El Guanaco: Messinian, Argentina

List of taxa
Where & when
Geology
Taphonomy & methods
Metadata & references
Taxonomic list
Reptilia - Tinamiformes - Tinamidae
Nothura sp. Wagler 1827
Cenizo et al. 2012
GHUNLPam 14861/1, distal portion of left tibiotarsus
Mammalia - Cingulata - Dasypodidae
Urrutia et al. 2008
Urrutia et al. 2008
Urrutia et al. 2008
Urrutia et al. 2008
Urrutia et al. 2008
Mammalia - Notoungulata
Paedotherium minor Cabrera 1937
Sostillo et al. 2021
Mammalia - Rodentia - Ctenomyidae
Xenodontomys simpsoni Kraglievich 1961
Verzi et al. 1991
GHUNLPam 342 (see also ref 65013)
Mammalia - Rodentia - Chinchillidae
Montalvo et al. 2023
GHUNLPam 12958 right mandible with p4-m3, GHUNLPam 14854 palate with left P4-M2 and right M1-3.
Montalvo et al. 2023
GHUNLPam 131 right mandible with i and p4-3, left with m3, and isolated I, GHUNLPam 22657 palate with left P4-M3 and right broken P4-M2.
Mammalia - Rodentia - Cricetidae
Romano et al. 2023
Mammalia - Panameriungulata - Proterotheriidae
Eoauchenia primitiva Ameghino 1887
Schmidt et al. 2018
Mammalia - Didelphimorphia
(5 measurements)
Romano et al. 2023
Goin et al. 2000
Mammalia - Argyrolagidae
Goin et al. 2000
Mammalia - Sparassodonta - Thylacosmilidae
Romano et al. 2023
Goin et al. 2000
see common names

Geography
Country:Argentina State/province:La Pampa
Coordinates: 37.7° South, 63.5° West (view map)
Paleocoordinates:37.5° South, 61.9° West (Wright 2013)
Basis of coordinate:estimated from map
Altitude:160 meters
Geographic resolution:outcrop
Time
Period: Neogene Epoch: Miocene
Stage: Messinian 10 m.y. bin: Cenozoic 6
Key time interval: Messinian
Age range of interval: 7.246 - 5.333 m.y. ago
Age estimate: 6.187 to 5.154 Ma (other)
Stratigraphy
Formation:Cerro Azul
Stratigraphic resolution:formation
Stratigraphy comments: Schmidt et al. 2018: Figure 2 illustrates the stratigraphic distribution of the locality giving a general age estimate of 5.4-6.1Ma

Prevosti et al. 2023: Biochronological methods were useful in ordering and estimating the age of the different faunas of the Cerro Azul Formation, ranging from ca. 8 to ca. 5.7 Ma. Some appear to be transitional between Chasicoan and “Huayquerian” faunas (Cerro La Bota, Cerro Patagua, and Algarrobo del Águila), and other three (Barrancas Coloradas, El Guanaco, and Caleufú) cover the latest Miocene, even some of them could have reached the earliest Pliocene.
Lithology and environment
Primary lithology:brown lithified siltstone
Environment:loess
Geology comments: Deposits at Telen, Bajo Giuliani, El Guanaco and Caleufú were interpreted as loess-like deposits with immature palaeosols and little diagenetic alteration (Montalvo et al., 2008, 2016; Verzi et al., 2008).
Taphonomy
Modes of preservation:body
Size of fossils:macrofossils
Collection methods and comments
Collection methods:field collection
Reason for describing collection:taxonomic analysis
Museum repositories:MLP
Metadata
Database number:140932
Authorizer:C. Jaramillo, P. Mannion, J. Carrillo Enterer:J. Carrillo, K. Pino, G. Varnham, M. Kouvari
Modifier:K. Pino Research group:vertebrate
Created:2013-03-19 08:25:17 Last modified:2025-02-22 15:12:02
Access level:database members Released:2014-03-19 08:25:17
Creative Commons license:CC0
Reference information

Primary reference:
45748. F. J. Goin and C. Montalvo. 1988. Revisión sistemática y reconocimiento de una nueva especie del género Thylatheridium Reig (Marsupialia, Didelphidae). Ameghiniana 25(2):161-167 [C. Jaramillo/J. Carrillo]

Secondary references:

72948 M. M. Cenizo, C. P. Tambussi, and C. I. Montalvo. 2012. Late Miocene continental birds from the Cerro Azul Formation in the Pampean region (central- southern Argentina). Alcheringa: An Australasian Journal of Palaeontology 36(1):47-68 [P. Mannion/G. Varnham]
48408 F. J. Goin, C. I. Montalvo, and G. Visconti. 2000. Los marsupiales (Mammalia) del Mioceno Superior de la Formacion Cerro Azul(Provincia de La Pampa, Argentina). Estudios Geol 56:101-126 [C. Jaramillo/J. Carrillo/J. Carrillo]
85601 C. I. Montalvo, R. Sostillo, and L. L. Rasia. 2023. New light on the late Middle Miocene–Early Pliocene representatives of Lagostomus (Chinchillidae, Rodentia) from Cerro Azul Formation, Argentina. Journal of South American Earth Sciences 128(104481) [J. Carrillo/K. Pino]
85650 C. O. Romano, R. Bonini, S. Hemming, M. Cenizo, U. F. J. Pardiñas and F. J. Prevosti. 2023. Advances in the understanding of Neogene mammalian fauna in the Pampean region (central Argentina) through revising “biozone” hypotheses based on new dates and biochronological analyses. Ameghiniana 60(5):465-491 [J. Carrillo/K. Pino]
69166 G. I. Schmidt, C. I. Montalvo, R. Sostillo and E. Cerdeño. 2018. Proterotheriidae (Mammalia, Litopterna) from the Cerro Azul Formation (late Miocene), La Pampa Province, Argentina. Journal of South American Earth Sciences 83:165-177 [P. Mannion/G. Varnham]
84590 R. Sostillo, C. I. Montalvo, E. Cerdeño, G. I. Schmidt, A. Folguera and M. C. Cardonatto. 2021. Updated knowledge on the Notoungulata (Mammalia) from the late Miocene Cerro Azul Formation, La Pampa Province, Argentina. Historical Biology An International Journal of Paleobiology 33(8):1247-1265 [J. Carrillo/K. Pino]
70799 J. J. Urrutia, C. I. Montalvo, and G. J. Scillato-Yane. 2008. Dasypodidae (Xenarthra, Cingulata) de la Formación Cerro Azul (Mioceno tardío) de la provincia de La Pampa, Argentina. Ameghiniana 45(2):289-302 [P. Mannion/M. Kouvari]
65013 D. H. Verzi. 1999. The dental evidence on the differentiation of the ctenomyine rodents (Caviomorpha, Octodontidae, Ctenomyinae). Acta Theriologica 44(3):263-282 [C. Jaramillo/J. Carrillo]
71025 D. H. Verzi, C. I. Montalvo, and M. G. Vucetich. 1991. Nuevos restos de Xenodontomys simpsoni Kraglievich y la sistematica de los mas antiguos Ctenomyinae (Rodentia, Octodontidae). Ameghiniana 28(3-4):325-331 [P. Mannion/M. Kouvari]