- Project title
- Systematics and palaeobiology of Litopterna (Mammalia)
- Description of the project
- The aim of the project is to reconstruct the internal cranial anatomy of two litoptern specimens from the Miocene of South America. Litopterna is a clade of ungulate-grade placentals and is one of the most diverse clades of South American mammals during the Cenozoic. Despite its high diversity, the phylogenetic relationship within Litopterna, as well as the interrelationships of Litopterna with other clades of placentals is not fully understood. Most systematic analyses of Litopterna have focused on dental morphology, because teeth are abundant in the fossil record. However, homoplasy (independent appearance of characters) is common in the dental evolution of mammals, challenging the reconstruction of phylogenetic relationships of litopterns.
Recently, it has become clear that the internal cranial anatomy of mammals (e.g., inner ear and vascular canals) can provide key insights to inform phylogenetic analyses and better understand the palaeobiology of extinct taxa. The two litoptern specimens that will be analysed are exceptional in preserving almost the complete skull. They will provide novel and unique data of the inner ear and vascular canal morphology of litopterns that will allow us to revise and propose new morphological characters for phylogenetic analyses of litopterns, as well as provide insights into their palaeobiology.
Works done by the platform AST-RX