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ROYAL ONTARIO MUSEUM

Digitized by the Internet Archive
in 2011 with funding from
University of Toronto

http://www.archive.org/details/conepatustalaraeOOchur

CONT KB UT TO N

C. S. CHURCHER AND C. G. vAN ZYLL DE JONG

Conepatus talarae n. sp.

jnvo./us'U“from the Talara Tar-seeps, Peru

UNI c. b 4 3h 8 & wt 5

mee; ONTARIO MUSEUM - UNIVERSITY OF TORONTO

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Contribution No. 62
LIFE SCIENCES
ROYAL ONTARIO MUSEUM

UNIVERSITY OF TORONTO

C. S. CHURCHER AND

C. G. vAN ZYLL DE JONG G: onepatus talarae n. Sp.
from the Talara Tar-seeps, Peru

C. S. CHURCHER is a Research Associate in the Department of Vertebrate
Palaeontology, Royal Ontario Museum, and Assistant Professor of Zoology,
University of Toronto.

C. G. VAN ZYLL DE JONG is a graduate student in the Department of Zoology,
University of Toronto.

PRICE: $1.00
© The Governors of the University of Toronto, 1965

PRINTED AT THE UNIVERSITY OF TORONTO PRESS

ABSTRACT. A new hog-nosed skunk, Conepatus talarae n. sp., is described
from cranial, mandibular, dental and post-cranial material from the Pleisto-
cene of Talara, Northwest Peru. It is distinguished from neighbouring
species by its smaller size, and from species of approximately the same
size by the shape of the mandible, the constant proportion of the trigonid
in the crown of M,, the conformation of M’, and its geographical isolation
from other similar-sized species.

INTRODUCTION

Modern representatives of the genus Conepatus are known from South
and Central America and northwards into the southern United States
(Cabrera, 1957, Hall and Kelson, 1959). Fossil representatives were first
reported from South America by Ameghino who originally described
Conepatus mercedensis as Triodon mercedensis in 1875, referred it to
Mephitis in 1889, and finally to Conepatus in 1906, and C. cordubensis as
Mephitis cordubensis in 1889, both from the Pampean (Middle to Upper
Pleistocene) of Buenos Aires Province. Burmeister (1879) described
C. primaevus (=Mephitis primaeva) from Buenos Aires Province, sub-
sequently assigned to the Ensenadian by Kraglievich (1934). Rusconi
(1932) described C. mercedensis praecursor from the Ensenadian of
Buenos Aires Province and dated this as Middle Pleistocene. Later Reig
(1952) described C. altiramus from the Chapadmalal Formation of the
Barranca de Los Lobos between Mar del Plata and Miramar, also Buenos
Aires Province, which he dated as Upper Pliocene but which is now con-
sidered Lower Pleistocene (Dr. Rosendo Pascual, pers. comm.), and also
raised Rusconi’s (1932) subspecies to a full species as C. praecursor. A
non-Argentinian fossil Conepatus was reported by Boule (1920) from the
Pleistocene deposits of Tarija, Bolivia, as C. cf. suffocans. This specimen is
referred to C. chinga by Hoffstetter (1963). Conepatus sp. has been listed
from Talara by Lemon and Churcher (1961).

North American fossil material is represented by Conepatus, probably
C. leuconotus mearnsi, reported by Hall (1960) from the late Pleistocene
deposits of San Josecito Cave, Nueva Léon, Mexico; C. mesoleucus by
Schultz and Howard (1935) from Burnet Cave, Eddy County, New
Mexico; and C. leuconotus by Ray et al. (1963) from the Pleistocene
deposits of Haile, Alachua County, and Williston, Levy County, Florida.
An additional and excellently preserved left mandible from Haile VII,
Alachua County, Florida, now in the Vertebrate Paleontology Collection
of the University of Florida (No. UF 4498), was noted by Dr. Pierce
Brodkorb while Ray et al.’s paper was in press. Dr. Clayton E. Ray (pers.
comm.) suspects “that it might be the mate to the scrappy right ramus that”
was reported in Ray et al. (1963).

The Talara material is geographically well separated from all previous
records and, because of its relative abundance and good preservation,
deserves description and identification.

LOCALITY AND HORIZON

The tar-seeps of Talara are located some 10 miles southeast of the town
of Talara (Lemon and Churcher, 1961) within the La Brea pool of the
International Petroleum Company’s concession in Northwest Peru. The
seeps occur on the Mancora Tablazo or beach about 6 miles west of the
edge of the main breccia-fan emanating from the Amotape Mountains.
These seeps have built up by the accretion of dust in the soft tar to a level
slightly above that general to the tablazo.

