''Gualta'' is an extinct genus of leontiniid notoungulates. It lived during the Late

Oligocene The Oligocene ( ) is a geologic epoch of the Paleogene Period and extends from about 33.9 million to 23 million years before the present ( to ). As with other older geologic periods, the rock beds that define the epoch are well identified but the ...

of what is now

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 ...

Description

This genus is known from numerous fossil remains including an almost complete skull, several vertebrae, numerous maxillaries and mandibular fragments and postcranial elements from several different individuals, permitting to reconstruct its appearance. ''Gualta'' was an animal of considerable size with a heavy build, and it may have exceeded two meters in length. The skull was relatively tall, and ''Gualta'' was very similar to one of its relatives from the same period, ''

Scarrittia ''Scarrittia'' is an extinct genus of hoofed mammal of the family Leontiniidae, native to South America during the Oligocene, Late Oligocene epoch (Deseadan in the South American land mammal age, SALMA classification). Description ''Scarritt ...

''. Like the latter, ''Gualta'' had the first upper incisor much more developed than the two others, and the canine that overlapped the first premolar. However, unlike ''Scarrittia'', it had a more elongated snout, narrower and longer nasal bones ; its third and fourth premolars had a low lingual sulcus ; it had a shorter cervical vertebra, and an even shorter calcaneus without navicular facet. Unlike other leontiniids such as ''

Leontinia ''Leontinia'' is an extinct genus of leontiniid notoungulate. Fossils have been found in the Deseado and Sarmiento Formations in Argentina and Trembembé Formation of Brazil, and are the most abundant remains of any animal found there. The genu ...

'', ''

Ancylocoelus ''Ancylocoelus'' is an extinct genus of mammal, belonging to the order Notoungulata. It lived during the Late Oligocene, in what is today Argentina, in South America. Description This genus is only known from cranial remains, but comparison wit ...

'', ''

Anayatherium ''Anayatherium'' is an extinct genus of notoungulate belonging to the family Leontiniidae. It lived during the Late Oligocene, and its fossilized remains were discovered in South America. Description It was a large-sized and heavy-shaped animal ...

'' or ''

Colpodon ''Colpodon'' is an extinct genus of herbivorous mammal, belonging to the order Notoungulata. It lived during the Early Miocene, in what is today Argentina and Chile, in South America. Description This animal is almost exclusively known from cra ...

'', ''Gualta'' still had a complete dentition.

Classification

''Gualta cuyana'' was first described in 2015, based on fossil remains found in the Late

Agua de la Piedra Formation The Agua de la Piedra Formation (FAP, Spanish names include ''Estratos de Agua de la Piedra'' and ''Complejo Volcano-sedimentario del Terciario inferior'')Combina et al., 1994, p.418 is a Late Oligocene (Deseadan in the SALMA classification) geol ...

, in

Mendoza Province Mendoza, officially Province of Mendoza, is a province of Argentina, in the western central part of the country in the Cuyo region. It borders San Juan to the north, La Pampa and Neuquén to the south, San Luis to the east, and the republic o ...

. The phylogenetic analysis proposed in the study of the first description indicates that ''Gualta'' was a leontiniid, a group of heavy-formed Notoungulates, widespread in South America during the Oligocene. ''Gualta'' seems to be closely related to ''Anayatherium'' and ''Scarrittia'', but may have also been ancestral to other forms of leontiniids.

Paleobiology

The fossils of ''Gualta'' makes up a low percentage of the mammal diversity at Quebrada Fiera, in contrast to other localities in

Brazil Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...

and

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 gl ...

, where leontiniids are among the most well represented families of notoungulates.E. Cerdeño and B. Vera. 2015. A new Leontiniidae (Notoungulata) from the Late Oligocene beds of Mendoza Province, Argentina. Journal of Systematic Palaeontology 13(11):943-962

References

{{Taxonbar, from1=Q56254399, from2=Q56254415 Toxodonts Prehistoric placental genera Oligocene mammals of South America Paleogene Argentina Fossils of Argentina Deseadan Fossil taxa described in 2015