A new SANU (Mammalia, Panperissodactyla) from the early Eocene levels of the Lumbrera Formation at Los Cardones National Park (Salta Province, Northwestern Argentina)

Abstract

New remain of a SANU from the lower levels of the Lumbrera Formation is described. It consists of a left dentary fragment with a m3 preserving a partially broken trigonid and a complete talonid. Kyraodus churcalensis gen. et. sp nov. is characterised by the following combination of features: brachydont and bunodont molar; talonid larger than trigonid; distal wall of the metaconid not inflated; hypoconid subequal in height, but more voluminous than the distally placed hypoconulid; small entoconid closer to the hypoconulid; metastylid vestigial; strong cristid obliqua lingually projected and mesially ascending, closing labially the talonid basin, which is a narrow oblique valley labio-lingually opened; hypocristid present without contacting the hypoconulid; postcristid present, contacting the entoconid and closing the small valley between the later and hypoconulid; strong mesio-labial cingulid and reduced disto-labial one. The cladistic analysis performed yields 380 most parsimonious trees (177 steps each). In the strict consensus, Kyraodus is positioned in a clade with Mioclaenidae, Litopterna, Didolodontidae and Phenacodontidae, separated from Notoungulata plus Kollpaniidae. Kyraodus represents the ancient condylarth known from Northwestern Argentina and the accompanying fauna is the first confirmed early Ypresian assemblage of Argentina highlighting the importance of the region for the early radiation of native ungulates. urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:55379E92-AB62-4E9A-9FC8-2F1B6A1B2B39.