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Bird diversification after K-Pg extinction + Waltonortyx, new Eocene galliform + Uyrekura & Kustokazanser, new Oligocene anseriforms + Pakudyptes, new Oligocene penguin from New Zealand + more
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Ben Creisler
Aug 1, 2024, 1:23:48 PM8/1/24
to DinosaurMa...@googlegroups.com
Ben Creisler
Some recent avian papers:
Free pdf:
Jacob S. Berv, Sonal Singhal, Daniel J. Field, Nathanael Walker-Hale, Sean W. McHugh, J. Ryan Shipley, Eliot T. Miller, Rebecca T. Kimball, Edward L. Braun, Alex Dornburg, C. Tomomi Parins-Fukuchi, Richard O. Prum, Benjamin M. Winger, Matt Friedman & Stephen A. Smith (2024)
Genome and life-history evolution link bird diversification to the end-Cretaceous mass extinction
Science Advances 10(31): eadp0114
DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.adp0114
https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/sciadv.adp0114
Complex patterns of genome evolution associated with the end-Cretaceous [Cretaceous-Paleogene (K–Pg)] mass extinction limit our understanding of the early evolutionary history of modern birds. Here, we analyzed patterns of avian molecular evolution and identified distinct macroevolutionary regimes across exons, introns, untranslated regions, and mitochondrial genomes. Bird clades originating near the K–Pg boundary exhibited numerous shifts in the mode of molecular evolution, suggesting a burst of genomic heterogeneity at this point in Earth’s history. These inferred shifts in substitution patterns were closely related to evolutionary shifts in developmental mode, adult body mass, and patterns of metabolic scaling. Our results suggest that the end-Cretaceous mass extinction triggered integrated patterns of evolution across avian genomes, physiology, and life history near the dawn of the modern bird radiation.
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News:
News:
Mass extinction 66 million years ago triggered rapid evolution of bird genomes
Free pdf:
Waltonortyx bumbanipodiides, gen. et sp. nov.
Waltonortygidae fam. nov.
?Paraortygoides argillae sp. nov.
Gerald Mayr & Andrew C. Kitchener (2024)
The galliform birds from the lower Eocene London Clay of Walton-on-the-Naze (Essex, U.K.): new species suggest faunal connections to Asia
Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology e2374305
doi: https://doi.org/10.1080/02724634.2024.2374305
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/02724634.2024.2374305
We report stem group Galliformes from the lower Eocene (Ypresian) London Clay of Walton-on-the-Naze (Essex, U.K.), which are among the oldest known fossils of galliform birds. The specimens are assigned to two new species, ?Paraortygoides argillae, sp. nov. and Waltonortyx bumbanipodiides, gen. et sp. nov. The latter is classified in a new family-level taxon, Waltonortygidae, fam. nov., which differs from other higher-level clades of stem group Galliformes in a proximo-distally narrow caput humeri and a short tuberculum dorsale of the humerus. With regard to these plesiomorphic features and a characteristic morphology of the coracoid, Waltonortyx is similar to early Eocene stem group Galliformes from Mongolia. Wing and pectoral girdle bones of a third, undetermined galliform from Walton-on-the-Naze resemble the Quercymegapodiidae; this fossil also shows a similarity to early Eocene galliforms from Mongolia. The affinities of “Paraortygoides” radagasti Dyke and Gulas, 2002, the only previously described putative galliform from Walton-on-the-Naze, are uncertain and neither its classification in the Galliformes nor its assignment to the taxon Paraortygoides are unequivocally established. For the first time we subjected a larger taxonomic sample of early Paleogene Galliformes to a formal analysis, and even though the resulting phylogenies were poorly resolved, they supported paraphyly of the Quercymegapodiidae, with the Early Miocene taxon Ameripodius being more closely related to the crown group than the late Eocene species of Quercymegapodius. Waltonortyx bumbanipodiides was recovered as the sister taxon of the Mongolian Bumbanipodius transitoria, which indicates early Paleogene dispersal events across the Turgai Strait.
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Uyrekura chalkarica gen. et sp. nov.
Kustokazanser formosus gen. nov. for "Cygnavus" formosus.
Mionetta turgaiensis sp. nov.
Nikita Zelenkov (2024)
A remarkable diversity of waterfowl (Aves: Anseriformes) from the upper Eocene and lower Oligocene of Kazakhstan
Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology e2374306
doi: https://doi.org/10.1080/02724634.2024.2374306
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/02724634.2024.2374306
Evolutionarily advanced waterfowl (the modern family Anatidae and its stem members in the order Anseriformes) are a successful bird group, well represented in faunas globally since the late Oligocene. However, the pre-late Oligocene history of the evolutionary lineage of Anatidae remains largely unexplored, as these birds are very rare in earlier faunas. This paper describes a remarkable diversity of waterfowl from the lower Oligocene of Kazakhstan (Central Asia), which includes two members of Anatidae, as well as stem-anatids referred to Romainvilliidae and Paranyrocidae. The latter family is represented by the enigmatic swan-sized Cygnopterus, the genus revised here, with new materials confirming its ordinal and familiar assignment. Anatidae are represented by the globally oldest diagnosable taxa for this family, including species in the fossil genus Mionetta, previously known from upper Oligocene–Middle Miocene strata. The paper further addresses two upper Eocene anseriform taxa from Kazakhstan. These data show that diverse assemblages of advanced anseriforms existed in Asia as early as early Oligocene. The presence of several stem-anatid taxa in the late Eocene faunas of Central Asia supports the hypothesis of a possible Eurasian (or Northern Continents) origin of Anatidae, although the subsequent diversification of the group could have occurred in the Australian region.
