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| Llullataruca | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification  | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | † Litopterna |
| Family: | † Macraucheniidae |
| Genus: | † Llullataruca McGrath, Anaya & Croft, 2018 |
| Species: | †L. shockeyi |
| Binomial name | |
| †Llullataruca shockeyi McGrath, Anaya & Croft, 2018 | |
Llullataruca is an extinct genus of macraucheniid litoptern. [1] It lived during the Middle Miocene of what is now Bolivia. [2]
The genus name, Llullataruca, is derived from the Quechua words llulla meaning "false", "lie" or "deceitful", and taruca, meaning "deer", an indigenous language of the Quebrada Honda region, which refers to the presumed habits of the small-to mid-sized macraucheniids as cursorial browsers or mixed feeders, a niche filled today in many parts of the world, including southern Bolivia, by cervids. The species name, shockeyi honors of Bruce Shockey for his endless efforts to improve knowledge of Cenozoic mammals in Bolivia and his many insights that have improved other scientists understanding of the paleobiology of native South American ungulates, including macraucheniids. [2]
This animal is known only from incomplete remains, mainly a jaw with teeth, but from comparison with better known similar animals, such as Cramauchenia , one can hypothesize its appearance: Llullataruca would have been a medium-sized animal, vaguely similar to a small deer without horns, with a relatively slender structure. It is estimated that it should not exceed 50 kilograms in weight by much, making it one of the smallest known macraucheniids. [2]
First described in 2018, Llullataruca shockeyi is known for a mandible comprising the entire lower dentition, some upper teeth and various postcranial elements found in Bolivia, in the Tarija Department (Quebrada Honda). Other fragmentary remains, attributable to the same genus, have been found in slightly older soils in the Cerdas area.
Llullataruca is a member of the Macraucheniidae, the best-known family of Litopterna, comprising animals of medium to large sizes and with a body form comparable to that of deer, horses or camels. In particular, Llullataruca has been recovered as the sister taxon to Coniopternium within the paraphyletic subfamily Cramaucheniinae, comprising the less derived and more ancient macraucheniids. Llullataruca, found in deposits from the middle Miocene, would show that the archaic morphotype of the macraucheniids was still present at this time in the northern parts of South America, when in Patagonia the archaic cramaucheniines had become extinct for at least 7 million years. [2]
Theosodon is an extinct genus of litoptern mammal from the Early to Middle Miocene of South America.
Xenorhinotherium is an extinct genus of macraucheniine macraucheniids, closely related to Macrauchenia of Patagonia. The type species is X. bahiense.
Cramauchenia is an extinct genus of litoptern South American ungulate. Cramauchenia was named by Florentino Ameghino. The name has no literal translation. Instead, it is an anagram of the name of a related genus Macrauchenia. This genus was initially discovered in the Sarmiento Formation in the Chubut Province, in Argentina, and later it was found in the Chichinales Formation in the Río Negro Province and the Cerro Bandera Formation in Neuquén, also in Argentina, in sediments assigned to the SALMA Colhuehuapian, as well as the Agua de la Piedra Formation in Mendoza, in sediments dated to the Deseadan. In 1981 Soria made C. insolita a junior synonym of C. normalis. A specimen of C. normalis was described in 2010 from Cabeza Blanca in the Sarmiento Formation, in sediments assigned to the Deseadan SALMA.
Scalabrinitherium is an extinct genus of mammals of the family Macraucheniidae. Fossils of this animal were found among the fossils of prehistoric xenarthrans in the Ituzaingó Formation of Argentina.
Proterotheriidae is an extinct family of litoptern ungulates known from the Oligocene-Late Pleistocene of South America. Members of the group were small-medium sized cursorial herbivores with brachydont teeth, with their toes showing progressive reduction, with later members of the group bearing weight on a single large toe similar to living horses.
Cullinia is an extinct genus of litoptern, an order of South American native ungulates that included horse-like and camel-like animals such as Macrauchenia. It is only known from fragmentary remains. Cullinia levis is known from Chasicoan remains found in the Arroyo Chasicó Formation of Argentina, and remains from the Brazilian state of Acre and the Huayquerian Ituzaingó Formation have been assigned to Cullinia sp..
Cramaucheniinae is a paraphyletic subfamily of macraucheniids that originated in the middle Eocene. The size range of the group ranged from small, basal forms to larger and more derived forms. During their evolution, the cramaucheniines undergone a trend from evolving from small basal forms such as Polymorphis into larger, more derived taxa such as Theosodon.
Proterotherium is an extinct genus of litoptern mammal of the family Proterotheriidae that lived during the Late Miocene of Argentina and Chile. Fossils of this genus have been found in the Ituzaingó Formation of Argentina, and the Galera Formation of Chile.
Promacrauchenia is an extinct genus of macraucheniids that lived during the Late Miocene to Late Pliocene epochs of what is now Argentina and Bolivia. It belongs to the subfamily Macraucheniinae, which also includes Huayqueriana, Macrauchenia, and Xenorhinotherium. Fossils of this genus have been found in the Ituzaingó, Andalhuala, and Cerro Azul Formations of Argentina.
Megadolodus is an extinct genus of proterotheriid litopterns.
Olisanophus is a genus of extinct litoptern from the late middle Miocene of southern Bolivia. It was named in 2020 by Andrew McGrath and colleagues, for two distinct species from the same deposits of an unnamed formation of the Honda Group. The type species is O. riorosarioensis, known from elements of the partial upper and lower left and right dentitions and possibly a partial mandible, and the referred species is O. akilachuta, known for 6 teeth. Some intermediate material from the same deposits was referred to Olisanophus sp., not showing diagnostic features of either species. Both species were recovered together in a phylogenetic analysis, where they were sister taxa to a group of Diplasiotherium and Mesolicaphrium.
Mesolicaphrium is a genus of extinct litoptern from the late middle Miocene of southern Colombia. It was named in 2020 by Andrew McGrath and colleagues, for the species previously classified as Prolicaphrium sanalfonensis from the La Victoria and Villavieja Formations of the Honda Group, Colombia. The type species is M. sanalfonense, known from the jaw symphysis and two right mandibular rami, and teeth. Mesolicaphrium is derived from the similarity to the names Prolicaphrium and Neolicaphrium, and being in between both taxa in age. The taxon was recovered in a phylogenetic analysis as the sister taxon of Diplasiotherium, closely related to Olisanophus.
Neodolodus is a genus of extinct litoptern from the late middle Miocene of southern Colombia. It was named in 1986 by Hoffstetter and Soria, for the species Neodolodus colombianus from the Castilletes Formation and the La Victoria and Villavieja Formations of the Honda Group. The type species N. colombianus is known from a right mandibular ramus, teeth, and part of the fore- and hindlimbs. Neodolodus has been classified as a species of Prothoatherium or Lambdaconus, but was recognized as a distinct genus by McGrath and colleagues in 2020. The taxon was recovered in a phylogenetic analysis as the sister taxon of Protheosodon, between other proterotheriid genera like Picturotherium and Anisolophus.
Uruguayodon is an extinct genus of proterotheriid from the middle Pleistocene of Uruguay. It is known from the type and only species U. alius, named by Corona and colleagues in 2019 for dentaries and a partial postcrania from the Raigón Formation. Uruguayodon represents one of the latest occurrences of Proterotheriidae, with only Neolicaphrium representing other remains from the Pleistocene to possibly Holocene.
Prolicaphrium is an extinct genus of proterotheriid litoptern that lived during the Early Miocene, in what is now Argentina. Fossils have been found in the Sarmiento Formation of Argentina.
Tetramerorhinus is an extinct genus of proterotheriid litoptern that lived during the Early and Middle Miocene in what is now Argentina and Peru.
Hemihegetotherium is an extinct genus of hegetotheriid notoungulate that lived from the Middle to the Late Miocene of what is now Argentina.
Pternoconius is an extinct genus of macraucheniid litoptern from the Late Oligocene and Early Miocene of Argentina. Fossils of this genus have been found in the Sarmiento Formation of Argentina.
Guilielmofloweria is an extinct genus of proterotheriid litoptern that lived from the Middle to Late Eocene of what is now Argentina. Fossils have been found in the Sarmiento Formation of Argentina.
Micrauchenia is an extinct genus of macraucheniine litoptern that lived during the Late Miocene of what is now Chile. Fossils of this genus have been found in the Bahía Inglesa Formation in Chile.
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