?4
 Polydolopimorphia - Polydolopidae
Amphidolops "sp. nov. 2" Ameghino 1902 metatherian
Not clear which material comes from Laguna Fría and which from La Barda. "LIEB-PV 1187, a right m2, and several isolated lower and upper molars from both localities of Paso del Sapo"
Amphidolops minimus n. sp.1 Chornogubsky 2020 metatherian
LIEB-PV 1173, a right maxillary fragment with M1–2, as well as several maxillary and mandibular remains and isolated teeth have been assigned to this new taxon collected in both localities of Paso del Sapo.
Amphidolops intermedius1 Chornogubsky 2020 metatherian
LIEB-PV 1179, LIEB-PV 1180, LIEB-PV 1189 and LIEB-PV 1190
Hypodolops sapoensis n. gen. n. sp.1 Chornogubsky 2020 metatherian
Not clear which material comes from Laguna Fría and which from La Barda. "LIEB-PV 1153, a maxillary fragment with M1–2, as well as four lower molars are included in this new species recovered in La Barda and Laguna Fría"
Hypodolops sapoensis1 Chornogubsky 2020 metatherian
Not clear which material comes from Laguna Fría and which from La Barda. "LIEB-PV 1173, a right maxillary fragment with M1–2, as well as several maxillary and mandibular remains and isolated teeth have been assigned to this new taxon collected in both localities of Paso del Sapo."
Polydolops unicus Tejedor et al. 2009 metatherian
LIEB-PV 1240*, left maxillary fragment with M2–3; LIEB-PV 1241*, left M1, LIEB-PV 1242*, right M1, LIEB-PV 1243*, right M1, LIEB-PV 1244*, right, broken M1; LIEB-PV 1212*, left dentary with broken m1, complete m2, and roots of m3; LIEB-PV 1217*, right dentary with m1–3; LIEB-PV 1259*, left mandible with m1–2 and roots of p3; LIEB- PV 1260*, left mandible with m2–3; LIEB- PV 1261*, left m2; LIEB-PV 1262*, right mandible with m1–2;
"Polydolops rothi" = Pliodolops rothi Simpson 1936 metatherian
several upper and lower specimens
 Theriamorpha -
Didelphimorphia "Gen. et sp. indet. A" Gill 1872 marsupial
Three upper molars including LIEB-PV 1042
Didelphimorphia "Gen. et sp. nov. 3" Gill 1872 marsupial
Several upper and lower molars
 Theriamorpha - Derorhynchidae
Derorhynchus sp. Couto 1952 marsupial
two specimens (LIEB- PV 1102, right m4; LIEB-PV 1140, isolated left talonid)
Derorhynchus cf. minutus Goin et al. 1999 marsupial
eight specimens
Pauladelphys sp. Goin et al. 1999 marsupial
dentition, maxillae, and man- dibles mostly from Laguna Fría
 Theriamorpha - Protodidelphidae
Protodidelphis "cf. sp. nov." Paula Couto 1952 marsupial
About a dozen isolated upper and lower teeth
 Theriamorpha -
? Microbiotheria "Gen. et sp. indet. F" Ameghino 1899 marsupial
Two lower molars
 Theriamorpha - Microbiotheriidae
Microbiotheriidae "Gen. et sp. indet. D" Ameghino 1887 marsupial
LIEB-PV 1039, a fragment of right dentary with the alveoli for i1-m2, and LIEB-PV 1041, a right Mx.
Eomicrobiotherium sp. Marshall 1982 marsupial
LIEB-PV 1040, right m?3
 Theriamorpha - Herpetotheriidae
Palangania cf. brandmayri Goin et al. 1998 marsupial
lower molar (LIEB-PV 1051)
 Marsupialia - Herpetotheriidae
Peradectidae "Gen. et sp. nov. 1" marsupial
One upper and three lower molars from Laguna Fr ́ıa are referred to this new taxon (LIEB-PV 1031, a left M?3).
 Theriamorpha - Herpetotheriidae
"Caroloameghiniidae "Gen. et sp. nov. 2"" = Caroloameghiniinae
"Caroloameghiniidae "Gen. et sp. nov. 2"" = Caroloameghiniinae Ameghino 1901 marsupial
Three lower molars collected at Laguna Fría