Hoffstetterius
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Hoffstetterius Temporal range: 10.35 Ma Miocene |
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| Skeletal drawing of the skull of the adult holotype of H. imperator | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | †Notoungulata |
| Family: | †Toxodontidae |
| Subfamily: | †Toxodontinae |
| Genus: |
†Hoffstetterius Saint-André, 1992 |
| Binomial name | |
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†Hoffstetterius imperator Saint-André, 1992 |
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Hoffstetterius is an extinct genus of toxodontid notoungulate mammal, whose remains were discovered in Miocene strata in the La Paz Department in Bolivia. The only described species is the type Hoffstetterius imperator.
The remains of Hoffstetterius were discovered in a volcanic tuff in the 6th member of the Mauri Formation, located in the northwestern part of the Bolivian highlands, to 5 km. near to the village of Achiri in the Pacajes Province, Bolivia. These volcanic sediments have been dated in 10.35 million years, which indicates that they are of the Late Miocene and would correspond to the Chasicoan mammal-age. The uncovered remains include the holotype specimen MNHN ACH1, a partial skull and mandible of an adult individual, plus postcranial remains including an axis, right humerus, both radius, part of the left ulna and left femur, retrieved by the expedition of the paleontologist Robert Hoffstetter in 1969. A second specimen, the paratype MNHN BOL V 3291 corresponds to the partial skull of a juvenile individual, which comes from Cerro Pisakeri, also near to Achiri, recovered by the joint expedition of the French Institute of Andean Studies (IFEA) and The Geological Service of Bolivia (GEOBOL) in 1989. These remains were the basis for the designation of the new genus and species Hoffstetterius imperator in 1993 by French paleontologist Pierre-Antoine Saint-André. The name of the genus commemorates the scientific work of Professor Hoffstetter, while the name of the species, imperator ("emperor" in Latin) refers to the great sagittal crest of the animal, reminiscent of the crown of the emperors of the Holy Empire.
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