The Holocene megafauna from the Toca do Serrote do Artur (Sao Raimundo Nonato archaeological area, Piaui, Brazil)

The cave of Toca do Serrote do Artur (Sao Raimundo Nonato Archaeological Ar ea, southeastern Piaui, Brazil) has yielded a Mammalian community constitut ed of Dasypus septemcinctus, Propaopus cf. sulcatus, Hoplophorus euphractus , Glyptodon clavipes, Conepatus sp., Panthera onca. Equus neogaeus, Dicotyl es tajacu, Tayassu pecari, Palaeolama major, Mazama guazoubira, Mazama amer icana and a large Cervid. In comparison with the Mammalian fauna of the oth er sites from the same area, such a list shows a comparatively reduced biod iversity together with the presence of rare (Hoplophorus, Conepatus) or unk nown (Proprapus, Palaeolama major) taxa. Explanation lies in the more recen t age of the fossiliferous layers, probably Lon;er Holocene, as demonstrate d by two C-14 dating of 8 490 +/- 120 BP and 6 890 +/- 60 BP of the highest one. Moreover, that fauna shows the late survival of some genera (Propraop us. Hoplophorus, Glyptodon, Equus, Palaeolama) together with climatic modif ications related to the Pleistocene-Holocene transition. ((C) 1999 Acadimie des sciences / Editions scientifiques et medicales Elsevier SAS.).