Artículos de revistas
Reptilian coprolites in the Eocene of Central Patagonia, Argentina
Fecha
2012-05Registro en:
Krause, Javier Marcelo; Piña, Carlos Ignacio; Reptilian coprolites in the Eocene of Central Patagonia, Argentina; Paleontological Society; Journal of Paleontology; 86; 3; 5-2012; 527-538
0022-3360
CONICET Digital
CONICET
Autor
Krause, Javier Marcelo
Piña, Carlos Ignacio
Resumen
Biogenic structures, herein interpreted as coprolites, were recorded in the ?upper PaleoceneEocene Las Flores Formation, southeast Argentina. The coprolite origin is supported by several features, such as recurrent extrusive external morphology, longitudinal wrinkles, flattening of the ventral side, concentric and radial cracks, cryptocrystalline groundmass, and a phosphatic composition. A detailed comparative study with modern fecal masses, based on morphology, surface texture, micromorphology, mineralogical and chemical composition, suggest a crocodylian as the most probable producer, an interpretation also supported by the Patagonian paleontological record. This discovery, the first record on coprolites from Central Patagonia, provides new paleoenvironmental and paleoecological information for the studied successions. © 2012 The Paleontological Society.