Cingulata of the Abismo Ponta de Flecha Cave (Pleistocene-Holocene), Ribeira de Iguape Valley, southeastern Brazil

Abstract

The Ribeira de Iguape Valley, located in southeastern Brazil, is an important karstic region, presenting a large number of caves containing fossil and subfossil vertebrate materials. The Abismo Ponta de Flecha Cave is a complex vertical cave divided into galleries where a large amount of osteological material was collected. The cave acted as a natural trap for several taxa and possibly as a disposal site for ancient human communities. Osteoderms and appendicular bones assigned to two genera of Cingulata were identified in the faunal assemblage. The most abundant bone material belongs to the family Chlamyphoridae, genus Cabassous, represented by the living species C. tatouay and by remains of a larger, but little-known species, cf. C. antiquus. The other identified genus belongs to the family Dasypodidae: Dasypus sp. Evidence of human activity was characterized in only one C. tatouay bone, while the other specimens were considered as being of natural origin. Keywords: Quaternary, Chlamyphoridae, Dasypus, Cabassous, taxonomy.