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8 - Amphibians and squamate reptiles from the Santa Cruz Formation (late Early Miocene), Santa Cruz Province, Argentina: paleoenvironmental and paleobiological considerations

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  05 June 2013

Sergio F. Vizcaíno
Affiliation:
Museo de La Plata, Argentina
Richard F. Kay
Affiliation:
Duke University, North Carolina
M. Susana Bargo
Affiliation:
Museo de La Plata, Argentina
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Summary

Abstract

The herpetological diversity recorded in the Santa Cruz Formation (late Early Miocene) is low when compared with that of birds and mammals. It includes the calyptocephalellid anuran Calyptocephalella, an indeterminate “leptodactylid,” indeterminate pleurodont iguanians (including those previously assigned to the extinct genus “Erichosaurus”), the tupinambine teiid Tupinambis, and indeterminate “colubrids.” The presence of Calyptocephalella in the Estancia La Costa locality represents its southernmost record and might indicate the occurrence of permanent lowland lakes, ponds, and quiet streams, possibly developed in a forested area. The presence of Tupinambis and “colubrids” at around 50° S represents the southernmost record in their respective evolutionary histories, suggesting warmer and probably more humid conditions in the late Early Miocene than those prevailing in southern Patagonia at present. Based upon the diets of extant Calyptocephalella and “colubrids” we consider the Santacrucian Miocene representatives to be small carnivorous vertebrates. Santacrucian pleurodont iguanians should be included in the insectivorous and/or herbivorous groups, whereas Tupinambis would have been a generalist omnivorous reptile.

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Chapter
Information
Early Miocene Paleobiology in Patagonia
High-Latitude Paleocommunities of the Santa Cruz Formation
, pp. 129 - 137
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2012

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