La presencia del género Belonopterus Reichenbach, 1852 (Aves, Charadriidae) en el Pleistoceno de Argentina, con la descripción de Belonopterus lilloi nov. sp.

Abstract

The presence of the genus Belonopterus Reichenbach, 1852 (Aves, Charadriidae) in the Pleistocene of Argentina, with the description of Belonopterus lilloi n. sp. Fossil material belonging to the genus Belonopterus is described in this work. These specimens consist on a complete carpometacarpus and a well preserved distal end of humerus, coming from the Pleistocene of Buenos Aires province, Argentina. The carpometacarpus is referable to the living species Belonopterus chilensis, which actually inhabits the same zone. The distal end of humerus is similar in size to this living species, but differs in several anatomical traits such as, the peculiar morphology of the ventral condyle. These differences allow us to identificate this specimen as a new species of Belonopterus. Both materials constitute the oldest fossil record for the genus and for the subfamily in America, and indicate that a varied Vanellinae fauna was present in the Pleistocene of South America.