Quaternary sigmodontines (Mammalia, Rodentia) from Serra da Bodoquena, Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil

Sigmodontine rodents are extremely diversified in the Neotropics but their fossil record remains generally poorly known, especially in Brazil. Here, we examine the assemblage of sigmodontines from the limestone cave Nossa Senhora Aparecida (21 degrees 5MODIFIER LETTER PRIME27.89S 56 degrees 34MODIFIER LETTER PRIME28.77W), located in Serra da Bodoquena (Mato Grosso do Sul), a karstic region in southwestern Brazil. We describe cranial and dental fragments and recognise the presence of some new species not previously recorded for the region, as Bibimys sp., Graomys cf. G. chacoensis, Thalpomys lasiotis, and Pseudoryzomys simplex. This fossil assemblage is comparable to others fossil sites in Brazil, such as those from Goias and Rio Grande do Sul, with the predominance of species from open areas, including grasslands, and some of forested environments from Cerrado landscapes.

Automated summary

Sigmodontine rodents are diverse in the Neotropics, but their fossil record in Brazil, especially in limestone caves, is not well known. The assemblage of sigmodontines from Nossa Senhora Aparecida in Serra da Bodoquena includes new species not previously recorded in the region, with a predominance of species from open areas and some from forested environments in Cerrado landscapes.