A New South American Paleogene Land Mammal Fauna, Guabirotuba Formation (Southern Brazil)

Abstract

The Paleogene vertebrate-bearing sites of Brazil are restricted to few formations such as Maria Farinha (Late Cretaceous-early Paleocene), Itaboraí (early Eocene), Entre-Córregos (Eocene-Oligocene), and Tremembé (late Oligocene-early Miocene). A new Paleogene fauna is reported from an outcrop of the Guabirotuba Formation located at Curitiba, Paraná State, southern Brazil. The Guabirotuba Formation is a stratigraphic unit of the Curitiba Basin, which belongs to the Cenozoic continental rift system of southeastern Brazil, a predominantly half-graben and horst system. The sedimentary facies indicate a fluvial distributary depositional system associated with floodplain, generated under humid climate conditions alternating with drier periods. This new Paleogene fauna, here named the Guabirotuba Fauna, has invertebrate and vertebrate taxa, including mammals (Cingulata, Notoungulata, Astrapotheria, and Metatheria). The fossil remains of seven armored xenarthrans are identified, including the description of a new species and genus named Proeocoleophorus carlinii. The Guabirotuba ungulates are assigned to Interatheriidae, Oldfieldthomasiidae, and Astrapotheria. The metatherian mammals are represented by a sparassodont, a palaeothentoid, and an argyrolagoid. This new mammalian fauna preliminarily suggests a late middle Eocene age (Barrancan South American Land Mammal Age) for the Guabirotuba Formation.