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Hábitos De Vida De La Serpiente Cretácica Dinilysia Patagonicawoodward

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Hábitos De Vida De La Serpiente Cretácica Dinilysia Patagonicawoodward AMEGHINIANA (Rev. Asoc. Paleontol. Argent.) - 40 (3): 407-414. Buenos Aires, 30-09-2003 ISSN0002-7014 Hábitos de vida de la serpiente cretácica Dinilysia patagonicaWoodward Adriana M. ALBINO1y Michael W. CALDWELL2 Abstract.LIFEHABITOFTHECRETACEOUSSNAKEDINILYSIAPATAGONICAWOODWARD. Palaeoecological recon- structions of the Patagonian Cretaceous snake Dinilysia patagonicaare discussed in relation to hypothe- sized life modes for an “ancestral snake”, and in relation to the ecotypes of basal snakes. A comparison of orbit orientation (e.g., dorsally exposed eyes) and aspects of postcranial osteology in diverse ecological types of snakes does not clearly resolve life modes and habits. Dinilysiais interpreted here as a partially terrestrial snake whose morphology may have been adaptable to semi-aquatic (seasonal lagoons and streams) or semi-fossorial habits (dune fields and interdune basin deposits). Partially terrestrial snakes with large bodies that may have fed on small to medium-sized prey items would have appeared earlier in snake phylogeny than has been previously supposed. Resumen.Se discuten las reconstrucciones paleoecológicas de la serpiente del Cretácico de Patagonia Dinilysia patagonicaen relación a modos de vida hipotéticos para una “serpiente ancestral” y a los ecotipos de las serpientes basales. La comparación de la orientación de la órbita (e.g.ojos expuestos dorsalmente) y aspectos de la osteología postcraneana en diversos tipos ecológicos de serpientes no permiten inferir claramente los modos de vida y hábitos. En este trabajo se interpreta que Dinilysiahabría sido una ser- piente parcialmente terrestre cuya morfología pudo haber sido adaptativa para hábitos semi-acuáticos (la- gos y ríos estacionales) o semi-fosoriales (dunas e interdunas). Serpientes de grandes dimensiones y par- cialmente terrestres que podrían haber estado capacitadas para predar sobre presas de pequeño a media- no tamaño habrían aparecido en la filogenia del grupo con anterioridad a lo supuesto. Key words.Palaeoecology. Snakes. Cretaceous. Dinilysia. Palabras clave.Paleoecología. Serpientes. Cretácico. Dinilysia. Introducción altamente significativa en el momento de analizar críticamente las propuestas sobre el modo de vida de Hasta hace poco tiempo Dinilysia patagonicaera las formas basales de serpientes y los tipos ecológi- una forma de serpiente conocida sólo por el holotipo cos que desarrollaron durante el Cretácico. (Woodward, 1901; Estes et al., 1970; Hecht, 1982) y Los principales comentarios respecto a la paleoe- fragmentos de esqueleto postcraneano (Rage y Albi- cología de esta serpiente fueron presentados por no, 1989) procedentes de sedimentitas asignadas a la Frazzetta (1970), quien propuso hábitos acuáticos. Formación Bajo de la Carpa que afloran en los alre- Este autor basó su apreciación fundamentalmente en dedores de la ciudad de Neuquén, Argentina (San- la orientación dorsal de las órbitas que observó en el toniano, Leanza y Hugo, 2001). Sin embargo, duran- holotipo de la especie y que se encuentra también en te las últimas décadas han sido recolectados nuevos la actual anaconda (EunectesWagler), una serpiente y excepcionales restos de Dinilysiaen niveles de esta de grandes dimensiones que habita los ríos y arroyos Formación aflorantes en otras localidades patagóni- más caudalosos de América del Sur. Posteriormente, cas (Caldwell y Albino, 2001). Hecht (1982) sugirió un modo de vida terrestre o se- Dinilysiaes una forma de serpiente relevante pa- mi-fosorial pero sin detallar las razones. Estos auto- ra aportar en la resolución de la filogenia basal del res no analizaron la posibilidad de otros hábitos de grupo (Scanlon y Lee, 2000; Tchernov et al., 2000); por vida para Dinilysia, ni compararon la situación de las tal motivo, la reconstrucción de su paleoecología es aberturas orbitarias en diferentes tipos ecológicos de serpientes. Caldwell y Albino (2001) realizaron un 1CONICET. Departamento de Biología, Universidad Nacional de análisis somero de este carácter. Mar del Plata, Funes 3250, 7600 Mar del Plata, Argentina. En el presente trabajo se presenta una evaluación [email protected] exhaustiva acerca del significado de la posición dor- 2Department of Biological Sciences and Laboratory of Vertebrate Paleontology, CW405 Biological Sciences Building, University of sal de las órbitas en las serpientes y se comparan los Alberta, Canadá. caracteres del postcráneo en distintos tipos de ser- ©Asociación Paleontológica Argentina AMGHB2-0002-7014/03$00.00+.50 408 A.M. Albino y M.W. Caldwell pientes actuales y fósiles con el fin de contrastar las Museo de Geología y Paleontología de la Uni- propuestas existentes sobre los