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mio-boilini_etal_2025_accepted_ms
Public access from
18/02/2026
Journal article

New remains of Megatherioidea (Mammalia, Xenarthra) from the tropical Middle Miocene La Venta site in Colombia

DOKPE

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  • 2025
Published in:
  • Historical Biology. - London, UK: Informa UK Limited. - 2025, p. 1-7
Sloths
Megatherioidea
South America
Tropics
Honda Group
Laventan SALMA
English Sloths (Mammalia, Xenarthra, Folivora) are one of the most diverse clades of mammals that can be found in the Middle Miocene assemblage of La Venta site (Laventan South American Land Mammal Age, SALMA; ca.13.5–11.8 Ma), in central Colombia. Here, we provide a description of a new a ground sloth, Megatherioidea gen. et sp. indet. from La Venta site, represented by a partial maxilla with teeth that exhibit shared characteristics with other sloths found in the Early Miocene (Santacrucian SALMA; ca. 18–16 Ma) from Argentina: Schismotherium, Pelecyodon, Hyperleptus, Hapalops, and Analcimorphus. The new specimen likely represents a new taxon, however additional and more complete material is necessary to properly evaluate this taxonomic hypothesis. We consider the specimen to be important due to its possible links with other sloth lineages from southern South America. The new specimen increases the taxonomic diversity of folivores from the Middle Miocene of the La Venta site, Colombia and provides further evidence that Megatherioidea were widely distributed throughout South America since the Middle Miocene.
Faculty
Faculté des sciences et de médecine
Department
Département de Biologie
Language
  • English
Classification
Biology, life sciences
License
License undefined
Open access status
green
Identifiers
Persistent URL
https://folia.unifr.ch/unifr/documents/331084
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