Artículo
Armadillo osteoderms altered by digestion and how taphonomy can help taxonomy
Tomassini, Rodrigo Leandro
; Marin Monfort, María Dolores
; García Morato, Sara; Montalvo, Claudia Inés; Barasoain Goñi, Daniel
; Zaracho, Elba M.; Chatellenaz, Mario Luis; Garrone, Mariana Carolina
; Zurita, Alfredo Eduardo
; Fernandez Jalvo, Yolanda
Fecha de publicación:
27/01/2023
Editorial:
Society for Sedimentary Geology
Revista:
Palaios
ISSN:
0883-1351
e-ISSN:
1938-5323
Idioma:
Inglés
Tipo de recurso:
Artículo publicado
Clasificación temática:
Resumen
Diverse modifications of the original morphological features occur throughout the taphonomic history of osteological remains, which may lead in erroneous interpretations about the formation of an accumulation as well as taxonomic misidentifications. Here, we present a neo-taphonomic study in order to analyze and interpret the modifications generated by digestion on osteoderms of the armadillo Dasypus novemcinctus obtained from scats produced by Puma concolor. Results reveal intense breakage and modifications of the articular and broken edges, dorsal surface, bone tissues, and ornamentation pattern of the osteoderms. This work describes for the first time the modifications caused by digestion in armadillo osteoderms, improving the knowledge of preservation of this type of skeletal element and providing a modern analog that can be used to distinguish archeological and paleontological accumulations formed by predators from those generated by other processes. The recognition that digestion modifies the original ornamentation pattern is particularly significant because ornamentation features are used in nearly all taxonomic and phylogenetic studies of fossil cingulates. We use this new information to re-evaluate osteoderms recovered from carnivore coprolites of the classic middle Miocene La Venta site (Colombia), which formed the basis for recognizing and characterizing the dasypodids species Nanoastegotherium prostatum. We highlight the importance of knowing with certainty the origin and taphonomic history of remains since, in the particular case of cingulates, taxonomic identification also has important biostratigraphic, paleoecological, paleoenvironmental, and paleobiogeographical implications
Palabras clave:
VERTEBRATE TAPHONOMY
,
DEPREDATION
,
ORNAMENTATION PATTERN
,
ARMADILLOS
Archivos asociados
Licencia
Identificadores
Colecciones
Articulos(INGEOSUR)
Articulos de INST.GEOLOGICO DEL SUR
Articulos de INST.GEOLOGICO DEL SUR
Citación
Tomassini, Rodrigo Leandro; Marin Monfort, María Dolores; García Morato, Sara; Montalvo, Claudia Inés; Barasoain Goñi, Daniel; et al.; Armadillo osteoderms altered by digestion and how taphonomy can help taxonomy; Society for Sedimentary Geology; Palaios; 38; 1; 27-1-2023; 31-42
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