Early Oligocene chinchilloid caviomorphs from Puerto Rico and the initial rodent colonization of the West Indies.

ABSTRACT: By their past and present diversity, rodents are among the richest components of Caribbean land mammals. Many of these became extinct recently. Causes of their extirpation, their phylogenetic affinities, the timing of their arrival in the West Indies and their biogeographic history are all ongoing debated issues. Here, we report the discovery of dental remains from Lower Oligocene deposits (ca 29.5 Ma) of Puerto Rico. Their morphology attests to the presence of two distinct species of chinchilloid caviomorphs, closely related to dinomyids in a phylogenetic analysis, and thus of undisputable South American origin. These fossils represent the earliest Caribbean rodents known thus far. They could extend back to 30 Ma the lineages of some recently extinct Caribbean giant rodents (Ela

SUBMITTER: Marivaux L 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7031660 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature