genus
Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus comes above species and below family. In binomial nom ...
of
litoptern
Litopterna (from grc, λῑτή πτέρνα "smooth heel") is an extinct order of fossil hoofed mammals from the Cenozoic era. The order is one of the five great orders of South American ungulates that were endemic to the continent, until th ...
Florentino Ameghino
Florentino Ameghino (born Giovanni Battista Fiorino Giuseppe Ameghino September 19, 1853 – August 6, 1911) was an Argentine naturalist, paleontologist, anthropologist and zoologist, whose fossil discoveries on the Argentine Pampas, especially ...
. The name has no literal translation. Instead, it is an anagram of the name of a related genus ''
Macrauchenia
''Macrauchenia'' ("long llama", based on the now-invalid llama genus, ''Auchenia'', from Greek "big neck") was a large, long-necked and long-limbed, three-toed native South American mammal in the order Litopterna. The genus gives its name to its ...
Chubut Province
Chubut ( es, Provincia del Chubut, ; cy, Talaith Chubut) is a province in southern Argentina, situated between the 42nd parallel south (the border with Río Negro Province), the 46th parallel south (bordering Santa Cruz Province), the Andes rang ...
, in
Argentina
Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the second-largest country in South America after Brazil, th ...
Río Negro Province
Río Negro (, ''Black River'') is a province of Argentina, located in northern Patagonia. Neighboring provinces are from the south clockwise Chubut, Neuquén, Mendoza, La Pampa and Buenos Aires. To the east lies the Atlantic Ocean.
Its capi ...
Neuquén
Neuquén (; arn, Nehuenken) is the capital city of the Argentine province of Neuquén and of the Confluencia Department, located in the east of the province. It occupies a strip of land west of the confluence of the Limay and Neuquén river ...
, also in Argentina, in sediments assigned to the SALMA
Colhuehuapian The Colhuehuapian age is a period of geologic time (21.0–17.5 Ma) within the Early Miocene epoch of the Neogene, used more specifically within the SALMA classification in South America. It follows the Deseadan and precedes the Santacrucian a ...
(in the Early Miocene), as well as the Agua de la Piedra Formation in Mendoza, in sediments dated to the Deseadan (during the Late Oligocene). In 1981 Soria made ''C. insolita'' a junior synonym of ''C. normalis''. A specimen of ''C. normalis'' was described in 2010 from Cabeza Blanca (Chubut, Argentina) in the Sarmiento Formation, in sediments assigned to the DeseadanSALMA (Upper Oligocene).
Description
This animal had an appearance vaguely similar to that of a small
llama
The llama (; ) (''Lama glama'') is a domesticated South American camelid, widely used as a meat and pack animal by Andean cultures since the Pre-Columbian era.
Llamas are social animals and live with others as a herd. Their wool is soft ...
skull
The skull is a bone protective cavity for the brain. The skull is composed of four types of bone i.e., cranial bones, facial bones, ear ossicles and hyoid bone. However two parts are more prominent: the cranium and the mandible. In humans, th ...
of this animal was relatively elongated and provided with a slightly recessed nasal opening, which would indicate the presence of a strong, muscular lip, likely prehensile. In similar but larger and more recent forms, such as '' Theosodon'' and ''
Scalabrinitherium
''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.Macrauchenia
''Macrauchenia'' ("long llama", based on the now-invalid llama genus, ''Auchenia'', from Greek "big neck") was a large, long-necked and long-limbed, three-toed native South American mammal in the order Litopterna. The genus gives its name to its ...
''.
Taxonomy
''Cramauchenia'' was first described by
Florentino Ameghino
Florentino Ameghino (born Giovanni Battista Fiorino Giuseppe Ameghino September 19, 1853 – August 6, 1911) was an Argentine naturalist, paleontologist, anthropologist and zoologist, whose fossil discoveries on the Argentine Pampas, especially ...
in
1902
Events
January
* January 1
** The Nurses Registration Act 1901 comes into effect in New Zealand, making it the first country in the world to require state registration of nurses. On January 10, Ellen Dougherty becomes the world' ...
