Contributions to the knowledge of Antarctodon sobrali (Mammalia: Astrapotheria) from the Eocene of Antarctica

Gelfo, Javier N. (2024) Contributions to the knowledge of Antarctodon sobrali (Mammalia: Astrapotheria) from the Eocene of Antarctica. Advances in Polar Science, 35 (1). pp. 48-62.

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Abstract

The Astrapotheria constitutes one of the five orders of extinct South American native ungulates, with a fossil record that also extends to the Eocene of the Antarctic Peninsula. In contrast to the abundant specimens known for litoptern Sparnotheriodontidae and metatherians, astrapotheres are represented by scant remains assigned to the endemic Antarctodon sobrali and indeterminate astrapotheres, restricted to levels 35Cu0 and 35n of the Cucullaea I Allomember of the La Meseta Formation. The discovery of a lower molar assignable to this species in the Eocene levels of Seymour (Marambio) Island, enables a revision of the diagnosis and the homologies of the dental characters used to describe this taxon. A reanalysis of its phylogenetic relationships reveals the nearly simultaneous presence of basal astrapotheres in the early Eocene of Itaboraí (Brazil), Patagonia, and West Antarctica. These taxa are characterized by lacking dental specializations usually associated with more abrasive diets like terminal forms of Uruguaytheriinae and Astrapotheriinae. Antarctodon appears to have thrived on the Antarctic continent during the Early Eocene Climatic Optimum within the paleoclimatic context of a hot-house world. Unlike present conditions in Antarctica where no terrestrial mammals inhabit, the early Eocene climate was characterized by warmer temperatures and a biologically diverse environment rich in primary producers, dominated by Nothofagus forests, encompassing both deciduous and evergreen forests, which supported a diverse assemblage of continental vertebrates.

Item Type:	Article
Related URLs:
Keywords:	Astrapotheria, Antarctodon, Eocene, Seymour Island, La Meseta Formation
Subjects:	Natural Environment > Terrestrial
Organizations:	Unspecified
Date Deposited:	03 Jan 2025 14:27
URI:	http://library.arcticportal.org/id/eprint/2838

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