Skip to main content

Advertisement

SpringerLink
Log in

A New Early Miocene Chinchilloid Hystricognath Rodent; an Approach to the Understanding of the Early Chinchillid Dental Evolution

  • Original Paper
  • Published:
Journal of Mammalian Evolution Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Chinchilloidea is an emblematical group of caviomorph rodents characterized by euhypsodont, laminated cheek teeth. Recent molecular analyses proposed that the extant Dinomys (and implicitly its fossil allies) is also part of this group. Their relationships with fossil caviomorphs with less derived dental features are still obscured by the deficiency of the fossil record documenting its early dental evolution. The new genus and species Garridomys curunuquem, from the early Miocene deposits of the Cerro Bandera Formation, northern Patagonia, is here described. It is represented by numerous mandible and maxillary remains with dentition. This species has protohypsodont cheek teeth with three transverse crests in all ontogenetic stages arranged in a transitory S-shaped pattern, resembling putative early dinomyids. Garridomys curunuquem is here interpreted as the sister group of the clade including the living and fossil chinchillids; both chinchillas and viscaccias would have diverged from a Garridomys-like ancestor and acquired hypsodonty independently. Garridomys and other chinchilloids would have diverged from the lineage leading to chinchillids in pre-Oligocene times, suggesting a very early, still poorly documented chinchilloid radiation.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4
Fig. 5
Fig. 6
Fig. 7
Fig. 8

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Arnal M, Kramarz AG (2011) First complete skull of an octodontoid (Rodentia, Caviomorpha) from the Neogene of South America and its bearing in the early evolution of Caviomorpha. Geobios 44:235–444

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bertrand CO, Flynn J, Croft D, Wyss A (2012) Two new taxa (Caviomorpha, Rodentia) from the early Oligocene Tinguiririca Fauna (Chile). Am Mus Novitates 3750:1-36

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bowdich TE (1821) An Analysis of the Natural Classifications of Mammalia for the Use of Students and Travelers. J. Smith, Paris

    Google Scholar 

  • Fields RW (1957) Hystricomorph rodents from the late Miocene of Colombia, South America. Univ Calif Publ Geol Sci 32:273-404

    Google Scholar 

  • Flynn J, Croft D, Charrier R, Herail G, Wyss A (2002) The first Cenozoic mammal fauna from the Chilean Altiplano. J Vertebr Palaeontol 22:200-206

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Flynn J, Swisher CC III (1995) Cenozoic South American Land Mammal Ages: correlation to global geochronologies. In: Berggren WA, Kent DV, Aubry M-P, Hardenbol J (eds) Geochronology, Time Scales, and Global Stratigraphic Correlation. SEPM (Society for Sedimentary Geology) Sp Publ No. 54., pp 317-333

  • Flynn J, Wyss A, Croft D, Charrier R (2003) The Tinguiririca Fauna, Chile: biochronology, paleoecology, biogeography, and a new earliest Oligocene South American Land Mammal ‘Age’. Palaeogeogr Palaeoclimatol Palaeoecol 195:229-259

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Glanz WE, Anderson S (1990) Notes on Bolivian Mammals. 7. A new species of Abrocoma (Rodentia) and relationships of the Abrocomidae. Am Mus Novitates 2991:1-32

    Google Scholar 

  • Goloboff PA (1993) NONA ver. 2.0. MS-DOS tree-searching program and documentation. Published by the author (http://www.cladistics.com/aboutnona.htm).

  • Huchon D, Douzery EJ (2001) From the Old to the New World: a molecular chronicle of the phylogeny and biogeography of hystricognath rodents. Mol Phylogenet Evol 20:283-251

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kraglievich L (1930) La Formación Friasiana del río Frias, río Fénix, laguna Blanca, etcétera, y su fauna de mamíferos. Physis 10:127-161

    Google Scholar 

  • Kraglievich L (1940) Los roedores extinguidos del grupo Neoepiblemidae. In: Torcelli AJ (ed) Obras de Geología y Paleontología, 3. Ministerio de Obras Públicas de la Provincia de Buenos Aires, La Plata, pp 739-764

    Google Scholar 

  • Kramarz AG (2001a) Revision of the family Cephalomyidae (Rodentia, Caviomorpha) and new cephalomyids from the early Miocene of Patagonia. Palaeovertebrata 30: 51-88

