A reassessment of the cranial morphology of Neoepiblema acreensis (Rodentia: Chinchilloidea), a Miocene rodent from South America.

ABSTRACT

The rodent Neoepiblema acreensis (Chinchilloidea Neoepiblemidae) is member of a lineage that reached gigantic dimensions during the Late Miocene of South America-the Neoepiblemidae. In this paper, the cranial anatomy of this rodent is reviewed. Noninvasive imaging is used to reveal internal structures. Our review is based mainly on an almost complete cranium from the Upper Miocene deposits of the western Amazonia of Brazil. The cranium has an elongated rostrum, large frontal sinuses, a deep temporal fossa, well-developed sagittal, nuchal, medial occipital, and secondary crests, and a tympanic fenestra connected to the external acoustic meatus by a thin ventral cleft. Remarkably, the cranium shows the presence of fossae on the posterior region of the frontal and parietal bones, and a "W-shaped" fronto-parietal suture, which are not present in other analyzed chinchilloids. This study contributes to the knowledge of the morphology of this extinct rodent as well as to the phylogenetic relationships and paleobiology of neoepiblemids.