Vertebrate fossils from the Touro Passo Formation (Upper Pleistocene), Rio Grande do Sul State, Brazil: state-of-art and new contributions

Abstract

This paper presents the descriprion of new vertebrate fossil specimens found in Upper Pleistocene deposits of the Touro Passo Formation (western Rio Grande do Sul State, southermost Brazil). A revision of the previous taxonomic works in five localities from where vertebrate fossils from the Touro Passo Formation came from, as well as a first report of coprolites occurrence are also presented. The following taxa are analyzed and discussed: Propraopus sp., Pampatherium typum, Holmesina paulacoutoi, Glyptodontidae indet., Glyptodon sp., Glyptodon cf. G. reticulatus, Panochthus sp., Neothoracophorus aff. N. elevatus, Mylodontidae indet., Canidae indet., Hydrochoerus cf. H. hydrochaeris, Caviidae indet., Toxodon sp., Equidae indet., Equus (A.) neogeus, Hippidion sp., Morenelaphus sp., Antifer sp., Cervidae indet., Camelidae indet., Hemiauchenia paradoxa, Lama sp. and Testudines indet. Their presence in this unit and more precise geographic and stratigraphic data contributes to the establishment of the environmental processes involved in the distribution of the vertebrate faunas, with a common occurrence of tropical, intertropical and Pampean fauna in central and eastern areas of South America during the end of Pleistocene. The biological content of the Touro Passo Formation analyzed herein cannot solve the problem originated by the large spam of time indicated by the radiometric ages, but could confirm the great influence in the fossil material of the reworking processes.

Key words: vertebrate, coprolite, taphonomy, Luján land-mammal age, Quaternary, southwestern Brazil.