, based on fossils found in the Sarmiento Formation of Argentina. It is a primitive representative of the
Macraucheniidae
Macraucheniidae is a family in the extinct South American ungulate order Litopterna, that resembled various camelids. The reduced nasal bones of their skulls was originally suggested to have housed a small proboscis, similar to that of the sai ...
, a group of South American mammals belonging to the Litopterna, with forms similar to those of
camelids
Camelids are members of the biological family Camelidae, the only currently living family in the suborder Tylopoda. The seven extant members of this group are: dromedary camels, Bactrian camels, wild Bactrian camels, llamas, alpacas, vicuñas, ...
, in spite not being closely related. ''Cramauchenia'' is known for the sole species ''C. normalis'' another species, ''C. insolita,'' was initially described as a separate species, but following a study by Soria 1981 it has since been attributed to the type species. Furthermore, ''Cramauchenia'' has been assigned to the Cramaucheniinae, a subfamily including the most basal macraucheniids, however, many recent studies tend to indicate that the subfamily is paraphyletic, with ''Cramauchenia'' being most closely related to '' Pternoconius''.
The following position of the
Macraucheniidae
Macraucheniidae is a family in the extinct South American ungulate order Litopterna, that resembled various camelids. The reduced nasal bones of their skulls was originally suggested to have housed a small proboscis, similar to that of the sai ...
is based on McGrath ''et al.'' 2018, showing the position of ''Cramauchenia''.
Paleoenvironment
Fossils of ''Cramauchenia'' have been found in various fossiliferous stratigraphic units in South America. Several specimens come from the Sarmiento Formation in the
Golfo San Jorge Basin
The Golfo San Jorge Basin ( es, Cuenca del Golfo San Jorge) is a hydrocarbon-rich sedimentary basin located in eastern Patagonia, Argentina. The basin covers the entire San Jorge Gulf and an inland area west of it, having one half located in San ...
in central
Patagonia
Patagonia () refers to a geographical region that encompasses the southern end of South America, governed by Argentina and Chile. The region comprises the southern section of the Andes Mountains with lakes, fjords, temperate rainforests, and g ...
Neuquén Basin
Neuquén Basin ( es, Cuenca Neuquina) is a sedimentary basin covering most of Neuquén Province in Argentina. The basin originated in the Jurassic and developed through alternating continental and marine conditions well into the Tertiary. The bas ...
.
In the Chichinales Formation, which is known for its local mammal fauna, ''Cramauchenia'' would have coexisted with
astrapotheres
Astrapotheria is an extinct order of South American and Antarctic hoofed mammals that existed from the late Paleocene to the Middle Miocene, ."The uruguaytheriine Astrapotheriidae from the rich middle Miocene Honda Group of the upper Magdalen ...
Hegetotherium
''Hegetotherium'' is an extinct genus of mammals from the Early to Middle Miocene (Colhuehuapian- Colloncuran in the SALMA classification) of South America. Fossils of this genus have been found in the Cerro Bandera, Cerro Boleadoras, Chichi ...
'' and ''
Protypotherium
''Protypotherium'' is an extinct genus of notoungulate mammals native to South America during the Oligocene and Miocene epochs. A number of closely related animals date back further, to the Eocene. Fossils of ''Protypotherium'' have been found ...
Australoprocta
''Australoprocta'' is an extinct genus of dasyproctid rodent that lived during the Early Miocene of what is now Argentina. Fossils of this genus have been found in the Chichinales and Sarmiento Formation
The Sarmiento Formation ( Spanish: ''Fo ...
Proeutatus
''Proeutatus'' is an extinct genus of xenarthran, belonging to the order Cingulata. It lived during the Early Miocene, and its fossilized remains were discovered in South America.
Description
This animal was vaguely similar to the extant six-b ...
sparassodont
Sparassodonta (from Greek to tear, rend; and , gen. , ' tooth) is an extinct order of carnivorous metatherian mammals native to South America, related to modern marsupials. They were once considered to be true marsupials, but are now though ...
''
Cladosictis
''Cladosictis'' is an extinct genus of South American metatherian from Patagonia, Argentina ( Chichinales, Cerro Bandera, Sarmiento and Santa Cruz Formations) and Chile ( Río Frias Formation).tibiotarsus
The tibiotarsus is the large bone between the femur and the tarsometatarsus in the leg of a bird. It is the fusion of the proximal part of the tarsus with the tibia.
