Nuevo registro de Conepatus primaevus (Mammalia, Carnivora, Mustelidae) del Pleistoceno de la Provincia de Buenos Aires, Argentina

Abstract

. A new specimen referred to Conepatus primaevus Burmeister, 1864, from the Pleistocene of Buenos Aires province, is described. The specimen consists of a very well preserved skull with the associated mandible. This species differs from the others of the genus in the following features: skull large and robust; tympanic bulla and squamosal area dorsal to the meatus acusticus externus less inflated; paracondylar process well developed; mandibular condyle thickened laterally; with small diastemata between the upper incisors; lingual cingulum and accessory cusps of the upper and lower canines well defined; M1 with an accessory cusp posterolingually to the metacone; and hypocone aligned with the posterior edge of the metacone. The living species show great intraespecific variation; nevertheless, the differences between the new material and the species compared lead to infer that C. primaevus corresponds to a valid species.