''Lomaphorus'' is a possibly dubious extinct

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 ...

glyptodont Glyptodonts are an extinct subfamily of large, heavily armoured armadillos. They arose in South America around 48 million years ago and spread to southern North America after the continents became connected several million years ago. The best-k ...

that lived during the

Pleistocene The Pleistocene ( , often referred to as the ''Ice age'') is the geological Epoch (geology), epoch that lasted from about 2,580,000 to 11,700 years ago, spanning the Earth's most recent period of repeated glaciations. Before a change was fina ...

in eastern

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 List of South American countries by area, second-largest ...

. Although many species have been referred, the genus itself is possibly dubious or synonymous with other Glyptodonts like '' Neoslerocalyptus'' from the same region.

Etymology

The genus name ''Lomaphorus'' is derived from the Greek roots ''loma-'' meaning "fringe" and ''-phorus'' meaning "bearing" after the striated anatomy of the dermal armor of ''L. imperfectus''.Ameghino, F. (1889). ''Contribucion al conocimiento de los mamiferos fosiles de la República Argentina: Obra escrita bajo los auspicios de la Academia nacional de ciencias de la República Argentina para ser presentada á la Exposicion universal de Paris de 1889'' (Vol. 6). PE Coni é hijos. In 1935, a

Trematode Trematoda is a class of flatworms known as flukes. They are obligate internal parasites with a complex life cycle requiring at least two hosts. The intermediate host, in which asexual reproduction occurs, is usually a snail. The definitive h ...

was named ''Lomaphorus'' unwittingly, but it has since been moved to a new genus name, ''Lomasoma.''

Taxonomy

The first fossils referred to ''Lomaphorus'' were described as early as 1857 with the description of ''Glyptodon elevatus'' based on dorsal carapace osteoderms recovered from

deposits in

, but majority of the fossils were described by Argentine paleontologist Florentino Ameghino during the late 19th century. Several more species were referred to the genus that later were synonymized with more complete species or their own genera, Ameghino even admitting that many of his species were diagnosed based on very fine details that could be individual variation. Many species have been named as or referred to ''Lomaphorus'', but most of these referrals or descriptions were erroneously based on

taphonomic Taphonomy is the study of how organisms decay and become fossilized or preserved in the paleontological record. The term ''taphonomy'' (from Greek , 'burial' and , 'law') was introduced to paleontology in 1940 by Soviet scientist Ivan Efremov t ...

characteristics of fossilized osteoderms instead of genuine diagnostic features. Few species have received detailed descriptions either, further complicating the situation.Hoffstetter, R. (1958). Xenarthra:. 535-636 in J. Piveteau, ed Traité de Paléontologie, Vol. 6.

Species

Type: * ''Lomaphorus'' (''

Hoplophorus ''Hoplophorus'' is an extinct genus of glyptodont, a subfamily of armadillos . The only confidently known species was ''H. euphractus'', found in Pleistocene deposits in Brazil, though fossils possibly from another species are known from Bolivia. ...

'') ''imperfectus'' (Gervais & Ameghino, 1880); Undesignated

holotype A holotype is a single physical example (or illustration) of an organism, known to have been used when the species (or lower-ranked taxon) was formally described. It is either the single such physical example (or illustration) or one of seve ...

, but Ameghino illustrated some material that may be the holotype that shows many similarities to ''

Neosclerocalyptus ''Neosclerocalyptus'' was an extinct genus of glyptodont that lived during the Pliocene, Pleistocene, and Holocene of Southern South America, mostly Argentina. It was small compared to many Glyptodonts at only around 2 meters long and 360 kilogra ...

''. Possibly synonymous with ''N. pseudornatus'' or ''N. ornatus'', but further analysis is necessary. Species referred to ''Lomaphorus'' according to Zurita ''et al'' (2016): * ''Lomaphorus chapalmalensis'' Ameghino, 1908; Holotype is a distal fragment of a caudal tube ( MACN Pv 5806). The morphology of the tube is indistinguishable from that of fossils of '' Eosclerocalyptus'' and also juveniles of '' Neoslerocalyptus,'' making it a ''

nomen dubium In binomial nomenclature, a ''nomen dubium'' (Latin for "doubtful name", plural ''nomina dubia'') is a scientific name that is of unknown or doubtful application. Zoology In case of a ''nomen dubium'' it may be impossible to determine whether a s ...

''. * ''Lomaphorus cingulatus'' Ameghino, 1889; Holotype is a single dorsal carapace osteoderm that has been lost, though a calcotype (MACN A-592) was created. This calcotype is indistinguishable from other ''Lomaphorus'' species', making it a ''

''. It could also be a synonym of ''

Trachycalyptus ''Trachycalyptus'' is an extinct genus of glyptodont. It lived during the Early Pliocene, and its fossilized remains were discovered in South America. Description Like all glyptodonts, ''Trachycalyptus'' had a heavy body protected by a sturdy ...

''. * ''Lomaphorus'' (''Hoplophorus'') ''compressus'' Ameghino, 1882;Ameghino, F. (1882). Catálogo de las colecciones de Antropología prehistórica y paleontología de Florentino Ameghino, Partido de Mercedes. ''Catálogo de la Sección de la Provincia de Buenos Aires (República Argentina)'', 35-42. Holotype is dorsal carapace osteoderms. The osteoderms' supposed diagnostic traits are the same as those in ''Neoslerocalyptus'' species, making it a ''

''. * ''Lomaphorus'' (''Hoplophorus'') ''elegans'' (Burmeister, 1871); Holotype includes dorsal carapace osteoderms, though many fossils have been referred to the species. * ''Lomaphorus'' (''

Glyptodon ''Glyptodon'' (from Greek for 'grooved or carved tooth': γλυπτός 'sculptured' and ὀδοντ-, ὀδούς 'tooth') is a genus of glyptodont (an extinct group of large, herbivorous armadillos) that lived from the Pleistocene, around 2.5 m ...

