Proterotheriidae (Mammalia, Litopterna) from the Cerro Azul Formation (late Miocene), La Pampa Province, Argentina

Abstract

Remains of Proterotheriidae (Litopterna) recovered from different localities in La Pampa Province, Argentina, are described. The fossiliferous levels in these localities correspond to the Cerro Azul Formation (late Miocene), where Chasicoan and Huayquerian faunal associations are known. The specimens of Proterotheriidae herein studied are assigned to Diplasiotherium pampa, Eoauchenia primitiva, cf. Brachytherium cuspidatum, Neobrachytherium sp. and Proterotheriidae indet. Although the holotype of D. pampa (left mandibular fragment with p3-m2) was defined in a previous paper, it is figured and fully described here, and its m3 is now known among the new collected specimens. Eoauchenia, Brachytherium and Neobrachytherium are registered in La Pampa Province for the first time, and the record of E. primitiva extends back to late Miocene its temporal distribution. Proterotheriids from the Cerro Azul Formation gather exclusive elements and others related to taxa represented in different Argentinean geological units corresponding to late Miocene-early Pliocene period.