Biology:Parastrapotherium
Parastrapotherium is an extinct genus of South American land mammal that existed from the Late Oligocene (Deseadan SALMA) to the Early Miocene (Colhuehuapian SALMA). The genus includes some of the largest and smallest known astrapotherians, but As of 2008[update] has no generally recognized description.[1]
Description
The genus was first described by Amagehino in 1895.[2] He distinguished it from the Santacrucian (late Early Miocene) Astrapotherium based on the greater number of upper and lower molars. Although later researchers disagreed and concluded that Ameghino based his conclusion on very fragmentary materials, they mostly agreed to distinguish the genus from other groups of astrapotherians.[1] In the mandibular canine of Parastrapotherium, the microstructure of the tooth enamel is characterised by vertical decussation with enamel prism zones bending in an undulatory pattern.[3]
Species
The following species have been recognised:[4]
- Parastrapotherium cingulatum Ameghino, 1894
- Parastrapotherium ephebicum Ameghino, 1894
- Parastrapotherium holmbergi Ameghino, 1894
- Parastrapotherium lemoinei Ameghino, 1894
- Parastrapotherium trouessarti Ameghino, 1894
Distribution
Fossils of Parastrapotherium have been found in:[4]
- Deseado Formation, Argentina
- Sarmiento Formation, Argentina
- Miocene
- Cerro Bandera Formation, Argentina
- Sarmiento Formation, Argentina
Palaeobiology
The microstructural details of its long bones indicate that Parastrapotherium was specialised for graviportal locomotion.[5]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Kramarz & Bond 2008, Introduction
- ↑ Ameghino 1895
- ↑ Rensberger, John M.; Pfretzschner, Hans-Ulrich (July 1992). "Enamel structure in astrapotheres and its functional implications". Scanning Microscopy 6 (2): 495-510. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/21693854_Enamel_structure_in_astrapotheres_and_its_functional_implications. Retrieved 17 January 2026.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Parastrapotherium at Fossilworks.org
- ↑ Houssaye, Alexandra; Fernandez, Vincent; Billet, Guillaume (28 October 2015). "Hyperspecialization in Some South American Endemic Ungulates Revealed by Long Bone Microstructure" (in en). Journal of Mammalian Evolution 23 (3): 221–235. doi:10.1007/s10914-015-9312-y. ISSN 1064-7554. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10914-015-9312-y?fromPaywallRec=false. Retrieved 3 August 2025.
Bibliography
- Ameghino, Florentino (1894). "Sur les oiseaux fossiles de Patagonie; et la faune mammalogique des couches à Pyrotherium". Boletin del Instituto Geográfico Argentino 15: 501–660. OCLC 85042509.
- Première contribution à la connaissance de la faune mammalogique des couches à Pyrotherium. Buenos Aires: P.E. Coni. 1895. OCLC 40071157.
- Burmeister, Hermann (1879). Description physique de la République Argentine : d'après des observations personnelles et étrangères. 3 Animaux vertébrés, 1. partie, Mammifères vivants et éteints. Paris: Savy. p. 520. OCLC 162707154.
- Kramarz, Alejandro G.; Bond, Mariano (2008). "Revision of Parastrapotherium (Mammalia, Astrapotheria) and other Deseadan astrapotheres of Patagonia". Ameghiniana 45 (3). http://www.scielo.org.ar/scielo.php?pid=S0002-70142008000300003&script=sci_arttext. Retrieved March 9, 2013.
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