Nothrotheriops sp. (Mammalia, Xenarthra) from the Late Pleistocene of Argentina: implications for the dispersion of ground sloths during the Great American Biotic Interchange

Abstract

The aim of this contribution is to describe a femur (MCRS 199) assigned to Nothrotheriops sp. from the Late Pleistocene of Santa Fe Province (Argentina), and discuss the implications of this find in the context of the dispersal of ground sloths during the Great American Biotic Interchange. The specimen MCRS 199 is smaller than the femora referred to the North American species Nothrotheriops texanus and Nothrotheriops shastensis but shares several features with these species: (i) shape and position of the greater trochanter, (ii) development of the lesser trochanter, (iii) presence of connection between the third trochanter and the ectepicondyle, (iv) distal third of the femur wider, with ML/DW index of 1.93, and (v) location and relationship of the distal condyles. These similarities allow us to assign MCRS 199 to Nothrotheriops sp. The record of Nothrotheriops sp. from Santa Fe Province chronologically coincides with the earliest records of Nothrotheriops shastensis suggesting a broad geographical distribution of Nothrotheriops during the Late Pleistocene, ranging from 33–36°N (e.g. states of California and Arizona, USA) to 31°S (northern Salado River, Santa Fe Province, Argentina). Thus, Nothrotheriops have dispersed from North America (where Nothrotheriops has early records, Calabrian–Middle Pleistocene) to South America where localities bearing Nothrotheriops are Late Pleistocene in age. In addition, once in South America and probably during the Middle Pleistocene, Nothrotheriops probably gave rise to its sister taxon, Nothrotherium, with records from the Middle Pleistocene (e.g. 223 ka BP, northeastern Brazil) to the Late Pleistocene (e.g. 15 ka BP).