Moluscos marinos bentónicos del Cuaternario de Bahía Anegada (sur de Buenos Aires, Argentina): variaciones faunísticas en el Pleistoceno tardío y Holoceno

Abstract

Marine deposits representing the last two transgressive Quaternary events (late Pleistocene and Holocene) are observed along the coastal area of the southwestern Atlantic. Littoral deposits in the Anegada Bay region, southern province of Buenos Aires, are characterized by good preservation and abundance of fossil marine shells, especially gastropods and bivalves. These records, which have not been previously investigated from a paleontological viewpoint, are here useful as indicators of Quaternary environmental changes. The aim of this study was to describe and to compare the molluscan fauna of late Pleistocene with the equivalent of the Holocene. For that, we analyzed two areas within this region: Canal Villalonga and Los Pocitos. Compared to the Holocene, Pleistocene marine deposits (associated to Marine Isotope Stage MIS5e) from Anegada Bay showed a greater number of species, in both gastropods (17 versus 9) and bivalves (14 versus 12). In the Pleistocene deposits of Canal Villalonga is remarkable the presence of Crassostrea rhizophorae (Guilding) and Abra aequalis (Say), which are today displaced toward low latitudes. In relation to micromolluscs, Turbonilla argentina Doello-Jurado is for the first time mentioned for the Pleistocene. Our data indicate that the number of species of bivalves and gastropods was higher during the late Pleistocene than in the Holocene, and that the abundance of species during the Pleistocene has also remained during the Holocene. These variations are interpreted in association with changes in temperature, indicating warmer conditions for the late Pleistocene (last interglacial).