Abstract

GASPARINI, Germán Mariano; FERRERO, Brenda S.; VEZZOSI, Raúl I.  and  BRUNETTO, Ernesto. Late Pleistocene record of Tayassu pecari (Link, 1795) (Artiodactyla, Tayassuidae) in the Santa Fe province, Argentina: Biogeographic and distributional aspects of a shrinking species. Rev. mex. cienc. geol [online]. 2011, vol.28, n.2, pp.203-211. ISSN 2007-2902.

The oldest fossil record of Tayassuidae in South America dates of the middle Pliocene (Buenos Aires, Argentina). Since the Pleistocene a significant increase in taxonomic diversity occurred, recorded by numerous discoveries in Argentina, Brazil, Uruguay and Bolivia. Nowadays, at least three extant species are recognized: Tayassu tajacu (Linnaeus), T. pecari (Link) and Catagonus wagneri (Rusconi). The South American fossil record includes Catagonus Ameghino and Tayassu Fischer; Platygonus Le Conte genus is added with only extinct representatives. The present contribution describes the first fossil record of a tayasuid in Tezanos Pinto Formation, Santa Fe province, assigning the material MFA-PV 1172 (lower length tooth series and pm4 right) to Tayassu pecari. This specimen was found in sediments deposited in arid to semiarid environments, under cold and dry climatic conditions during a glacial period, consistent with open environments, typical of savannah, dominated by grasslands. The presence of this species (adapted mainly to humid climates, woodland and forest environments) in sediments deposited under typical climatic conditions of the Last Glacial Maximun reflects the great plasticity and wide ecological tolerance, which agrees with its wide current geographical distribution. Also the fossiliferous locality (Las Petacas, San Martín department) is geographically located in the center-west of Santa Fe, clearly away from the current distribution of T. pecari.

Keywords : mammals; Last Glacial Maximun; Quaternary; Pampean region.