    Google Scholar 

  • Kramarz AG (2001b) Registro de Eoviscaccia (Rodentia, Chinchillidae) en estratos colhuehuapenses de Patagonia, Argentina. Ameghiniana 38:237-242

    Google Scholar 

  • Kramarz AG (2005) A primitive cephalomyid hystricognath rodent from the early Miocene of northern Patagonia, Argentina. Acta Palaeontol Pol 50:249-258

    Google Scholar 

  • Kramarz AG (2006a) Eocardiids (Rodentia, Hystricognathi) from the Pinturas Formation, late early Miocene of Patagonia, Argentina. J Vertebr Palaeontol 26:770-778

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kramarz AG (2006b) Neoreomys and Scleromys (Rodentia, Hystricognathi) from the Pinturas Formation, late early Miocene of Patagonia, Argentina. Rev Mus Arg Cien Nat, NS 8:53-62

    Google Scholar 

  • Kramarz A, Garrido A, Forasiepi A, Bond M, Tambussi C (2005) Estratigrafía y vertebrados (Mammalia – Aves) de la Formación Cerro Bandera, Mioceno Temprano de la provincia del Neuquén, Argentina. Rev Geol Chile 32:273-291

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kramarz A, Tejedor M, Forasiepi A, Garrido A (2011) New early Miocene primate fossils from northern Patagonia, Argentina. J Hum Evol 62:186-189

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Landry SO (1957) The interrelationships of the New and Old World hystricomorph rodents. Univ Calif Publ Zool 56:1-118

    Google Scholar 

  • Leanza HA, Hugo CA (1997) Hoja geológica 3969-III Picun Leufú. Boletín Nº 218. SEGEMAR, Buenos Aires

  • Loomis FB (1914) The Deseado Formation of Patagonia. Rumford Press, Amherst

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • MacPhee RDE (2011) Basicranial morphology and relationships of Antillean Heptaxodontidae (Rodentia, Ctenohystrica, Caviomorpha). Bull Am Mus Nat Hist 363:1-70

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Nasif NL (2011) Los Dinomyidae (Rodentia, Caviomorpha) del Mioceno superior del Noroeste argentino. Su anatomía cráneo-dentaria. Ph.D dissertation. Facultad de Ciencias Naturales e Instituto Miguel Lillo, Universidad Nacional de Tucumán

  • Patterson B, Wood AE (1982) Rodents from the Deseadan Oligocene of Bolivia and the relationships of the Caviomorpha. Bull Mus Comp Zool 149:371-543

    Google Scholar 

  • Pérez ME (2010) A new rodent (Cavioidea, Hystricognathi) from the middle Miocene of Patagonia, mandibular homologies, and the origin of the crown group Cavioidea sensu stricto. J Vertebr Palaeontol 30:1848-1859

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pérez ME, Vucetich MG (2011) A revision of the fossil genus Phanomys Ameghino, 1887 (Rodentia, Hystricognathi, Cavioidea) from the early Miocene of Patagonia (Argentina) and the acquisition of euhypsodonty in Cavioidea sensu stricto. Paläontol Z. doi 10.1007/s12542-011-0120-2

  • Rinderknecht A, Bostelmann E, Ubilla M (2011) New genus of giant Dinomyidae (Rodentia: Hystricognathi: Caviomorpha) from the late Miocene of Uruguay. J Mammal 92:169–178.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sánchez-Villagra MR, Aguilera O, Horovitz I 2003. The anatomy of the world’s largest extinct rodent. Science 301:1708-1710.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Simpson GG (1945) The principles of classification and a classification of Mammals. Bull Am Mus Nat Hist 85:i-xvi +1-350

    Google Scholar 

  • Tullberg T (1899) Ueber das System der Nagethiere: eine phylogenetische Studie. Nova Acta Regiae Societatis Scientiarum Upsaliensis 3:1-514

    Google Scholar 

  • Verzi DH, Vieytes EC, Montalvo CI (2011) Dental evolution in Neophanomys (Rodentia, Octodontidae) from the late Miocene of central Argentina. Geobios 44: 621-633

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Vucetich MG (1984) Los roedores Hystricognathi del Mioceno temprano de Patagonia. Resúmenes I Jornadas Argentina de Paleontología de Vertebrados: 24

