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New data on Propyrotherium (Mammalia, Pyrotheria) from the middle Eocene age (Chubut, Argentina): anatomy, age constraints, and phylogeny

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Abstract

Pyrotheria is one of the most peculiar orders of South American native ungulates, whose members evolved from the early? Eocene to the late Oligocene period when they became extinct. Here, we described the most complete specimen of Propyrotherium saxeum ever found, one of the lesser-known representatives of pyrotheres that characterized the middle-late Eocene period of Patagonia (Argentina). It includes a nearly complete mandible and a tusk-like tooth of the same individual, as well as other isolated upper and lower teeth. Propyrotherium saxeum has a dental formula that includes at least P2–M3 and i2?–p3–m3 (lack of p2). It is characterized by some peculiar features of the mandible (e.g., ascending ramus longer than high, hiding the m3 and straight incisura mandibular) and dentition (e.g., cristid obliqua in p3–m3, cristid between posterior lophid and distal cingulid in m1–m3, P3–M3 and p3–m3 bilophodont, P2 and p3–m3 bi-rooted, P3–M3 three-rooted, paraconid in p3). The phylogenetic analysis reveals that Propyrotherium is more closely related to Pyrotherium and Baguatherium, differing from the previous hypothesis, and supports the monophyly of Pyrotheriidae including Carolozittelia, Griphodon, Pyrotherium, Baguatherium, and Propyrotherium. The absolute age obtained through U–Pb zircon dating of the Sarmiento Formation at Cañadón Pelado, the fossil’s original locality, indicates that the fossil-bearing tuff would have been deposited between 39.65 and 40.41 Ma, with a weighted mean age of 40.03 ± 0.38 Ma (Bartonian). This implies a biochron much longer than previously thought for Propyrotherium and provides a chronological framework for the fauna of Cañadón Pelado.

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Acknowledgements

We thank A. Taboada (CIEMEP) for providing important literature and unpublished data on the Cañadón Pelado locality; Puesto Blanco’s owners for allowing us to work on their territory; M. Cárdenas (MACN) for preparing the specimen LIEB-PV 3200, and W. Dromaz, L. González Ruiz, G. Martin (CIEMEP), and E. Vasquetto (UNPSJB) for technical assistance and help in the field.

Funding

This work was supported by Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET PIP 2017–0767 to BV) and a CONICET-LA.TE ANDES Laboratory agreement.

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  1. Centro de Investigación Esquel de Montaña y Estepa Patagónica (CIEMEP), CCT-Patagonia Norte, CONICET-UNPSJB, Roca 780, Esquel, Chubut, 9200, Argentina

    Bárbara Vera & Micaela Folino

  2. SÖBÖ Geosciences, Ruta 259 km 25, Trevelin, Chubut, 9203, Argentina

    Walter Soechting & Nicole Böttcher

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  1. Bárbara Vera
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  2. Micaela Folino
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B.V., conceptualization, formal analysis, funding acquisition, investigation, methodology, project administration, supervision, writing—original draft, writing—review and editing. M.F., formal analysis, investigation, writing—review. W.S. and N.B., formal analysis, methodology, visualization, writing—review and editing.

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Correspondence to Bárbara Vera.

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Communicated by: Aurora Grandal-d'Anglade

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Vera, B., Folino, M., Soechting, W. et al. New data on Propyrotherium (Mammalia, Pyrotheria) from the middle Eocene age (Chubut, Argentina): anatomy, age constraints, and phylogeny. Sci Nat 109, 40 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00114-022-01810-z

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