''Moqueguahippus'' is an extinct genus of notohippid

notoungulates Notoungulata is an extinct order of mammalian ungulates that inhabited South America from the early Paleocene to the Holocene, living from approximately 61 million to 11,000 years ago. Notoungulates were morphologically diverse, with forms resemb ...

that lived during the Late Oligocene of what is now

Peru , image_flag = Flag of Peru.svg , image_coat = Escudo nacional del Perú.svg , other_symbol = Great Seal of the State , other_symbol_type = Seal (emblem), National seal , national_motto = "Fi ...

. Fossils of this genus have been found in the

Moquegua Formation Moquegua (, founded by the Spanish colonists as Villa de Santa Catalina de Guadalcázar del Valle de Moquegua) is a city in southern Peru, located in the Department of Moquegua, of which it is the capital. It is also capital of Mariscal Nieto Pr ...

of Peru, which it was named after.

Etymology

The genus name, ''Moqueguahippus'', refers to the Moquegua Formation where it was discovered, and -hippus meaning "horse", an epithet used to describe most notohippids. The specific name, ''glycisma'', is derived from the Greek word ''Glykisma'', meaning "cake", in reference to the type locality, Pan de Azucar, meaning "Sugarloaf Mountain".

Description

''Moqueguahippus'' is a relatively large notohippid. Its skull was rather massive and had a short muzzle. The dentition was complete and continuous, lacking a diastema, and the premolars and molars were high-crowned (hypsodont), like in its relative ''

Rhynchippus ''Rhynchippus'' ("Snout Horse") is an extinct genus of notoungulate mammals from the Late Oligocene ( Deseadan in the SALMA classification) of South America. The genus was first described by Florentino Ameghino in 1897 and the type species is ' ...

''. The premolars had a well developed cingulum, while the molars were elongated. The shape of the premolars and molars was reminiscent to those of Equidae. ''Moqueguahippus'', like its relatives, may have had a robust body with slender limbs. Its most peculiar distinctive characteristics were the cup-shaped internal cingula and the lack of cingula on the premolars, and a thick layer of cementum.

Taxonomy

''Moqueguahippus'' was first described in 2006, based on fossilized remains found in the Moquegua Formation in Peru, in deposits dating to 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 ...

. ''Moqueguahippus'' was placed within the family

Notohippidae Notohippidae is a paraphyly, paraphyletic extinct Family (biology), family of Notoungulata, notoungulate mammals from South America. Notohippids are known from the Eocene and Oligocene Epoch (reference date), epochs.McKenna, Malcolm C., and Bell ...

, a family of toxodont notoungulates with horse-like teeth, with very high-crowned molars. More recent research, however, suggests that this group is paraphyletic, containing increasingly derived forms, some of them close to the ancestors of "true" Toxodontidae. In 2021, it was found to be a derived notohippid, being the sister taxon of a clade including the

Miocene The Miocene ( ) is the first 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 means "less recen ...

genera ''

Argyrohippus ''Argyrohippus'' is an extinct genus of notoungulate, belonging to the family Notohippidae. It lived from the Late Oligocene to the Early Miocene, and its fossilized remains were found in South America. Description This animal was probably v ...

'' and '' Notohippus''. The following position of the Toxodontia is based on Martínez ''et al.'' 2021, showing the position of ''Moqueguahippus''.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q114899371 Toxodonts Prehistoric placental genera Oligocene mammals of South America Paleogene Peru Fossils of Peru Deseadan Fossil taxa described in 2006