The large American opossum Didelphis (Didelphimorphia, Didelphidae) in the Late Pleistocene of Uruguay, and paleoecological remarks. (March 2020)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Manzuetti, Aldo; Ubilla, Martín; Perea, Daniel; Vezzosi, Raúl I.; Rinderknecht, Andrés; Ghizzoni, Martín; Jones, Washington
• Is Part Of: Journal of South American earth sciences. Volume 98(2020)
• Publication Date: 2020-03
• Subjects: Didelphidae -- Late Pleistocene -- Uruguay -- Body mass -- Paleoecology; Geology -- Latin America -- Periodicals; Earth sciences -- Latin America -- Periodicals; Geology -- Antarctica -- Periodicals; Earth sciences -- Antarctica -- Periodicals; Geology -- Caribbean Area -- Periodicals; Earth sciences -- Caribbean Area -- Periodicals; Géologie -- Amérique latine -- Périodiques; Sciences de la terre -- Amérique latine -- Périodiques; Géologie -- Antarctique -- Périodiques; Sciences de la terre -- Antarctique -- Périodiques; Géologie -- Caraïbes (Région) -- Périodiques; Sciences de la terre -- Caraïbes (Région) -- Périodiques; Earth sciences; Geology; Antarctica; Caribbean Area; Latin America; Periodicals; 550.5
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jsames.2019.102437
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0895-9811

Abstract

Abstract: The fossil record of the genus Didelphis, despite its current diversity (6 species, 5 occurring in South America) and wide distribution (from southern Canada to Patagonia, Argentina), is very scarce. The oldest record of the genus in South America comes from Late Miocene sediments and the youngest records from the Late Holocene and historical times. In Uruguay, the only record is stratigraphically questionable because the material has been lost. The present contribution describes the first materials with a precise stratigraphic context assigned to Didelphis cf. D. albiventris, based on comparative morphological and numerical analysis. The materials were unearthed from several outcrops of the Sopas Formation (Late Pleistocene, northern Uruguay) and consist of an associated skull and mandible, right hemimandible, and postcranial material. These findings allow us to discuss several aspects related to the biology and ecology of Didelphis . These animals, which exhibit a mixed diet, were able to feed at intermediate levels of the food chain in highly diverse environments during the Late Pleistocene. Highlights: We describe new remains of several opossums from the Late Pleistocene of Uruguay. We refer the specimens to Didelphis albiventris . It is the first record of the genus with a precise stratigraphic context for Uruguay. We discuss several aspects related to the biology and ecology of Didelphis .