The Talara tar-seeps have been dated as Late Pleistocene on the faunal
and geologic evidence and are considered approximately contemporaneous
with the Carolinian (Upper Pleistocene) deposits from La Carolina, Santa
Elena Peninsula, Southwest Ecuador, described by Hoffstetter (1952) and
others.

Family MUSTELIDAE
Subfamily Mephitinae Gill
Genus Conepatus Gray

Conepatus talarae, n. sp.

Holotype. Right mandible with Pz, Ps, Py and M,;, Royal Ontario Museum
Vertebrate Palaeontology Collection No. 2103.

Paratype. Right premaxilla and maxilla with M', damaged. ROM—VPC
No. 4345.

Referred material. All remaining 59 specimens associated with the Type
and Paratype are deposited and catalogued in the Vertebrate Palaeon-
tology Collection of the Royal Ontario Museum, to which all numbers cited
refer.

Locality. Talara tar-seeps, Peru.

Horizon. Talaran, Upper Pleistocene.

MATERIAL

Some 61 whole, damaged or partial skeletal and dental elements assign-
able to Conepatus have been recovered from the tar-seeps. This material
was collected by Dr. A. G. Edmund and Mr. R. R. Hornell during the
Royal Ontario Museum Expedition to these seeps in 1958. The material
has been prepared subsequently by Mr. R. R. Hornell and the senior author.

All of the specimens are stained black from the asphalt. No signs of
abrasion, scoring or wear within the asphalt are observable. Such wear and
breakage as is present presumably occurred prior to the fossil’s entomb-
ment or during recovery when a fresh fracture is visible.

The material collected could derive from a minimum number of indi-
viduals of 7, comprising 2 adults and 5 sub-adults, the number being
founded upon the sample of left humeri. Much of the material derived

from juvenile or sub-adult individuals as was substantiated by the absence
of epiphyses and centra from many of the specimens.

Specimens recovered include 6 right (2102, 2103, 4330, 4332, 4336,
4337) and 4 left (4331, 4333, 4334, 4335) mandibular fragments, 2 right
(4345, 4347) and 2 left (4346, 4348) maxillary and a left premaxillary
fragment (4350). Teeth available, specimen numbers for which are given
in Tables 1 and 2, either in situ or loose, include a right C,, 2 right P.’s, 4
right and 2 left P;’s, 2 right and 3 left P,’s, 5 right and 2 left My’s, a
partial crown of a Ms, 5 right and 3 left P*’s, and 4 right and 2 left M’’s.
Axial elements are represented by an adult (4367) and 3 subadult cervical
vertebrae (4368-70) and a rib (4373). The forelimb is represented by
10 whole or partial humeri comprising an adult (4351) and 2 subadult
right (2850, 4357) and 2 adult (2853, 4354) and 5 subadult left elements
(2851, 4352, 4353, 4355, 4356), by a subadult left ulna (4359), and
right (4361) and 2 left (4360, 4362) subadult radii, a right scapholunar
(4374) and adult left metacarpals HI (4379) and V (4377). The hind-
limb and girdle are represented by 2 left ilia (4363-4), the distal epiphysis
of a left femur (4365), an adult left tibia (2852) and the proximal
epiphysis of a right tibia (4366), single adult (4371) and subadult right
(4372) calcaneum and 2 adult left (4375-6) calcanea and an adult left
metatarsal III (4378).

DESCRIPTION

The Talaran Conepatus is of approximately the same size as the smaller
living species of the genus, e.g. C. humbolti, C. mesoleucus, and is
definitely smaller than living C. rex, C. quitensis, C. semistriatus or C.
leuconotus.

The mandible of the Talaran Conepatus is strongly built, the ventral
margin slightly concave and nearly parallel to the alveolar margins,
a strong ventral belly beneath Mz, the mental border of the symphysis
slopes strongly forward, the coronoid process slopes backward from
Mz, is squared at the top and projects posteriorly over the articular surface
of the condyle. When unworn the teeth are set close together and contact-
facets can develop between neighbouring teeth. Mj, possesses a nearly
isolateral trigonid and its talonid is longer mesiodistally and broader
buccolingually than the trigonid, thus occupying more than 50 per cent
of the occlusal surface of the tooth. When unworn the paraconid-protoconid
shearing surface is slightly convex and lies at +45° to the lingual surface
of the tooth. The talonid exhibits a well-defined lingual entoconulid
distal to the entoconid and two or more additional cuspules may occur
on the distobuccal margin distal to the hypoconid. Measurements of the
mandibles and lower dentitions are given in Table I and the type-specimen
is illustrated in Figure 1.

