Quebrada Fiera (Oligocene of Argentina)

Where: Mendoza, Argentina (36.6° S, 69.7° W)

• Paleocoordinates: 36.2° S, 64.1° W (Wright 2013)

• coordinate based on nearby landmark

• small collection-level geographic resolution

When: Agua de la Piedra Formation, Late/Upper Oligocene (28.4 - 23.0 Ma)

• Deseadan

•Pujos et al. 2021: Several attempts at absolute dating have been made in unit 4. Unfortunately, the impurity of tuffitic levels combined with the absence of well-formed crystals have precluded the precise dating of the fossiliferous levels.

• bed-level stratigraphic resolution

Environment/lithology: lagoonal or restricted shallow subtidal; lithified tuff

• Pujos et al. 2021: At Quebrada Fiera, the volcanic activity begins with tuff deposits (units 4 and 5) on the piedmont, on which are located braided rivers and lagoonal environments. These clayey sediments are deposited by decantation in a hydric environment. It is in unit 4 that abundant vertebrate material is encountered (Fig. 3).
• Pujos et al. 2021: "white to grey tuff. It is friable, vitreous, and locally indurated, with oxidized minerals and angular plagioclases. The vertebrate specimens analysed in the present study have been found in this unit (thickness, 50 m; sample QF4A; Fig. 3). The tuffs with smectitic matrix and numerous pyroclasts indicate pronounced volcanism; the absence of weathering features on the pyroclasts indicates aeolian transport of the particles. A gypsiferous level in the tuffitic unit mentioned by Gorron~o et al. (1979) possibly relates to a brief evaporitic interval with no pyroclastic contribution. The sediment at the top of the unit is coarse (thickness, 5 m) and rich in pumice, fragments of oxidized microlitic lava, and opaque pyroclasts (sample QF4B; Fig. 3) that reflect an increment of the volcanic activity"

Size class: macrofossils

Primary reference: A. M. Candela, M. E. Pérez, L. L. Rasia and E. Cerdeño. 2021. New late Oligocene caviomorph rodents from Mendoza Province, central-western Argentina. Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology 41(2):e1929264 [L. Rasia/L. Rasia/P. Mannion]more details

Purpose of describing collection: taxonomic analysis

PaleoDB collection 220946: authorized by Luciano Rasia, entered by Luciano Rasia on 28.06.2021, edited by Grace Varnham

Creative Commons license: CC0 (CC0)

Taxonomic list

Show authors, comments, and common names
Mammalia
 Megatherioidea -
Similhapalops nivis n. gen. n. sp.
Similhapalops nivis n. gen. n. sp. Pujos et al. 2021 edentate
Holotype. Complete right astragalus (MCNAM PV 5011); Distal epiphysis of right tibia (MCNAM PV 3995); Anterior portion of left dentary with alveoli of cf and most anterior part of mf1 (MCNAM PV 4008)
  - Mylodontidae
Octodontotherium sp.
Octodontotherium sp. Ameghino 1894 edentate
Left Mf1 (MCNAM-PV 4069; Fig. 4), two successive lumbar vertebrae of a single specimen (MCNAM-PV 4100a and 4100b; Fig. 5), almost complete right humerus (MCNAM PV 3856; Fig. 7), complete left scaphoid (MCNAM- PV 3861; Fig. 8), distal epiphysis of left femur (MLP 77-VI-1-22; Fig. 9A–F), and proximal epiphysis of right tibia (MCNAM PV 3918; Fig. 9G–K).
 Cingulata - Dasypodidae
Meteutatus sp., Meteutatus lagenaformis, Euphractini indet.
Meteutatus sp. Ameghino 1902 armadillo
Isolated osteoderms
Meteutatus lagenaformis Ameghino 1897 armadillo
Isolated osteoderms
Euphractini indet. Winge 1923 armadillo
Isolated osteoderms
 Cingulata - Chlamyphoridae
Stenotatus ornatus
Stenotatus ornatus edentate
Isolated osteoderms
 Cingulata - Palaeopeltidae
Palaeopeltis inornatus
Palaeopeltis inornatus Ameghino 1894 edentate
osteoderms
 Cingulata - Glyptodontidae
Glyptodontidae indet.
Glyptodontidae indet. Burmeister 1879 glyptodon
osteoderms
 Cingulata - Glyptatelidae
Clypeotherium sp., Glyptatelus cf. tatusinus
Clypeotherium sp. Scillato-Yané 1977 edentate
osteoderms
Glyptatelus cf. tatusinus Ameghino 1897 edentate
osteoderms
 Cingulata - Propalaehoplophoridae
"Propalaehoplophorinae indet." = Propalaehoplophoridae
"Propalaehoplophorinae indet." = Propalaehoplophoridae Ameghino 1891 edentate
osteoderm
 Cingulata - Peltephilidae
Peltephilus sp., Peltephilus undulatus
Peltephilus sp. Ameghino 1887 edentate
osteoderms
Peltephilus undulatus Ameghino 1897 edentate
osteoderms
 Rodentia - Cephalomyidae
Cephalomys sp.
Cephalomys sp. Ameghino 1897 caviomorph
 Rodentia -
Asteromys puelche n. sp.
Asteromys puelche n. sp. Candela et al. 2021 caviomorph
 Rodentia - Chinchillidae
Incamys bolivianus
Incamys bolivianus Hoffstetter and Lavocat 1970 chinchilid