Patriarchus distortus 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 : 490-491

Patriarchus distortus Ameghino, 1891

Holotype. MACN-A 9634 ( Figs. 3 J–K ), incomplete skull, MACN-A 9635, incomplete coxal (lost), MACN-A 9636 ( Fig. 3 L ), proximal epiphysis of right femur, MACN-A 9637 and MACN-A 9638, proximal epiphyses of right tibia and fibula articulated to each other and with the distal epiphysis of right femur ( Figs. 3 M ), all specimens of the same individual.

Diagnosis ( Ameghino 1891: 293). “ De tamaño casi igual a la precedente [ Patriarchus furculosus ], de la cual se distingue por los frontales que no envían prolongamiento internasal hacia adelante. Longitud del cráneo, 102 milímetros. Longitud de la serie dentaria superior, 57 milímetros. Ancho interorbital de los frontales, 32 milímetros. Longitud de los nasales sobre la línea media, 29 milímetros ”.

English translation. Size almost equal to the previous one [ Patriarchus furculosus ], from which it is distinguished by the frontals that do not exhibit an anterior projection between nasals. Length of the skull, 102 millimetres. Length of upper tooth row, 57 millimetres. Interorbital width of the frontals, 32 millimetres. Length of the nasals on the midline, 29 millimetres.

Comments. Ameghino (1891) did not add any illustration to his description. No specimen is indicated as the type material in Ameghino’s catalogue or in Mones (1896). Among the specimens within the Ameghino Collection, MACN-A 9622 (incomplete skull), MACN-A 9639 (incomplete palate) and MACN-A 9640 (mandibular fragment) are discarded as type specimens because, on the one hand, MACN-A 9640 is a partial mandible and, on the other hand, MACN-A 9622 and MACN-A 9639 are incomplete cranial elements from which only a few measurements can be taken, all of which, in turn, do not match the original measurements provided by Ameghino (1891). In contrast, the skull MACN-A 9634 ( Figs. 3 J–K ) shows the morphology originally described for the fronto-nasal suture, without an internasal frontal projection, and the measurements available to be taken (skull length = 102.1 mm; length of the upper tooth row = 56.5 mm; length of the nasals on the midline = 28.9 mm) are coincident with those indicated by Ameghino (1891). This material is accompanied by some postcranial elements (MACN-A 9635 to MACN-A 9638) that would belong to the same individual according to the catalogue. Therefore, MACN-A 9634 to MACN-A 9638 constitute the holotype of Pa. distortus .

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

Figures

FIGURE 3. Patriarchus palmidens, holotype MACN-A 9651a, mandibular symphysis with right i1–p1 and left i1–2 and the alveolus of i3, in labial (A), occlusal (B) and antero-labial (C) views; reproductions of figures 2 (D), 2a (E) and 2b (F) from Ameghino (1889, plate 15). Patriarchus furculosus, syntype MACN-A 3970, left maxillary fragment with P2–M3, in occlusal view (G); syntype MACN-A 3972, right mandibular fragment with p2–m3, in occlusal view (H); syntype MACN-A 3977, incomplete skull, dorsal view (I). Patriarchus distortus, holotype MACN-A 9634 to MACN-A 9638: MACN-A 9634, skull, ventral (J)and dorsal (K) views; MACN-A 9636, proximal epiphysis of right femur, in anterior view (L); MACN-A 9637 and MACN-A9638, proximal epiphyses of right tibia and fibula,articulated with the distal epiphysis of right femur, in lateral view (M). Patriarchus rectus, holotype MACN-A 4005, right maxillary fragment (vertically rotated) with alveolus of C and series P1–M3, in occlusal view (N); holotype MACN-A 4006, left maxillary fragment (vertically rotated) with M1–3, in occlusal view (O); holotype MACN-A 4007, mandibular fragment with incomplete symphysis, broken alveoli of left and right i1-2 and complete left i3–m3 series, in occlusal view (P). Patriarchus diastematus, holotypeMACN-A 4044, two maxillae with alveoli of C–P1 andright P2–M3 andleft P2–M2, in occlusal view (Q). Scale bar = 10 mm.