The upper dentition is represented only by P* and M! although alveoli
of all the other teeth are known. P* is longer mesiodistally than buccolingu-

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ally and its protocone is reduced to a mesiodistally compressed and
low-crowned arcuate ridge placed lingual to the paracone. M!' is longer
buccolingually than mesiodistally and possesses a rhomboid shape. The
paracone-metacone ridge is dumbbell-shaped or crescentic when unworn,
the protocone is a low crowned ridge similar to but more prominent than
that of P*. The hypocone is a roughly semicircular shelf lying distolingually
and together with the distal margin of the metacone forms the posterior
face of the tooth. Measurements of the upper dentitions and adult post-
cranial elements are given in Table 2 and selected specimens illustrated
in Figures 2 to 6.

The postcranial material is not markedly distinguished in any way from
other mephitine postcranial elements. Adult specimens only are illustrated
for comparative purposes in Figures 3 to 6.

DISCUSSION AND IDENTIFICATION

The fossil skunk from Talara only requires confirmation as Conepatus
and comparison with known species of the genus for possible specific
reference. Ray et al. (1963, Table HI) give 8 characters of M,, P* and M!
by which Conepatus may be separated from Mephitis. When the described
characters of these teeth in the Talaran skunk are compared with those
enumerated by Ray ef al., the skunk is identified as Conepatus on all 4
characters of M, and both characters of P* but not absolutely by both
characters of M’. Ray ef al. (1963) state that M' is “longer than wide
or occasionally subequidimensional, lingual half of crown displaced
posterad so that hypocone is most posterad portion of tooth” and “deep,
narrow notch rarely present immediately mesad of metacone. Outline of
crown not dumbbell-shaped”. The unworn M!’s of the Talaran skunk
are wider buccolingually than mesiodistally (Table II and Fig. 1b) and,
while the hypocone occupies the distolingual position, its margin is not
always the most distal part of the tooth. The outline of the crown is neither
dumbbell-shaped, as is usual in Mephitis, nor is it pear-shaped as illus-
trated by Ray et. al. (1963, Fig. 4A) but rather rhomboid with smaller

OVERLEAF

Figures 1 to 6—Adult Skeletal Elements of Conepatus talarae n.sp. Cross-hatched
areas indicate broken or alveolar areas. Dotted lines indicate
restored outlines.

1 Right premaxilla, maxilla and part of jugal with P4—M!.
Paratype, No. 4345. Aspects: a—lateral; b—occlusal.

2 Right mandible with P,-M,. Type, No. 2103. Aspects: a—
lateral; b—lingual; c—occlusal.

3 Left humerus, No. 2853 with restored lateral part of condyle
from No. 4351. Aspect: a—anterior; b—medial; c—proximal;
d—distal.

4 Left tibia, No. 2852. Aspects: a—lateral; b—anterior; c—

proximal; d—distal.
Right scapholunar, No. 4374. Aspects: a
Right calcaneum, No. 4371. Aspects: a

proximal; b—palmar.
medial; b—dorsal.

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TABLE |11—Comparative measurements of the upper dentition and measurements of
adult skeletal elements of Conepatus talarae n. sp. Measurements of M! of
+C. mercedensis and C humbolti from Ameghino (1889). Symbols as for
Table I.

UprER DENTITION

Be 4343aR 4543bL 4348cR 48438dR 4848eR 4846L 4848L
Mesiodistal
length 6.8 6.3 6.0 G7 6.9 6.4 6.5
Buccolingual
width 5.7 ah 4.7 — — ya | 5.0
(Cr Cc:
M} 4344aR 4344bL 4544cR 4846L 4347R 4348L mercedensis humbolti
Mesiodistal
length 720 Od G27 G7 6.2 a2 8.0 8.0
Buccolingual
width 8.7 9.6 8.2 8.8 8.95 9.2 10.0 9.0
POSTCRANIAL SKELETON
Cervical Vertebra Cw
4367
Length of centrum vec
Depth of centrum 3.9
Transverse width of centrum 6.8
Width across zygapophyses 12.4
Length pre- to postzygapophyses 8.4
Height of neural arch 6.0
Humerus 2853L 4351R 4354L
Length normal to condyles 50. 4e 50.5 a
Maximum length 51.2 51.4 —
Width over greater and lesser
tuberosities LIB As 11.4 12.9
Maximum anteroposterior diameter
of head 12.2 12.2 —
Anteroposterior diameter of head in
bicipital groove Opa! 10.5 —_
Midshaft transverse diameter 4.6 4.0 4.5
Midshaft anteroposterior diameter i fa 6.3 6.5
Width across condyles 15.9 16.4 —
Width of trochlear groove 4.3 4.2 —
Scapholunar 4374R
Maximum transverse diameter 10:7
Proximodistal diameter aaa!
Dorsoplantar diameter 6.4
Tibia 2852R
Maximum length 56.8
Transverse diameter of proximal end 12.2
Anteroposterior diameter of proximal end 959
Midshaft transverse diameter 3.6
Midshaft anteroposterior diameter 4.9
Transverse diameter of distal end 9.2
Anteroposterior diameter of distal end 6.9
Calcaneum 4371R 4375L 4376L
Total length 16.7 16.8 16.2
Minimum width at plantaris groove 3.1 3.4 Dit,
Maximum width at plantaris groove 4.6 4.6 4.2
Transverse diameter of distal end 5.4 4.9 4.7
Dorsoplantar diameter of distal end 3D Dao 4.5

