Hystricognath rodents from the Pinturas Formation, Early-Middle Miocene of Patagonia, biostratigraphic and paleoenvironmental implications

The Pinturas Formation is a continental succession, characterized by eolian sediments (mainly tuffaceous) and paleosols, originated in an upland setting of west central Patagonia. The main intraformational erosive surfaces and lithological changes define three sequences. The Formation bears a rich mammalian association (Florentino Ameghino's Astrapothericulan fauna), whose age in relation to the Santacrucian SALMA (middle Miocene) is still controversial. Recent collections from the Pinturas Formation, performed with stratigraphic control, allow differentiation of two distinct hystricognath rodent associations. The lower and middle sequences bear a particular combination of Colhuehuapian (early Miocene) and Santacrucian genera, mostly represented by species exclusively known to the Pinturas Formation ('Pinturan' association). The upper sequence bears typical Santacrucian species, more derived than its Pinturan counterparts. According to the rodent record, the lower and middle sequences of the Pinturas Formation are older than the base of the Santa Cruz Formation exposed at Monte Observacion and Monte Leon, and the upper sequence may be correlated with the lowermost levels of the Santa Cruz Formation and deposits exposed at Karaiken that bear Ameghino's 'Notohippidian' fauna. These correlations agree with more recent radiometric dates and other biostratigraphic evidence, supporting Ameghino's original hypothesis. The Pinturan rodent assemblage of the lower and middle sequences suggests the presence of humid forests, in accordance with other faunal components and palynological data. Sedimentologic, paleopedologic, and ichnotogic evidence, however, suggest environments dominated by herbaceous vegetation. This seeming contradiction is interpreted as the result of a marked environmental gradient due to the paleotopography and/or climatic fluctuations. The mammal record corresponds to the more humid intervals, which have less representation in the sedimentary record. The Pinturas case reveals that more detailed analyses are necessary to understand the relationship between the stressed abiotic Patagonian scenarios and the evolution of their Tertiary vertebrate communities. (C) 2004 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.