A phylogenetic and taxonomic analysis of Parocnus serus, an extinct Holocene sloth from Haiti

Parocnus serus belongs to a unique radiation of extinct ground sloths endemic to the Antillean islands that was discovered in 1929, but, prior to this thesis, it had not been described in detail or had its phylogenetic and taxonomic relationships with other Antillean sloths extensively analyzed. This detailed description of skull and mandible specimens supported the distinctiveness of the genus Parocnus, and the existing size-based separation of the Antillean megalonychids. A morphological phylogenetic analysis of a sample of Antillean sloths supported the close relationship between P. serus and P. torrei but did not provide conclusive results on the relationships among the other Antillean sloths. A principal components analysis was performed using skull and mandibular measurements of Haitian sloth taxa. The PCA supported the separation of Parocnus, Acratocnus, and Neocnus into different genera, but did not support the current species distinctions among the three previously recognized species of Neocnus from Haiti.

Grantor dc:publisher

University of Tennessee at Chattanooga

Author dc:creator

• Jones, Julia L

Contributors dc:contributor

• Gaudin, Timothy J.
• Aborn, David; Wilson, Thomas P.
• College of Arts and Sciences

• Megalonychidae, Fossil
• Megalonychidae--Haiti--Phylogeny
• Paleoecology--Holocene

Licence

• http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/

Language dc:language

English, eng

Repository record dc:identifier

https://scholar.utc.edu/theses/1031

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:scholar.utc.edu:theses-2216