  • Vucetich MG (1985) Cephalomyopsis hipselodontus gen. et sp. nov. (Rodentia, Caviomorpha, Cephalomyidae) de la Edad Colhuehuapense (Oligoceno tardío) de Chubut, Argentina. Ameghiniana 22:243-245

    Google Scholar 

  • Vucetich MG (1989) Rodents (Mammalia) of the Lacayani fauna re-visited (Deseadan, Bolivia). Comparison with new Chinchillidae and Cephalomyidae from Argentina. Bull Mus Natl Hist Nat 4C 11:233-247

    Google Scholar 

  • Vucetich MG, Verzi DH (1993) Un nuevo Chinchillidae del Colhuehuapense (Mioceno Inferior?) de Gaiman (Chubut): su aporte a la comprensión de la dicotomía vizcachas - chinchillas. Resúmenes IX Jornadas Argentinas de Paleontología de Vertebrados, Ameghiniana 30:115

  • Vucetich MG, Deschamps CM, Olivares AI, Dozo MT (2005b) Capybaras, size, shape, and time: a model kit. Acta Palaeontol Pol 50:259-272

    Google Scholar 

  • Vucetich MG, Kramarz AG, Candela AM (2010) The Colhuehuapian rodents from Gran Barranca and other Patagonian localities: the state of the art. In: Madden R, Carlini A, Vucetich MG, Kay R (eds) The Paleontology of Gran Barranca: Evolution and Environmental Change through the Middle Cenozoic. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, pp 206-219

    Google Scholar 

  • Vucetich MG, Vieytes EC, Verzi D, Noriega J, Tonni EP (2005a) Unexpected primitive rodents in the Quaternary of Argentina. J S Am Earth Sci 20:57-64

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Walton AH (1997) Rodents. In: Kay RF, Madden RH, Cifelli RL, Flynn JJ (eds) Vertebrate Paleontology in the Neotropics: the Miocene Fauna of La Venta, Colombia. Smithsonian Institution Press, Washington, D.C., pp 392-409

    Google Scholar 

  • Wood AE, Patterson B (1959). Rodents of the Deseadan Oligocene of Patagonia and the beginnings of South American rodent evolution. Bull Mus Comp Zool 120:281-428

    Google Scholar 

  • Woods CA, Howland EB (1979) Adaptative radiation of capromyid rodents: anatomy of the masticatory apparatus. J Mammal 60:95-116

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

We thank A. Garrido (MOZ), A. Forasiepi (Museo de Historia Natural de San Rafael, Mendoza), L. Filippi, S. Saldivia (Museo Carmen Funes, Neuquén), A. Martinelli, and G. Aguirrezabala for their help during the fieldtrips; C. Deschamps for help editing the manuscript; R. Coria (Museo Carmen Funes, Neuquén) and Dirección Provincial de Minería de la Provincia del Neuquén for technical support during fieldworks; and D. Flores (División Mastozoología, MACN) for access to specimens under his care. Special thanks to M. E. Pérez (MEF) for providing electronic photos of UCMP specimens, and F. Tricárico for helping us with the SEM photographs. Two anonymous reviewers improved this work by providing very constructive critical reviews. This work is a contribution to the projects PIP CONICET 6018/05 and 0276/2011, PICT 38112, and UNLP N/568.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. CONICET. Sección Paleontología de Vertebrados. Museo Argentino de Ciencias Naturales Bernardino Rivadavia, Av. Ángel Gallardo 470 (C1405DJR), Buenos Aires, Argentina

    Alejandro G. Kramarz

  2. CONICET. Departamento. Científico Paleontología Vertebrados, Museo de La Plata. Paseo del Bosque s/n (B1900FWA), La Plata, Argentina

    María G. Vucetich & Michelle Arnal

Authors
  1. Alejandro G. Kramarz
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. María G. Vucetich
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Michelle Arnal
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Alejandro G. Kramarz.

Electronic supplementary material

Below is the link to the electronic supplementary material.

ESM 1

(DOC 165 kb)

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Kramarz, A.G., Vucetich, M.G. & Arnal, M. A New Early Miocene Chinchilloid Hystricognath Rodent; an Approach to the Understanding of the Early Chinchillid Dental Evolution. J Mammal Evol 20, 249–261 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10914-012-9215-0

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10914-012-9215-0

Keywords

Search

Navigation