List of gomphothere fossils in South America

This is a list of gomphothere fossils found in South America. Gomphotheres were elephant-like mammals that lived from the Middle Miocene (approximately 12 million years ago) to the Holocene (6000 years BP).

The following species have been described in twentieth and twenty-first century paleontological literature about South America. An alternative proposal is considered within the scientific community, listed below.

Modern classification

• Cuvieronius
• C. hyodon (type)
• Notiomastodon
• N. platensis (type)

Former classification

Original classification

• Gomphotheriidae
• Cuvieroniinae
• Cuvieronius
• C. arellanoi
• C. hyodon (=C. humboldti) (type)
• C. priestleyi
• C. tarijensis
• C. tropicus (=C. oligobunis )
• Haplomastodon
• H. chimborazi
• H. guayasensis
• H. waringi (type)
• Notiomastodon
• N. ornatus (=S. platensis)
• N. platensis (type)
• N. vidali
• Stegomastodon
• S. mirificus (= "S. successor, S. arizonae, S. texanus") (type)
• S. platensis
• S. primitivus (=S. rexroadensis)
• S. superbus
• S. waringi

Gomphothere fossil finds

Formations are ordered according to their youngest age

Argentina

Bolivia

Brazil

Chile

Colombia

Ecuador

Paraguay

Peru

Uruguay

Venezuela

Proposed reclassification

Some authors, Lucas, Mothé, Avilla et al., propose a reclassification of the South American gomphotheres as follows:

• Stegomastodon is an exclusively North American genus
• Haplomastodon is a South American genus, but synonymous with Notiomastodon
• as Notiomastodon was defined earlier, all Haplomastodon species should be considered part of Notiomastodon
• all formerly described species as Stegomastodon sp., Haplomastodon sp. and Notiomastodon sp. belong to a single species; Notiomastodon platensis
• Cuvieronius is the only remaining South American genus outside of Notiomastodon, containing the single local species C. hyodon

Other researchers as Labarca, Prado and Alberdi agree with the placement of species into Notiomastodon, but reject the idea of a single species. They continue to use Stegomastodon waringi for South American gomphotheres from Chile.

Evolution

• Lucas (2010, 2013) proposes that Notiomastodon evolved from Cuvieronius inside South America
• Mothé et al. (2012, 2015, 2016) propose that Notiomastodon and Cuvieronius reached South America in two separate migration waves

Gallery

See also

• Gomphothere
• Great American Biotic Interchange
• South American land mammal ages
• List of fossil primates of South America

Notes and references

Notes

References

Bibliography

Publications are in chronological order, most recent first, because of the advances in taxonomy and research

Publications South America

Publications Argentina

Publications Bolivia

Publications Brazil

Publications Chile

Publications Colombia

Publications Ecuador

Publications Paraguay

Publications Peru

Publications Uruguay

Publications Venezuela

Publications proposed reclassification