10

Metapodials

Maximum length

Proximal dorsoplantar diameter
Proximal transverse diameter
Midshaft dorsoplantar diameter
Midshaft transverse diameter
Distal dorsoplantar diameter
Distal transverse diameter

Mc Ill Mc V Mt III

4379L 4377L 4378L
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Y¥ Conepatus sp. from Buenos Aires Province

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O C. talarae n. sp.

as 8.0 9.0
LENGTH Mj

10.0 11.0

Figure 7—Scatter diagram comparing maximum mesiodistal lengths and buccolingual
widths of M, in several species of Recent and Pleistocene Conepatus.
Comparative data derived from Ray et al. (1963) for C. leuconotus,
C. mesoleucus, C. semistriatus and the longer C. quitensis, and from Reig
(1952) for +C. altiramus, C. humbolti, C. suffocans, +-C. mercedensis,
+C. praecursor, the shorter C. quitensis and Conepatus sp. from near
Mar del Plata, Argentina. “+” indicates fossil species only.

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Vv C. humbolti © C. altiramus
OC: suffocans @ C. leuconotus
a5 @ C. mesoleucus OC. talarae n. sp.

4 C. sEemistriatus

4 C. quitensis

7, 80 9.0 10.0 11.0
LENGTH My

Figure 8—Scatter diagram comparing maximum mesiodistal lengths of M, and
of the trigonid of M, in several species of Recent and Pleistocene
Conepatus. Length of trigonid measured in straight line from anterior
edge of paraconid to midpoint of protoconid-metaconid commissure.
Comparative data and symbols as for Figure 7.

protocone and hypocone crests (Fig. 1b). A deep narrow notch has not
been observed in the Talaran skunk’s M!. However, the Talaran skunk
can be assigned to Conepatus as general agreement exists in the characters
of M, and P* cited by Ray er al. (1963) for the genus and because no
other genus of skunks is known from South America.

Specific identification. Cabrera (1957) lists 5 species for the genus in
the Recent fauna of South America (C. castaneus; C. chinga incl. C.
suffocans, C. humbolti; C. rex; and C. semistriatus incl. C. quitensis and
C. amazonicus. Reig (1952) gives some comparative measurements of
fossil (C. altiramus, C. praecursor [=C. mercedensis praecursor| and
C. mercedensis) and Recent forms (C. humbolti, C. suffocans, C. quitensis
and Conepatus sp. from Mar del Plata). Ray et al. (1963) give comparative
data for Recent C. mesoleucus and C. leuconotus and plot 3 dimensions
of M, of two individuals of C. semistriatus and one of C. quitensis.
Table III shows that the Talaran Conepatus is one of the smaller
members of the genus. It cannot therefore be conspecific with any of the
larger forms, i.e. C. semistriatus, C. rex or C. chinga, or the fossil C.

13

primaevus, which derive from the high altitude Andean environments and
from which it is separated ecologically and geographically. It is unlikely
also that the Talaran Conepatus is directly related to C. s amazonicus
from the Amazon basin or to C. ch. suffocans, C. castaneus or C. humbolti,
from the Bolivian and Argentinian pampas as the Andes provide a strong
ecological barrier. Table III also suggests that the smaller Recent and fossil
pampean forms comprise a single group and may repreventyd fewer species
than have been described.

