SUBORDER B 



XENARTHEA 



101 



free. Humerus with entepicondylar foramen; femur with third trochanter. 

 Extremities pentadadyl. 



The Dasypodidae are distinguished from the Gly2)todontidae by their more 

 primitive structure, such as their movable armour, elongated skull, simple 

 teeth, lack of marginal plates and free vertebrae. In size they fall far short 

 of the Glyptodontidae, with the single exception of Chlamydotherium. 



Armadillos at the present day inhabit tropical and temperate South 

 America, only one genus, Tatusia, extending from Central America into 

 Mexico and Texas. Fossil Dasypodidae have been found only in South 

 America. A fragment of bony armour, described by Filhol from the Quercy 

 Phosphorites under the name of Necromanis galliae, and theoretically associated 

 by Ameghino with the skull of Necromanis edtvardsi Filhol, belongs to the 



Eocene lizard Placosaurus. The reduced dentition —-zr— I functionally ^' ' 



1.1.2. \ "^ 0.1.0 



of Metachiromys Wortman, from the Bridger Eocene of Wyoming, does not 



agree with Osborn's theory, that these remains belong to an armadillo 



lacking armour. 



Fig. 125. 



Prozaedius proximus Amegh. 

 Miocene of Santa Cruz. Armour- 



Fio. 126. 



Sfeqotherium tessellatum Amegh. Miocene of Santa Cruz. Skull. 



i/a- (After Scott.) 



^^i^ 



plates, i/l- 



The Dasypodidae from the Pleistocene of South America, Pampas forma- 

 tion of Argentina and from the Brazilian bone caves, belong for the most 

 part to recent genera — Tatusia, Dasypus, Tolypeutes, Xemirus, etc. Chlamydo- 

 therium Lund is distinguished by attaining 

 huge size even as early as the Pliocene, when 

 it occurs together with Proeuphractus and 

 Eutatus Amegh, 



Very complete remains are described by 

 Scott from the Miocene of Santa Cruz in 

 Patagonia. The genera which have been 

 made known from this region are Proeutatus, 

 Prozaedius (Fig. 125), Stenotatus Amegh., 

 Pareutatus Scott, and Stegotherium and 

 Peltephilus Amegh., of which the latter two 

 are of especial interest. Stegotherium (Fig. 

 126) is related to the Myrmecophagidae, on 

 account of its elongated snout, and much- 

 reduced teeth, which are restricted to the 

 posterior region of the jaw. Peltephilus has a short, broad muzzle and a 

 broad casque, composed of but a few bony plates, and among these there are 



Fio. 127. 



Meteutatus lagenaeformis Amegh. Pyro- 

 theriura strata of Lower Miocene, Patagonia. 

 Armour-plates, i/j. 



