Uneven landscapes inhabited by middle Miocene mammals from La Pava and Collón Cura formations in North Patagonia
Abstract The Collón Cura Formation (CCF) bears a diverse assemblage of middle Miocene terrestrial mammals (the Colloncuran fauna) known from the end of XIX century. The CCF along with the La Pava Formation (LPF) constitutes the main syntectonic infill of intermontane basins in the extra-Andean NW Pa...
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2025-06-01
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| Series: | Swiss Journal of Palaeontology |
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| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1186/s13358-025-00365-6 |
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| author | Alejandro G. Kramarz Eduardo S. Bellosi Mariano Bond Analía M. Forasiepi Mercedes Fernández Juan Carlos Fernicola Guillermo Aguirrezabala Daniella Teixeira de Rezende |
| author_facet | Alejandro G. Kramarz Eduardo S. Bellosi Mariano Bond Analía M. Forasiepi Mercedes Fernández Juan Carlos Fernicola Guillermo Aguirrezabala Daniella Teixeira de Rezende |
| author_sort | Alejandro G. Kramarz |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract The Collón Cura Formation (CCF) bears a diverse assemblage of middle Miocene terrestrial mammals (the Colloncuran fauna) known from the end of XIX century. The CCF along with the La Pava Formation (LPF) constitutes the main syntectonic infill of intermontane basins in the extra-Andean NW Patagonia. The study of paleosols and terrestrial ichnofacies of both units in these basins, particularly in the Jacobacci basin (Rio Negro Province, Argentina), document the progressive environmental change since the end of the Miocene Climatic Optimum, related to the drying and cooling of southern South America. This change is recognized in the andic Mollisols and mollic Andisols bearing Coprinisphaera ichnofacies formed in subhumid grasslands or wooded-savannas (LPF), and in the xeric-vertic Andisols and andic Aridisols bearing Celliforma ichnofacies developed in semiarid woodlands or bushlands (CCF). However, a new U–Pb date of 14.38 ± 0.19 Ma (late Langhian), for the LPF at the Huahuel Niyeu valley in the Jacobacci basin, indicates that both landscapes co-existed likely following a vertical rainfall gradient (orographic precipitation). In the present work, we report the first mammals from the LPF recovered from the Huahuel Niyeu River associated with the dated strata. They include Palaeothentes intermedius, Prozaedyus sp., Proeutatus sp., Propalaehoplophorinae indet., Glossotheriopsis pascuali, Massoiamys obliquus, Pliolagostomus friasensis, Eusigmomys cf. E. oppositus, Pachyrukhos moyani, Hemihegetotherium tantillum, Protypotherium australe, Protypotherium praerutilum, Palyeidodon obtusum, Hyperoxotodon sp. nov, Toxodontidae indet., and Astrapotheriidae indet. All these taxa (except P. intermedius) also occur in roughly coeval sediments of the CCF in Jacobacci and other basins of NW Patagonia. We conclude that the heterogeneous landscape developed in Jacobacci basin was inhabited by diverse functional groups of Colloncuran mammals adapted to different climatic and floristic settings, and therefore they are not sensitive to small-scale environmental heterogeneity. These palaeoecologic inferences could be extended to other Miocene basins and to other Cenozoic mammal faunas of Patagonia, which paleohabitats were generally deduced from feeding behaviors. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-c63e4b132a9e44fc86b256f2f960253f |
| institution | Kabale University |
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| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-06-01 |
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| spelling | doaj-art-c63e4b132a9e44fc86b256f2f960253f2025-08-20T03:26:47ZengSpringerOpenSwiss Journal of Palaeontology1664-23761664-23842025-06-01144112210.1186/s13358-025-00365-6Uneven landscapes inhabited by middle Miocene mammals from La Pava and Collón Cura formations in North PatagoniaAlejandro G. Kramarz0Eduardo S. Bellosi1Mariano Bond2Analía M. Forasiepi3Mercedes Fernández4Juan Carlos Fernicola5Guillermo Aguirrezabala6Daniella Teixeira de Rezende7Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), Museo Argentino de Ciencias NaturalesConsejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), Museo Argentino de Ciencias NaturalesConsejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), Dto. Científico