Extinct species of peccary
Catagonus metropolitanus is an extinct species of peccary known from the Pleistocene of Argentina.[2]
Taxonomy
Catagonus metropolitanus is notable in that it is the type species of a genus that contains a living species; the Chacoan peccary. The living Chacoan peccary was first described in 1930 from subfossil remains, and only found alive by scientists in 1972 (an example of a Lazarus taxon).[3]
A 2017 study on the phylogenetic systematics of Tayassuidae species suggests that Catagonus should only contain C. metropolitanus. The extinct narrow-headed peccary (C. stenocephalus) should be moved into Brasiliochoerus, while the Chacoan peccary, C. bonaerensis and C. carlesi should be placed in Parachoerus.[4] If this is accepted, then Catagonus becomes an extinct genus once more.
References