PBDB Collection

Puesto Estancia La Costa Fossiliferous Level 5.3 (Miocene of Argentina)

Where: Santa Cruz, Argentina (51.2° S, 69.1° W: paleocoordinates 51.8° S, 63.4° W)

• coordinate stated in text

• local area-level geographic resolution

When: Estancia La Costa Member (Santa Cruz Formation), Santacrucian (17.5 - 16.3 Ma)

• 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).

• formation-level stratigraphic resolution

Environment/lithology: terrestrial; green, sandy claystone and tuffaceous, silty sandstone

Size class: macrofossils

Primary reference: F. J. Degrange, J. I. Noriega, and J. I. Areta. 2012. Diversity and paleobiology of the Santacrucian birds. In S. F. VizcaÃno, 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]more details

Purpose of describing collection: paleoecologic analysis

PaleoDB collection 176602: authorized by Jelle Zijlstra, entered by Jelle Zijlstra on 17.02.2016

Creative Commons license: CC BY (attribution)

Taxonomic list

Show authors, comments, and common names

Mammalia
Paucituberculata - Palaeothentidae	Palaeothentes lemoinei¹ Palaeothentes lemoinei¹ Ameghino 1887 marsupial MPM-PV 3494, dentary m2-4, humerus, ulna, pelvis, tibia, astragalus
Sparassodonta -	Sipalocyon sp.⁶, Sipalocyon gracilis⁶, ? Perathereutes pungens⁶, Cladosictis patagonica⁶ Sipalocyon sp.⁶ Ameghino 1887 metatherian MPM-PV 4319 Sipalocyon gracilis⁶ Ameghino 1887 metatherian MPM-PV 4317 ? Perathereutes pungens⁶ Ameghino 1891 metatherian MPM-PV 4322 Cladosictis patagonica⁶ Ameghino 1887 metatherian MPM-PV 4253
Sparassodonta - Borhyaenidae	Prothylacynus patagonicus⁶, Borhyaena tuberata⁶ Prothylacynus patagonicus⁶ Ameghino 1891 metatherian MPM-PV 4318, 4331 Borhyaena tuberata⁶ Ameghino 1887 metatherian MPM-PV 3625, 4254, 4321, 4320
Notoungulata - Interatheriidae	"Protypotherium praerutilum" = Protypotherium praerutilum⁴, "Protypotherium attenuatum" = Protypotherium praerutilum⁴ "Protypotherium praerutilum" = Protypotherium praerutilum⁴ Ameghino 1887 notoungulate MPM-PV 3530, mandible; 3659, cranium and mandible; "Protypotherium attenuatum" = Protypotherium praerutilum⁴ Ameghino 1887 notoungulate MPM-PV 3470, cranium and mandible
Notoungulata - Hegetotheriidae	Hegetotherium mirabile⁴ Hegetotherium mirabile⁴ Ameghino 1887 notoungulate MPM-PV 3526, cranium; 4316, mandible
Notoungulata - Toxodontidae	Nesodon imbricatus⁴ Nesodon imbricatus⁴ Owen 1846 notoungulate MPM-PV 4377, cranium
Cingulata - Propalaehoplophoridae	Propalaehoplophorus australis⁷, Cochlops muricatus⁷ Propalaehoplophorus australis⁷ Moreno 1882 edentate MPM-PV 3422, skull and postcrania Cochlops muricatus⁷ Ameghino 1889 edentate MPM-PV 3420, skull, partial skeleton, carapace
Cingulata - Peltephilidae	Peltephilus pumilus⁷ Peltephilus pumilus⁷ Ameghino 1887 edentate MPM-PV 3414, skull and pelvis fragment; MPM-PV 3431, osteoderms
Cingulata - Chlamyphoridae	"Proeutatus oenophorus" = Proeutatus oenophorum⁷, Prozaedyus proximus⁷, Stenotatus cf. patagonicus⁷ "Proeutatus oenophorus" = Proeutatus oenophorum⁷ Ameghino 1887 edentate MPM-PV 3415, skull and postcrania; MPM-PV 3425, skull fragment; MPM-PV 3430, skull and postcrania; MPM-PV 4256, skull Prozaedyus proximus⁷ Ameghino 1887 edentate 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 Stenotatus cf. patagonicus⁷ Ameghino 1887 edentate MPM-PV 3429, mandible and osteoderms
Megatherioidea - Megalonychidae	cf. Hapalops sp.², Hapalops sp.², Eucholoeops ingens², cf. Hyperleptus sp.² cf. Hapalops sp.² Ameghino 1887 edentate MPM-PV 3462, incomplete skull and postcrania Hapalops sp.² Ameghino 1887 edentate MPM-PV 3412, skull and postcrania; MPM-PV 3467, skull and postcrania Eucholoeops ingens² Ameghino 1887 edentate MPM-PV 3451, skull and postcrania. See also ref 71644 cf. Hyperleptus sp.² Ameghino 1891 edentate MPM-PV 3410, skull and postcrania
- Mylodontidae	Nematherium sp.² Nematherium sp.² Ameghino 1887 edentate MPM-PV 3703, mandible
Panameriungulata - Proterotheriidae	Tetramerorhinus cingulatum⁴, Thoatherium minusculum⁴ Tetramerorhinus cingulatum⁴ Ameghino 1891 placental MPM-PV 3493, cranium Thoatherium minusculum⁴ Ameghino 1887 placental MPM-PV 3529, cranium, femur, ulna, tibia
Rodentia -	Neoreomys australis³, Steiromys detentus³, Steiromys duplicatus³ Neoreomys australis³ Ameghino 1887 caviomorph 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 detentus³ Ameghino 1887 caviomorph MPM-PV 4358, dentary dp4–m2; 4271, partial skull Steiromys duplicatus³ Ameghino 1887 caviomorph MPM-PV 4273, skull and right mandible
Primates - Homunculidae	Homunculus patagonicus⁵ Homunculus patagonicus⁵ Ameghino 1891 monkey MPM-PV 3500, humerus (see also Kay et al. 2021); 3501, cranium; 3503, cranium; 3504, mandible; 3505, juvenile cranium (see ref 58229)
Aves
Cariamiformes - Cariamidae	Cariama santacrucensis n. sp., Cariaminae indet. Cariama santacrucensis n. sp. Noriega et al. 2009 seriema MPM-PV 3511, incomplete cranium Cariaminae indet. Bonaparte 1853 seriema MPM-PV 3512, tibiotarsus fragment
Gruiformes - Phorusrhacidae	Psilopterus bachmanni Psilopterus bachmanni Moreno and Mercerat 1891 terror bird MPM-PV 4243, furcula and left fore- and hindlimb fragments

¹Abello et al. 2012; ²Bargo et al. 2012; ³Candela et al. 2012; ⁴Cassini et al. 2012; ⁵Kay et al. 2012; ⁶Prevosti et al. 2012; ⁷Vizcaíno et al. 2012