ABSTRACT. A new fossil record for the giant rat Kunsia tomentosus (Rodentia, Cricetidae) reopens the discussion about its type locality and conservation status. In this note, we documented the first record for Kunsia tomentosus for the... more
ABSTRACT. A new fossil record for the giant rat Kunsia tomentosus (Rodentia, Cricetidae) reopens the
discussion about its type locality and conservation status. In this note, we documented the first record for
Kunsia tomentosus for the Late Holocene (0.77 ka) of northeastern Argentina. An incomplete mandible was recovered
from the archaeological site Gruta Tres de Mayo, along with subfossil remains referable to three other
sigmodontine taxa: Akodon sp., Brucepattersonius sp., and Sooretamys angouya. Kunsia tomentosus is currently
restricted to west-central, central, and southeastern Brazil and northwestern Bolivia. This new record confirms
that K. tomentosus had a much larger distribution during the Pleistocene-Holocene, as was suggested by previous
findings. The type locality of K. tomentosus was traditionally restricted to “Rio Uruguay in southeastern
Brazil”; however, for most authors this restriction is questionable since this area lies more than 1000 km from
the nearest known current localities. The record reported here, and others in the literature, strongly suggest
that this restriction could be correct and that K. tomentosus was extirpated from the southern portion of its
distributional range during the last centuries.
