Key to cranial and mandibular remains of non-flying small mammals from southern South America

Abstract

Reliable identification of small mammal bone remains is crucial for several disciplines, including archaeology, biogeography, ecology, paleontology, taxonomy, and taphonomy. However, this issue is usually a challenging task, often complicated by the fragmentary nature of bone accumulations and/or by the taphonomic processes involved in the genesis of some assemblages. In this work, we provide dichotomous artificial keys for crania and mandibles of non-flying small mammal (<1000 g) genera of southern South America (i.e., southern Argentina and Chile). Keys are complemented with separate accounts for species identification, based on the cranial and dental features better preserved on fragmentary materials.