''Llullataruca'' is an extinct genus of macraucheniid litoptern. It lived during the Middle Miocene of what is now Bolivia.

Etymology

The genus name, ''Llullataruca,'' is derived from the

Quechua Quechua may refer to: *Quechua people, several indigenous ethnic groups in South America, especially in Peru *Quechuan languages, a Native South American language family spoken primarily in the Andes, derived from a common ancestral language **So ...

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.

Description

This animal is known only from incomplete remains, mainly a jaw with teeth, but from comparison with better known similar animals, such as ''

Cramauchenia ''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 g ...

'', 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.

Classification and history

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 Tarija () is a department in Bolivia. It is located in south-eastern Bolivia bordering with Argentina to the south and Paraguay to the east. According to the 2012 census, it has a population of 482,196 inhabitants. It has an area of . The city ...

(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 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 ...

, 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 Cramaucheniinae is a paraphyletic subfamily of macraucheniids that originated in the middle Eocene (Mustersan SALMA). The size range of the group ranged from small, basal forms to larger and more derived forms. During their evolution, the cramau ...

, comprising the less derived and more ancient macraucheniids. ''Llullataruca'', found in deposits from the middle

Miocene The Miocene ( ) is the first epoch (geology), geological epoch of the Neogene Period and extends from about (Ma). The Miocene was named by Scottish geologist Charles Lyell; the name comes from the Greek words (', "less") and (', "new") and mea ...

, 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 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 ...

the archaic cramaucheniines had become extinct for at least 7 million years.

References

{{Taxonbar, from1=Q56254468, from2=Q56248878 Macraucheniids Miocene mammals of South America Neogene Bolivia Laventan Fossils of Bolivia Fossil taxa described in 2018 Prehistoric placental genera