Gruta del Indio (Layer 3) (Pleistocene of Argentina)

Where: Mendoza, Argentina (34.8° S, 68.4° W: paleocoordinates 34.8° S, 68.4° W)

• coordinate stated in text

• small collection-level geographic resolution

When: Late/Upper Pleistocene (0.1 - 0.0 Ma)

• C14 on dung. C14 on dung.

•Fernández and Pardiñas 2018: Layer 3=ca. 31–8 ky BP

Environment/lithology: cave; lithology not reported

• Mylodon ossicles supposedly were recovered from the upper level in association with Early Holocene charcoal, but the date on these ossicles is rejected by Long et al. 1998, and their dates on ground sloth dung are used instead
• Fernández and Pardiñas 2018: GI is a large rockshelter (50 m wide at the mouth and 12 m long) that was eroded out of a basaltic outcrop, 20 m above the alluvial plain of the Atuel River. The sedimentary filling of GI is composed by about 1.1 m of gravel, sand, slime and archaeological materials (Semper and Lagiglia, 1962–1968).

Size class: macrofossils

Collection methods: quarrying

• Fernández and Pardiñas 2018: A total of 599 remains of small mammal were recovered from GI. Most of postcranial elements obtained from the sequence were discarded in the field by the collectors, following a widespread methodology mostly focused to the collection of remains that could be tax- onomically identified.

Primary reference: J. C. Vogel and J. C. Lerman. 1969. Groningne radiocarbon dates VIII. Radiocarbon 11(2):351-390 [J. Alroy/J. Alroy]more details

Purpose of describing collection: taxonomic analysis

PaleoDB collection 71311: authorized by John Alroy, entered by John Alroy on 14.02.1999, edited by Grace Varnham

Creative Commons license: CC BY (attribution)

Taxonomic list

Show authors, comments, and common names
Mammalia
 Didelphimorphia - Didelphidae
Thylamys pallidior
Thylamys pallidior Thomas 1902 fat-tailed mouse opossum
  - Mylodontidae
Mylodon listai
 Megatherioidea - Megatheriidae
Megatheriidae indet.
Megatheriidae indet. Gray 1821 edentate
Long et al. 1998
 Rodentia - Cricetidae
Cricetidae indet., Akodon dolores, Eligmodontia sp., Graomys griseoflavus, Phyllotis xanthopygus
Cricetidae indet. Fischer von Waldheim 1817 rodent
Eligmodontia sp. Cuvier 1837 rodent
Graomys griseoflavus Waterhouse 1837 rodent
Phyllotis xanthopygus Waterhouse 1837 rodent
 Rodentia - Caviidae
Caviidae indet., Microcavia australis, Galea leucoblephara
Caviidae indet. Gray 1821 caviomorph
Microcavia australis Geoffroy and Dorbigny 1833 caviomorph
Galea leucoblephara Burmeister 1861 caviomorph
 Rodentia - Octodontidae
Tympanoctomys barrerae
Tympanoctomys barrerae plains viscacha rat
 Rodentia - Ctenomyidae
Ctenomys sp.
Ctenomys sp. de Blainville 1826 caviomorph