Figures 7 and 8 show that plots of the lengths and breadths of M,’s
of the Talaran Conepatus (after Ray et al., 1963) fall near those of the
Recent and fossil Argentinian forms and also near those of C. mesoleucus.
However, since C. mesoleucus is restricted to North America and together
with the fossil and Recent Argentinian forms are separated geographically
from Talara by distance and mountains, it is likely that the similar
dimensions represent only size convergence between the populations.

The distribution of the plots of M, in Figure 7 of the Talaran Conepatus
lies almost parallel to those of M,’s of the other larger samples of
Conepatus. M, is therefore approximately similarly proportioned in its
overall dimensions in all the representatives of Conepatus included in this
figure. However the distribution of the plots for the Talaran Conepatus
in Figure 8 lies at an inclined angle of about 45° while those of the other
larger samples lie nearly horizontal. This divergence indicates a nearly
constant mesiodistal length to the trigonid in the other forms regardless
of the length of M,, the increase in length therefore resulting from elonga-
tion of the talonid, and in the Talaran Conepatus a trigonid that nearly
maintains a constant proportion of the mesiodistal length of the tooth. This
near-maintenance of the proportions of My, despite length variation
separates the Talaran Conepatus from all other groups for which informa-
tion is available and suggests an isolation of this population from the neigh-
bouring populations of Conepatus sufficient to allow the development of
a slightly different pattern of growth.

The Talaran Conepatus is therefore assigned to a new species, Conepatus
talarae sp. nov. on the characters of the occlusal shape of M!', the shape
of the mandibular symphysis and coronoid, the indication of a separate
identity shown by the proportion of the trigonid to the talonid of M,; and
its geographical isolation from other members of the genus of comparable
size.

14

REFERENCES

AMEGHINO, F., 1875
Notas sobre algunas fdsiles nuevos de la formacién Pampeana.
Obras Completas, 2, 11-17.
AMEGHINO, F., 1889
Contribucién al conocimiento de los mamiferos fdsiles de la
Republica Argentina. Actas Acad. Nac. Cienc. Cordoba, 6, 1-1027.
BOULE, M. (WITH A. THEVENIN), 1920
Mammiféres fossiles de Tarija. Miss. Scient. de Créqui-Montfort
et Sénéchal de la Grange. 1-256, Paris: Soudier.
BURMEISTER, G., 1879
Déscription physique de la République Argentine, 3 (1) 1-555
(162-165). Buenos Aires: P-E Coni.
CABRERA, A., 1957
Catalogo de los mamiféros de America del Sur, I. Mus. Argent.
Bernardino Rivadavia, Cienc. Zool., 4 (1) 265-271.
HALL, E. R., 1960
Small carnivores from San Josecito Cave (Pleistocene), Nuevo
Léon, Mexico. Univ. Kansas Publ., Mus. Nat. Hist., 9 (2) 531-538.
HALL, E. R. AND K. R. KELSON, 1959
The Mammals of North America, Vol. 2, 1—1083, New York:
Ronald Press.
HOFFSTETTER, R., 1952

Les mammiféres pléistocénes de la République de lEquateur.
Mem. Soc. Géol. France, No. 66, 1-391.

HOFFSTETTER, R., 1963
La faune pléistocene de Tarija (Bolivia) — Note préliminaire. Bull.
Mus. Nat. d’Hist. Nat., Ser. 2, 35 (2) 194-203.

KRAGLIEVICH, L., 1934
La antigiiedad pliocena de las faunas de Monte Hermoso y
Chapadmalal, deducidos de su comparacion con las que le pre-
cedieron y sucedieron. 1-136, Montevideo: Fontana.

LEMON, R. R. H. AND C. S. CHURCHER, 1961
Pleistocene Geology and Paleontology of the Talara Region, North-
west Peru. Amer. J. Sci., 259, 410-429.

RAY, C. E., S. J. OLSEN AND H. J. GUT, 1963
Three mammals new to the Pleistocene Fauna of Florida, and a
reconsideration of five earlier records. J. Mamm., 44 (3) 373-395.

REIG, ©. A, 1952
Sobre la Presencia de Mustelidos Mefitinos en la Formacion de
Chapadmalal. Rev. Mus. Municip. Cienc. Nat. y Trad. Mar del
Plata. J (1) 45-51.

RUSCONI, C., 1932
Dos nuevas especies de mustélidos del piso ensenadense. “Grisonella
hennigi” n. sp. et “Conepatus mercedensis praecursor” subsp. n.
An. Soc. Cient. Argentina, 1/3, 42-45.

SCHULTZ, C. B. AND E. B. HOWARD, 1935
The fauna of Burnet Cave, Guadalupe Mountains, New Mexico.
Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci., Philadelphia, 87, 283.

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