Paleontología de Vertebrados, Museo de La PlataConsejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), IANIGLAConsejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), Museo Argentino de Ciencias NaturalesConsejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), Museo Argentino de Ciencias NaturalesConsejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), Museo Argentino de Ciencias NaturalesConsejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), Museo Argentino de Ciencias NaturalesAbstract The Collón Cura Formation (CCF) bears a diverse assemblage of middle Miocene terrestrial mammals (the Colloncuran fauna) known from the end of XIX century. The CCF along with the La Pava Formation (LPF) constitutes the main syntectonic infill of intermontane basins in the extra-Andean NW Patagonia. The study of paleosols and terrestrial ichnofacies of both units in these basins, particularly in the Jacobacci basin (Rio Negro Province, Argentina), document the progressive environmental change since the end of the Miocene Climatic Optimum, related to the drying and cooling of southern South America. This change is recognized in the andic Mollisols and mollic Andisols bearing Coprinisphaera ichnofacies formed in subhumid grasslands or wooded-savannas (LPF), and in the xeric-vertic Andisols and andic Aridisols bearing Celliforma ichnofacies developed in semiarid woodlands or bushlands (CCF). However, a new U–Pb date of 14.38 ± 0.19 Ma (late Langhian), for the LPF at the Huahuel Niyeu valley in the Jacobacci basin, indicates that both landscapes co-existed likely following a vertical rainfall gradient (orographic precipitation). In the present work, we report the first mammals from the LPF recovered from the Huahuel Niyeu River associated with the dated strata. They include Palaeothentes intermedius, Prozaedyus sp., Proeutatus sp., Propalaehoplophorinae indet., Glossotheriopsis pascuali, Massoiamys obliquus, Pliolagostomus friasensis, Eusigmomys cf. E. oppositus, Pachyrukhos moyani, Hemihegetotherium tantillum, Protypotherium australe, Protypotherium praerutilum, Palyeidodon obtusum, Hyperoxotodon sp. nov, Toxodontidae indet., and Astrapotheriidae indet. All these taxa (except P. intermedius) also occur in roughly coeval sediments of the CCF in Jacobacci and other basins of NW Patagonia. We conclude that the heterogeneous landscape developed in Jacobacci basin was inhabited by diverse functional groups of Colloncuran mammals adapted to different climatic and floristic settings, and therefore they are not sensitive to small-scale environmental heterogeneity. These palaeoecologic inferences could be extended to other Miocene basins and to other Cenozoic mammal faunas of Patagonia, which paleohabitats were generally deduced from feeding behaviors.https://doi.org/10.1186/s13358-025-00365-6Colloncuran fossil mammalsIngeniero JacobacciPalaeoecologyPaleosolsPalaeoenvironmentsOrographic rainfall gradient |
| spellingShingle | Alejandro G. Kramarz Eduardo S. Bellosi Mariano Bond Analía M. Forasiepi Mercedes Fernández Juan Carlos Fernicola Guillermo Aguirrezabala Daniella Teixeira de Rezende Uneven landscapes inhabited by middle Miocene mammals from La Pava and Collón Cura formations in North Patagonia Swiss Journal of Palaeontology Colloncuran fossil mammals Ingeniero Jacobacci Palaeoecology Paleosols Palaeoenvironments Orographic rainfall gradient |
| title | Uneven landscapes inhabited by middle Miocene mammals from La Pava and Collón Cura formations in North Patagonia |
| title_full | Uneven landscapes inhabited by middle Miocene mammals from La Pava and Collón Cura formations in North Patagonia |
| title_fullStr | Uneven landscapes inhabited by middle Miocene mammals from La Pava and Collón Cura formations in North Patagonia |
| title_full_unstemmed | Uneven landscapes inhabited by middle Miocene mammals from La Pava and Collón Cura formations in North Patagonia |
| title_short | Uneven landscapes inhabited by middle Miocene mammals from La Pava and Collón Cura formations in North Patagonia |
| title_sort | uneven landscapes inhabited by middle miocene mammals from la pava and collon cura formations in north patagonia |
| topic | Colloncuran fossil mammals Ingeniero Jacobacci Palaeoecology Paleosols Palaeoenvironments Orographic rainfall gradient |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1186/s13358-025-00365-6 |
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