The Pleistocene Gomphotheriidae (Proboscidea) from Peru

Morphological characters of South American Gomphothere remains from Peru are described and discussed in this work. We assign the remains from Ayusbamba (Cuzco) to Cuvieronius hyodon and the remains from La Huaca (Piura), Quipan (Canta) and Serpentin of Pasamayo to Stegomastodon waringi. It is not possible to distinguish remains from Río Madre de Dios, referred to the late Miocene of Amazonia, from other Stegomastodon waringi specimens from late Pleistocene of Peru based on dental morphology. Consequently, further data are needed to confirm the earliest appearance of Gomphotheriidae in Peru. We also describe Gomphothere migration routes from the North and examine their palaeobiogeographical implications.