On the presence of <i>Tapirus</i> (Tapiridae, Perissodactyla) in the Touro Passo Formation (Late Pleistocene), western Rio Grande do Sul

Authors

  • Leonardo Kerber
  • Edison Vicente Oliveira PUCRS Uruguaiana

Abstract

Is described for the first time fossil material of the tapir Tapirus sp., from the late Pleistocene Touro Passo Formation, western Rio Grande do Sul State, Brazil. The specimen described consists of an incomplete rigth m2 or m3. The characteristic transverse lophid is present and the presence of well developed cuspids and crests suggest a more plesiomorphic pattern than of the living Tapirus terrestris. The presence in the Touro Passo Formation of Tapirus and other temperate to tropical distribution taxa suggest a closer biogeographic affinity to the northern Uruguay and the Argentine Mesopotamia (Entre Ríos and Corrientes provinces) assemblage. Keywords: tapir, tooth, Quaternary, paleobiogeography.

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Articles