Taphonomy and paleoenvironmental insights of Late Miocene Armadillo carapace (Xenarthra, Dasypodidae) in the Solimões Formation, Southwestern Amazonia, Brazil
Abstract
The deposits of the Solimões Formation (Acre Basin), Brazilian Amazonia, preserve a diverse vertebrate fossil assemblage. However, taphonomic studies of these deposits and their fossil vertebrate content remain scarce. One notable example is the osteoderms of cingulates, which are relatively abundant and diverse in the Cenozoic South American fossil record. This study describes the taphonomic signatures observed in osteoderms of a dasypodid armadillo assigned to cf. Anadasypus sp. from the Late Miocene AC64 locality, Solimões Formation, Acre State, western Brazilian Amazonia. Both isolated osteoderms and a sedimentary block preserving several disarticulated but spatially associated osteoderms were analyzed using a taphonomic categorization adapted from studies on modern armadillo osteoderms. This approach allowed the identification of oblique, transverse, and longitudinal fractures, bioerosion traces, and spatial arrangement patterns. The evidence best supports a low-energy fluvial depositional setting, in which the osteoderms experienced moderate trampling and minimal transport prior to burial. Paleoenvironmental conditions were reconstructed by integrating data from the associated fauna (Testudines, Crocodylia, and Trichodactylidae), sedimentary structures (rhizoliths and bioturbation structures), and carbon and oxygen isotope analyses of fossil remains and rocks. The results indicate a humid fluvial depositional setting dominated by C3 vegetation, with relatively stable depositional conditions.
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BibTeX
@article{pales2026taphonomy,
title = {{Taphonomy and paleoenvironmental insights of Late Miocene Armadillo carapace (Xenarthra, Dasypodidae) in the Solimões Formation, Southwestern Amazonia, Brazil}},
author = {Letícia Pales and André Mateus, Valentin Alvim and Francisco Ricardo Negri and Pierre-Olivier Antoine and Martin Roddaz and Roberto Ventura Santos and Narla S Stutz and Laurent Marivaux and Ana Maria Ribeiro and Francesco Battista},
journal = {Palaios},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.2110/palo.2026.021},
url = {https://hal.umontpellier.fr/hal-05737474v1},
note = {CC BY-NC 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Taphonomy and paleoenvironmental insights of Late Miocene Armadillo carapace (Xenarthra, Dasypodidae) in the Solimões Formation, Southwestern Amazonia, Brazil
AU - Letícia Pales
AU - André Mateus, Valentin Alvim
AU - Francisco Ricardo Negri
AU - Pierre-Olivier Antoine
AU - Martin Roddaz
AU - Roberto Ventura Santos
AU - Narla S Stutz
AU - Laurent Marivaux
AU - Ana Maria Ribeiro
AU - Francesco Battista
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/13
JO - Palaios
DO - 10.2110/palo.2026.021
UR - https://hal.umontpellier.fr/hal-05737474v1
AB - The deposits of the Solimões Formation (Acre Basin), Brazilian Amazonia, preserve a diverse vertebrate fossil assemblage. However, taphonomic studies of these deposits and their fossil vertebrate content remain scarce. One notable example is the osteoderms of cingulates, which are relatively abundant and diverse in the Cenozoic South American fossil record. This study describes the taphonomic signatures observed in osteoderms of a dasypodid armadillo assigned to cf. Anadasypus sp. from the Late Miocene AC64 locality, Solimões Formation, Acre State, western Brazilian Amazonia. Both isolated osteoderms and a sedimentary block preserving several disarticulated but spatially associated osteoderms were analyzed using a taphonomic categorization adapted from studies on modern armadillo osteoderms. This approach allowed the identification of oblique, transverse, and longitudinal fractures, bioerosion traces, and spatial arrangement patterns. The evidence best supports a low-energy fluvial depositional setting, in which the osteoderms experienced moderate trampling and minimal transport prior to burial. Paleoenvironmental conditions were reconstructed by integrating data from the associated fauna (Testudines, Crocodylia, and Trichodactylidae), sedimentary structures (rhizoliths and bioturbation structures), and carbon and oxygen isotope analyses of fossil remains and rocks. The results indicate a humid fluvial depositional setting dominated by C3 vegetation, with relatively stable depositional conditions.
SN - 0883-0351
ER -