Patriarchus altus Ameghino, 1891

Fernández, Mercedes, Fernicola, Juan Carlos, Cerdeño, Esperanza & Reguero, Marcelo A., 2018, Identification of type materials of the species of Protypotherium Ameghino, 1885 and Patriarchus Ameghino, 1889 (Notoungulata: Interatheriidae) erected by Florentino Ameghino, Zootaxa 4387 (3), pp. 473-498 : 493

Patriarchus altus Ameghino, 1891

Holotype. MACN-A 4001 ( Figs. 4 C–D ), almost complete skull.

Paratype. MACN-A 3999, incomplete skull, and MACN-A 4000, incomplete mandible, both of the same individual.

Diagnosis ( Ameghino 1891: 293). “ Igual conformación general que la especie precedente [ Patriarchus leptocephalus ], pero de tamaño mucho mayor; rostro más elevado y paladar un poco más ancho adelante. Longitud del cráneo, 102 milímetros; longitud de la serie dentaria superior, 59 milímetros; ancho interorbital de los frontales, 28 milímetros; longitud de los frontales, 30 milímetros. Los frontales no penetran adelante entre los nasales ”.

English translation. Same general configuration as the preceding species [ Patriarchus leptocephalus ], but much larger; higher rostrum and palate a little wider anteriorly. Length of the skull, 102 millimetres; length of upper tooth row, 59 millimetres; interorbital width of the frontals, 28 millimetres; length of the frontals, 30 millimetres. Frontals do not penetrate forward between the nasals.

Comments. Ameghino (1891) described this species, but did not add any figure of it. According to Ameghino’s catalogue, the skull MACN-A 4001 is the type of this species, whereas the cranial fragment MACN-A 3999 and its mandibular portion MACN-A 4000 are indicated each as “ tipo 2° ” (2nd type), meaning that they are paratypes. Mones (1986) also indicated MACN-A 3999 to MACN-A 4001 as the type specimens of Pa. altus , but did not distinguish between type and 2nd type. The skull MACN-A 4001 matches the original diagnosis as it is larger (length of C–M3 = 45.05 mm) than the holotype of Pa. leptocephalus (length of C–M3 = 37.35 mm), its rostrum is more elevated and the anterior region of the palate is wider. All the measurements (skull length = 103.25 mm; length of the upper tooth row = 58.55 mm; interorbital width of the frontals = 29.26 mm; length of the frontals = 33 mm) also match those provided by Ameghino (1891). As a result, we confirm MACN-A 4001 as the holotype of Pa. altus . In the case of the individual MACN-A 3999 plus MACN-A 4000, it is also confirmed as the paratype because, despite the fact that MACN-A 3999 is not complete enough to take any of the given measurements, none of these specimens contradicts the diagnosis and both were recognised by Ameghino as “ tipo 2° ” when he acknowledged the type specimen.

In summary, we confirm MACN-A 4001 as the holotype of Pa. leptocephalus and the individual MACN-A 3999 plus MACN-A 4000 as the paratype of the species.

Chronological and geographical distribution of the type specimen. Santacrucian SALMA, Santa Cruz Province.

Figures

FIGURE 4. Patriarchus leptocephalus, holotype MACN-A 3989, incomplete skull, in ventral (A) and dorsal (B) views. Patriarchus altus, holotype MACN-A 4001, incomplete skull, in ventral (C) and dorsal (D) views. Patriarchus icochiloides, holotype MACN-A 4021, right maxillary fragment with alveolus of P1 and P2–M3, in occlusal view (E); holotype MACN-A 4022, right mandibular fragment with alveoli of p2–3 and p4–m3, in occlusal view (F). Scale bar = 10 mm.