'') ''elevatus'' (Nodot, 1857); Holotype is dorsal carapace osteoderms. The osteoderms' supposed diagnostic traits are the same as those in juveniles of ''Neoslerocalyptus'' species, making it a ''nomen dubium''. Other species referred to ''Lomaphorus'': * ''Lomaphorus'' (''

'') ''clarazianus'' (Ameghino, 1889); Holotype is fragmentary osteoderms and a referred skull, though the skull is lost and has been referred to ''Neoslerocalyptus''. The type osteoderms lack diagnostic traits, making it a ''nomen dubium''. * ''Lomaphorus'' (''Glyptodon'') ''gracilis'' (Nodot, 1857); Holotype is fragmentary osteoderms from Brazil. The species was referred to ''Lomaphorus'' by Lydekker (1894). * ''Lomaphorus'' ('' Zaphilus'') ''larranagai'' (Ameghino, 1889); Holotype is dorsal carapace osteoderms (MACN 1233). The species was referred to ''Lomaphorus'' by Lydekker (1894), but has since been declared a ''nomen dubium'' and placed back in '' Zaphilus''.Toriño, P. (2015). Nuevos aportes de la sistemática de los" Plohophorini" de Uruguay (Mammalia, cingulata, glyptodontidae). * ''Lomaphorus'' (''Hoplophorus'') ''lydekkeri'' (Ameghino, 1889); Holotype is a distal caudal tube fragment ( BMNH 40664). The species has since been placed in its own genus, '' Uruguayurus''. * ''Lomaphorus'' (''Hoplophorus'') "meyeri" (Lund, 1843); A ''

nomen nudum In taxonomy, a ''nomen nudum'' ('naked name'; plural ''nomina nuda'') is a designation which looks exactly like a scientific name of an organism, and may have originally been intended to be one, but it has not been published with an adequate desc ...

,'' referred to ''Lomaphorus'' by Lydekker (1894). * ''Lomaphorus'' (''

Plohophorus ''Plohophorus'' is an extinct genus of Glyptodont. it lived from the Late Miocene to the Late Pliocene, and its fossilized remains were discovered in South America. Description Like all glyptodonts, this animal had a large carapace formed by n ...

'') ''orientalis'' (Ameghino, 1889); Holotype is a caudal tube fragment (MACN-A ?). The species was referred to ''Lomaphorus'' by Lydekker (1894), but has since been placed in '' Pseudoplohophorus''. * ''Lomaphorus'' (''Hoplophorus'') ''paranensis'' (Ameghino, 1883); Holotype is a breastplate fragment (MACN ?). The species was referred to ''Lomaphorus'' by Lydekker (1894), but has since been declared a ''nomen dubium'' and placed in ''Neoslerocalyptus''. * ''Lomaphorus'' (''Hoplophorus'') ''pseudornatus'' (Ameghino, 1889); Holotype is dorsal carapace osteoderms (MACN 1233). The species was referred to ''Lomaphorus'' by Lydekker (1894),Lydekker, R. (1894). ''Contributions to a knowledge of the fossil vertebrates of Argentina''. Taller de publicaciones del Museo. but has since been placed in ''Neoslerocalyptus''. * ''Lomaphorus''? ''(Hoplophorus) scrobiculatus'' Ameghino, 1889; Holotype is a dorsal carapace and caudal tube apparently in the collections of the MACN. The carapace was said by Ameghino (1895) to be from ''Lomaphorus compressus'' and the caudal tube to ''Neoslcerocalyptus,'' but it has since been declared a ''

species inquirenda In biological classification, a ''species inquirenda'' is a species of doubtful identity requiring further investigation. The use of the term in English-language biological literature dates back to at least the early nineteenth century. The term t ...

''.

Description

Due to problems with the diagnostics of ''Lomaphorus'' and its problems with its internal taxonomy, many of the diagnostic traits for the taxon are uncertain. ''Lomaphorus'', like most of the glyptodons, was large at 2.5 meters long but not as large as its relative ''Hoplophorus''. ''Lomaphorus'' possessed a powerful carapace that covered a large part of the body, formed by

osteoderm Osteoderms are bony deposits forming scales, plates, or other structures based in the dermis. Osteoderms are found in many groups of extant and extinct reptiles and amphibians, including lizards, crocodilians, frogs, temnospondyls (extinct amp ...

s melted together. The carapace was relatively low and long, but not as much as that of the ''

''. The dorsal plates brought a central figure of medium size, surrounded by a peripheral area of radial ornamentation. The tail was protected thanks to a series of bone rings and a terminal bone tube; The latter still retained a narrow peripheral band, and was equipped with large side osteoderms. At the end of the tube there were two great convex osteoderms.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q16908548 Prehistoric cingulates Pleistocene xenarthrans Prehistoric placental genera Pleistocene mammals of South America Lujanian Pleistocene Argentina Fossils of Argentina Fossil taxa described in 1889 Taxa named by Florentino Ameghino Nomina dubia