| Riostegotherium | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Cingulata |
| Family: | Dasypodidae |
| Genus: | †Riostegotherium Oliveira & Bergqvist,1998 |
| Species: | †R. yanei |
| Binomial name | |
| †Riostegotherium yanei Oliveira & Bergqvist, 1998 | |
Riostegotherium was an extinctgenus ofarmadillo from theEarly to Late Eocene ofSouth America. Fossils of the genus have been found in theAndesitas Huancache Formation ofArgentina and in theItaboraí Formation,Rio de Janeiro,Brazil.[1]
The genus is namedRiostegotherium after Rio, ofRio de Janeiro, in reference to the state where the specimens were found;stego (Latin), meaning "covering";therium (a Latinized Greek word), meaning "beast", a commonly used suffix for mammalian genera.[2]
It is known fromfossil of armouredossicles which are similar to the ossicles of thearmour of modernarmadillos that is obvious that inSouth American as far back as the late Paleocene armoured armadillos existed. Leg bones found in the area of probably came fromRiostegotherium as well.[citation needed]
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