Pternoconius

Pternoconius is an extinct genus of macraucheniid litoptern from the Late Oligocene and Early Miocene of Argentina. Fossils of this genus have been found in the Sarmiento Formation of Argentina.

Pternoconius Temporal range: Late Oligocene-Early Miocene (Deseadan-Colhuehuapian) 27.0–17.5 Ma PreꞒ Ꞓ O S D C P T J K Pg N
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Mammalia
Order:	†Litopterna
Family:	†Macraucheniidae
Subfamily:	†Cramaucheniinae
Genus:	†Pternoconius Cifelli and Soria 1983
Type species
†Pternoconius polymorphoides Cifelli and Soria 1983
Species
P. tournoueri Soria and Hoffstetter 1985 P. bondi L. Cheme-Arriaga et al. 2016 P. polymorphoides Cifelli and Soria 1983

Etymology

The genus name, Pternoconius, is an anagram of the closely related genus Coniopternium. The species name refers to the similarity of the Eocene genus Polymorphis.^[1]

Species

Pternoconius tournoueri

In 1985, fossils found in the Early Miocene Colhué Huapí Member of the Sarmiento Formation were assigned to the genus under the name Pternoconius tournoueri, consisting of a nearly complete hemimandible.^[2]

Pternoconius bondi

In 2016 a new species of macraucheniid litoptern was described coming from the Bajada del Diablo locality in the Sarmiento Formation, consisting of the anterior portion of the skull with the maxillary region, some fragments of nasal bones, a small portion of the left zygomatic process, and most of the upper dentition (i.e., left P2–M3, right C, and right P1–M3). The species was named after Mariano Bond, in recognition of his contributions to the knowledge of South American native ungulates.^[3]

Classification

Pternoconius is a member of the subfamily Cramaucheniinae within the family Macraucheniidae. However, many studies have suggested that Cramaucheniinae is a paraphyletic group. This suggestion was further corroborated in phylogenetic analyses of the family in 2014 and 2018, which found that Cramaucheniinae is a paraphyletic group, and that Theosodon is a sister clade to the subfamily Macraucheniinae, the least primitive of the members of Cramaucheniinae.^[4]

Proadiantus Tricoelodus Polymorphis Pternoconius Coniopternium Cramauchenia Theosodon Scalabrinitherium Oxyodontherium Huayqueriana Paranauchenia denticulata Paranauchenia hystatus Cullinia Promacrauchenia Windhausenia Xenorhinotherium Macraucheniopsis Macrauchenia

Cramaucheniinae Macraucheniinae

The results of McGrath et al. 2018 are shown below.^[5]

Proadiantus excavatus Tricoelodus spp. Macraucheniidae  Polymorphis lechei Pternoconius spp. Cramauchenia normalis Coniopternium Llullataruca shockeyi Theosodon spp. Theosodon arozquetai Macraucheniinae  Scalabrinitherium bravardi Huayqueriana cristata Huayqueriana cf. cristata Oxyodontherium zeballosi Paranauchenia hystata Paranauchenia denticulata Cullinia levis Promacrauchenia calchaquiorum Promacrauchenia antiqua Windhausenia delacroixi Xenorhinotherium bahiense Macraucheniopsis ensenadensis Macrauchenia patachonica

References

• Paleontology portal
• Prehistoric mammals portal
• Argentina portal

1. Cifelli, Richard L.; Soria, Miguel F. (1983). "Notes on Deseadan Macraucheniidae". Ameghiniana (in Spanish). 20 (1–2): 141–153. ISSN 1851-8044.
2. Soria (h), Miguel Fernando; Hoffstetter, Robert (1985). "Pternoconius tournoueri, nueva especie de Macraucheniidae (Mammalia; Litopterna) de edad Colhuehuapense (Oligoceno Tardio); Pcia. Del Chubut, República Argentina". Ameghiniana (in Spanish). 22 (3–4): 149–158. ISSN 1851-8044.
3. Cheme-Arriaga, Lucas; Dozo, MarÍa Teresa; Gelfo, Javier N. (2016-11-01). "A new Cramaucheniinae (Litopterna, Macraucheniidae) from the early Miocene of Patagonia, Argentina". Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology. 36 (6): e1229672. Bibcode:2016JVPal..36E9672C. doi:10.1080/02724634.2017.1229672. ISSN 0272-4634. S2CID 88586687.
4. Schmidt, Gabriela I.; Ferrero, Brenda S. (September 2014). "Taxonomic Reinterpretation of Theosodon hystatus Cabrera and Kraglievich, 1931 (Litopterna, Macraucheniidae) and Phylogenetic Relationships of the Family". Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology. 34 (5): 1231–1238. Bibcode:2014JVPal..34.1231S. doi:10.1080/02724634.2014.837393. hdl:11336/18953. S2CID 86091386.
5. Andrew J. McGrath; Federico Anaya; Darin A. Croft (2018). "Two new macraucheniids (Mammalia: Litopterna) from the late middle Miocene (Laventan South American Land Mammal Age) of Quebrada Honda, Bolivia". Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology. 38 (3): e1461632. Bibcode:2018JVPal..38E1632M. doi:10.1080/02724634.2018.1461632. S2CID 89881990.