A similar structure also occurred in the Mesozoic Heterodontosauridae. These s ...
has previously been classified as an undetermined species of psilopterine phorusrhacid. Other birds include an undetermined
wading bird
245px, A flock of Dunlins and Red knots">Red_knot.html" ;"title="Dunlins and Red knot">Dunlins and Red knots
Waders or shorebirds are birds of the order Charadriiformes commonly found wikt:wade#Etymology 1, wading along shorelines and mudflat ...
Patagorhacos
''Patagorhacos'' is an extinct genus of medium-sized phorusrhacid from the early Miocene of Patagonia. Currently only the single species ''Patagorhacos terrificus'' is known, which is represented by two highly fragmentary specimen, one belonging t ...
'', a phorusrhacid. During the Miocene the area likely consisted of open but wooded environment with temperate climate and a proximity to freshwater.
The Sarmiento Formation has provided a wide assemblage of mammals, including the astrapotheres ''
Astrapotherium
''Astrapotherium'' ("lightning beast") is an extinct genus of South American mammals that vaguely resembled a small elephant or large tapir. However, it was unrelated to elephants or tapirs, but was instead related to other extinct South American ...
Cochilius
''Cochilius'' is an extinct genus of interatheriid notoungulate that lived between the Late Oligocene and the lower Miocene in what is now Argentina.
Description
The skull and skeleton show features also found in other similar contemporary or s ...
Interatherium
''Interatherium'' is an extinct genus of interatheriid mammal from the Early to Middle Miocene (Colhuehuapian-Mayoan). Fossils have been found in the Santa Cruz, Collón Curá and Sarmiento Formations in Argentina.Fernández, M. (2015). Rev ...
'', ''
Pachyrukhos
''Pachyrukhos'' is an extinct genus of hegetotheriid notoungulate from the Early to Middle Miocene (Colhuehuapian-Friasian in the SALMA classification) of Argentina and Chile. Fossils of this genus have been found in the Collón Curá, Sarmi ...
'' and ''
Protypotherium
''Protypotherium'' is an extinct genus of notoungulate mammals native to South America during the Oligocene and Miocene epochs. A number of closely related animals date back further, to the Eocene. Fossils of ''Protypotherium'' have been found ...
xenarthra
Xenarthra (; from Ancient Greek ξένος, xénos, "foreign, alien" + ἄρθρον, árthron, "joint") is a major clade of placental mammals native to the Americas. There are 31 living species: the anteaters, tree sloths, and armadillos. ...
Proeutatus
''Proeutatus'' is an extinct genus of xenarthran, belonging to the order Cingulata. It lived during the Early Miocene, and its fossilized remains were discovered in South America.
Description
This animal was vaguely similar to the extant six-b ...
metatheria
Metatheria is a mammalian clade that includes all mammals more closely related to marsupials than to placentals. First proposed by Thomas Henry Huxley in 1880, it is a more inclusive group than the marsupials; it contains all marsupials as wel ...
Cladosictis
''Cladosictis'' is an extinct genus of South American metatherian from Patagonia, Argentina ( Chichinales, Cerro Bandera, Sarmiento and Santa Cruz Formations) and Chile ( Río Frias Formation).Palaeothentes'', ''
Patagonia
Patagonia () refers to a geographical region that encompasses the southern end of South America, governed by Argentina and Chile. The region comprises the southern section of the Andes Mountains with lakes, fjords, temperate rainforests, and g ...
primate
Primates are a diverse order of mammals. They are divided into the strepsirrhines, which include the lemurs, galagos, and lorisids, and the haplorhines, which include the tarsiers and the simians ( monkeys and apes, the latter including ...
s ''
Homunculus
A homunculus ( , , ; "little person") is a representation of a small human being, originally depicted as small statues made out of clay. Popularized in sixteenth-century alchemy and nineteenth-century fiction, it has historically referred to the ...
Necrolestes
''Necrolestes'' ("grave robber" or "thief of the dead") is an extinct genus of mammals, which lived during the Early Miocene in what is now Argentine Patagonia. It is the most recent known genus of Meridiolestida, an extinct group of mammals m ...