A new genus of Interatheriinae (Interatheriidae, Notoungulata) from the Santa Cruz Formation (early–middle Miocene), Santa Cruz Province, Argentina, and the revision of the genus Cochilius Ameghino, 1902

Abstract

Interatheriinae is one of the most derived subfamilies of South American notoungulates. Several interatheriines have been described since the 19th century, but most of them have not been revised, or been formally re-examined, for more than a century. Most interatheriine taxa were erected based on materials collected from Argentinean Patagonia, particularly from the Santa Cruz Formation (early–middle Miocene), Santa Cruz Province. Within the framework of an exhaustive unpublished systematic revision of Interatheriinae (early Oligocene–late Miocene), we studied the holotype of Santacrucian Icochilus undulatus, leading to the recognition of a new monospecific genus, Neoicochilus gen. nov., and the new combination N. undulatus. In addition, we formalize the taxonomic revision of Cochilius, proposing the following: Paracochilius is the junior synonym of Cochilius; Cochilius consists of C. volvens, C. fumensis, and C. brevirostrus; Paracochilius chubutensis and Protypotherium minor are junior synonyms of Cochilius brevirostrus; Cochilius pendens is the junior synonym of Cochilius columnifer; and the holotype of Cochilius columnifer exhibits the diagnostic features of Protypotherium, so we propose the new combination Protypotherium columnifer, pending publication of our thorough taxonomic revision of Protypotherium. Our taxonomic scheme is supported by a cladistic analysis, which places Neoicochilus undulatus in a derived position within Interatheriinae, as the sister taxon of the monophyletic genus Cochilius, and the clade Neoicochilus plus Cochilius positioned as the sister taxon of Interatherium. Our phylogenetic results support the monophyly of Miocene interatheriines.