Late Quaternary caviomorph rodents (Rodentia: Hystricognathi) from the Serra da Capivara, northeastern Brazil, with description of a new taxon

In this paper, fossil rodents (Hystricognathi: Caviomorpha) from the late Quaternary of the southwestern State of Piaui, northeastern Brazil, are described. The material comes from archaeological/palaeontological sites located in the region of the Serra da Capivara. The late Quaternary taxa of this region include Galea Meyen, 1832, Kerodon rupestris Wied-Neuwied, 1820, Hydrochoeridae indet., Dasyprocta Illiger, 1811, cf. Myocastor Kerr, 1792, Thrichomys Trouessart, 1880, Phyllomys Lund, 1839, Coendou magnus Lund, 1839 and a new taxon with chinchilloid affinities. The Coendou magnus and cf. Myocastor material represents the northernmost records of these taxa. The unexpected presence of a new extinct taxon contributes to the understanding of the ancient rodent faunas from South America. Today, the studied area is located within the Caatinga Biome but some of the fossil taxa, such as Hydrochoeridae and cf. Myocastor, indicate wetter environments and permanent water bodies during the late Pleistocene-early Holocene.http://www.zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:92711BC3-8997-4474-A8AF-83DF4F91BB48