hábitos de vida de es- versidad Nacional del Comahue. USNM: Smith- ta peculiar serpiente cretácica. sonian Institution. Métodos Paleontología sistemática Las comparaciones fueron realizadas fundamen- REPTILIALinnaeus, 1758 talmente mediante la confrontación de todo el mate- SQUAMATAOppel, 1811 rial disponible de Dinilysiacon material osteológico SERPENTESLinnaeus, 1758 de formas actuales con hábitos de vida conocidos. DinilysiaWoodward, 1901. Considerando que la familia Boidae es un grupo de macrostomados basales en que se encuentra repre- Especie tipo.Dinilysia patagonicaWoodward, 1901 sentada una gran variedad de tipos adaptativos, las Holotipo.MLP 26-410 (cráneo y postcráneo incom- comparaciones se realizaron principalmente con di- pletos). ferentes miembros de la misma, pero también se uti- Localidad tipo y horizonte.Boca del Sapo, alrededo- lizaron materiales de otros taxones. Los esqueletos res de la ciudad de Neuquén, provincia del Neuquén, correspondientes a la colección particular de uno de Argentina. Formación Bajo de La Carpa, Santoniano los autores (A.A.) fueron preparados mediante des- (Leanza y Hugo, 2001). carnamiento manual, agentes químicos y/o biológi- Material estudiado y localidades.(1) Boca del Sapo, cos. Algunos ejemplares fueron completamente de- alrededores de la ciudad de Neuquén, provincia del sarticulados, mientras que en otros sólo se desarti- Neuquén, MLP 79-II-27-1 y MLP 71-VII-29-1 (cráneos culó el postcráneo. También se observaron ejempla- incompletos), MLP 79-II-27-2 al 17 (vértebras parcial- res completos de colección y en vida de los taxones mente articuladas). (2) Playón norte de la Univer- considerados, y se utilizó información bibliográfica sidad Nacional del Comahue, ciudad de Neuquén, sobre algunos taxones actuales y fósiles, de los cuales provincia del Neuquén, MUCPv 38 (cráneo incom- no se disponía de ejemplares. El material comparati- pleto), MUCPv 39 y 40, MUCPv 98 al 102, MUCPv vo utilizado se detalla en el Apéndice. Se considera- 104 al 116, MUCPv 119 al 121, MACN-N 26 (vértebras ron medidas craneanas de algunos especímenes con parcialmente articuladas). (3) Finca de Tripailao, el fin de documentar objetivamente el grado de ex- aproximadamente 8,5 km al oeste de Paso Córdoba, posición dorsal de las órbitas. Las medidas de provincia de Río Negro, MACN-RN 976 (esqueleto Dinilysiafueron evaluadas sólo sobre el holotipo de- articulado incompleto), MACN-RN 1013 al 1015 (crá- bido a que no hay otros cráneos con la preservación neos incompletos), MACN-RN 1016 al 1021 (vérte- adecuada. Todas las medidas se obtuvieron de es- bras parcialmente articuladas), MPCA-PV 527 (crá- pecímenes adultos con cráneos totalmente articula- neo incompleto y parte anterior de postcráneo articu- dos y en situación de reposo. A pesar de ello, para lado). evitar cualquier sesgo debido a la movilidad de los Comparaciones. El análisis de todo el material de maxilares, también se tomaron medidas sobre los Dinilysiapermite establecer que el cráneo del adulto prefrontales, que definen el alcance ántero-inferior de esta serpiente era grande (alrededor de 10 cm de de las órbitas. No se incluyen análisis estadísticos de- largo), ancho y expandido posteriormente. Su colum- bido a la escasez de especímenes disponibles de cada na vertebral habría estado formada por más de 120 especie. La evaluación cuantitativa incluyó sólo taxo- vértebras precloacales de tamaño relativamente nes de boideos en razón de que no es el objetivo de grande y conformación robusta, anchas y cortas, con este trabajo comparar el grado de exposición dorsal costillas grandes curvadas y ubicadas lateralmente de las órbitas en todas las serpientes, sino documen- sobre los centros vertebrales, los cuales poseían por tar y explicar la situación en Dinilysia. Las medidas lo menos 10 mm de longitud entre la base del cótilo y fueron tomadas con calibre digital. la base del cóndilo en las vértebras precloacales me- dianas. Este análisis general permite reconstruir un Abreviaturas morfotipo de serpiente con una longitud total de más de 150 cm, una cabeza proporcionalmente grande y CMN: Canadian Museum of Nature. FMNH: un voluminoso cuerpo cilíndrico. Field Museum of Natural History. HAA: Colección Con respecto a la posición de las órbitas, se obser- Herpetológica Adriana Albino. MACN: Museo va que en las serpientes los huesos que participan en Argentino de Ciencias Naturales “Bernardino su formación son, con pocas variantes, los frontales Rivadavia”. MCZ: Museum of Comparative Zoology. (en algunas formas supraorbitales), prefrontales, MLP: Museo de La Plata. MPCA-PV: Museo postorbitales y maxilares (a menudo también ectop- Provincial de Cipoletti “Carlos Ameghino”. MUCPv: terigoides) (figura 1). De cada lado, el frontal consti- AMEGHINIANA40 (3), 2003 Hábitos de vida de la serpiente Dinilysia patagonica 409 tuye el margen dorsal de la órbita
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