Open AccessA new record of Paramylodon harlani (Owen 1840) (Xenarthra, Pilosa, Mylodontidae) from the late Pleistocene of Valsequillo, Puebla, with comments on its paleobiogeography and paleoecology in Mexico
Author(s) -
Gerardo Carbot-Chaa,
Eduardo Jiménez-Hidalgo,
Francisco Javier Jiménez-Moreno,
Enrique Benítez-Gálvez
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
boletín de la sociedad geológica mexicana
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.308
H-Index - 17
ISSN - 1405-3322
DOI - 10.18268/bsgm2021v73n1a100720
Subject(s) - xenarthra , pleistocene , sloth , paleoecology , geography , structural basin , archaeology , volcanic belt , range (aeronautics) , taxon , volcano , habitat , geology , paleontology , ecology , volcanic rock , biology , materials science , composite material
Paramylodon harlani was a large ground sloth recorded across North America, from Canada to Mexico. In Mexico, it is known from several late Pleistocene localities, but most of these records just mention the taxon in passing and few specimens have been described or illustrated. In this work, we describe a left tibia from the Valsequillo Basin, Puebla state. Its morphology and measurements allowed us to identify it as Paramylodon harlani, adding a new record for Mexico. In Mexico, P. harlani occurred mainly in the Trans-Mexican Volcanic Belt, central Mexico, with some records in the north and southeastern part of the country. Most localities are located between 1500 to 2000 m.a.s.l. Paleoenvironmental and paleoclimatic inference in some localities of Mexico where P. harlani occurred, showed heterogenous vegetation dominated by grasslands, and agree with the preferred habitat proposed for this species based on localities in the United States. This indicates that P. harlani could inhabit different environments, from grasslands to more wooded areas, and this adaptation allowed it to extend its range from the north to the southeast of Mexico.