Kustokazanser formosus gen. nov. for "Cygnavus" formosus.
Mionetta turgaiensis sp. nov.
Nikita Zelenkov (2024)
A remarkable diversity of waterfowl (Aves: Anseriformes) from the upper Eocene and lower Oligocene of Kazakhstan
Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology e2374306
doi: https://doi.org/10.1080/02724634.2024.2374306
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/02724634.2024.2374306
Evolutionarily advanced waterfowl (the modern family Anatidae and its stem members in the order Anseriformes) are a successful bird group, well represented in faunas globally since the late Oligocene. However, the pre-late Oligocene history of the evolutionary lineage of Anatidae remains largely unexplored, as these birds are very rare in earlier faunas. This paper describes a remarkable diversity of waterfowl from the lower Oligocene of Kazakhstan (Central Asia), which includes two members of Anatidae, as well as stem-anatids referred to Romainvilliidae and Paranyrocidae. The latter family is represented by the enigmatic swan-sized Cygnopterus, the genus revised here, with new materials confirming its ordinal and familiar assignment. Anatidae are represented by the globally oldest diagnosable taxa for this family, including species in the fossil genus Mionetta, previously known from upper Oligocene–Middle Miocene strata. The paper further addresses two upper Eocene anseriform taxa from Kazakhstan. These data show that diverse assemblages of advanced anseriforms existed in Asia as early as early Oligocene. The presence of several stem-anatid taxa in the late Eocene faunas of Central Asia supports the hypothesis of a possible Eurasian (or Northern Continents) origin of Anatidae, although the subsequent diversification of the group could have occurred in the Australian region.
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Free pdf:
Pakudyptes hakataramea gen. et sp. nov.
Tatsuro Ando, effrey Robinson,Carolina Loch,Tamon Nakahara, Shoji Hayashi, Marcus D. Richards & Robert Ewan Fordyce (2024)
A new tiny fossil penguin from the Late Oligocene of New Zealand and the morphofunctional transition of the penguin wing
Journal of the Royal Society of New Zealand (advance online publication)
doi: https://doi.org/10.1080/03036758.2024.2362283
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/03036758.2024.2362283
Free pdf:
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/epdf/10.1080/03036758.2024.2362283
The Late Oligocene is a period of high penguin diversity, following major changes in the marine environment at the Eocene/Oligocene boundary and prior to the emergence of crown penguins in the Miocene. Historically, a large morphological gap existed between the most crownward Platydyptes among the Oligocene penguins from New Zealand and the Early Miocene stem penguins such as Palaeospheniscus from South America. Here we describe a new species that contributes to filling this gap. Pakudyptes hakataramea gen. et sp. nov. is the earliest tiny penguin, overlapping in size with the little penguin Eudyptula minor. Its distinctive combination of a well-developed proximal end of the humerus and an archaic elbow joint provides clues to the evolution of penguin wings. Phylogenetic analysis indicates that penguin wings evolved rapidly from the Late Oligocene to the Early Miocene, together with the acquisition of morphofunctional and hydrodynamical characteristics that enable the excellent swimming ability of modern penguins. As an indicator of aquatic adaptation, bone microanatomy shows a comparable structure to that of Eudyptula. The appearance of the smallest body size and the evolution of modern wings may have led to the ecological diversity of modern penguins, which confirms the importance of Zealandia in penguin evolution.
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News:
Penguin wing fossil shows importance of Zealandia in penguin evolution
João Paulo da Costa, Guilherme Renzo Rocha Brito, Kleberson de Oliveira Porpino & Hermínio Ismael de Araújo-Júnior (2024)
Fossil birds from the João Cativo paleontological site, Itapipoca, Ceará, Brazil
Journal of Ornithology (advance online publication)
doi: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10336-024-02197-6
https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10336-024-02197-6
This study examines the bird fossils unearthed from the natural tank deposits of the João Cativo Paleontological Site (JCPS), nestled in Itapipoca, Ceará State, Brazil. These deposits, a cornerstone in our understanding of the paleoecology of the Brazilian Intertropical Region during the Quaternary period, have conserved a staggering diversity of fauna, notably the Quaternary megafauna. In addition to the megafauna, the JCPS natural tanks have safeguarded unidentified bird fossil remains. Our research uncovers the presence of birds from the Accipitridae family, a group with a broad distribution across the American continent, and the record of Rhea americana, a terrestrial bird that populates biomes such as Cerrado, Caatinga, and the Pampa grasslands. The existence of these fossils underscores the JCPS's pivotal role as an exceptionally diversified deposit, not only in mammals but also in birds and other animal groups.
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Fossil birds from the João Cativo paleontological site, Itapipoca, Ceará, Brazil
Journal of Ornithology (advance online publication)
doi: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10336-024-02197-6
https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10336-024-02197-6
This study examines the bird fossils unearthed from the natural tank deposits of the João Cativo Paleontological Site (JCPS), nestled in Itapipoca, Ceará State, Brazil. These deposits, a cornerstone in our understanding of the paleoecology of the Brazilian Intertropical Region during the Quaternary period, have conserved a staggering diversity of fauna, notably the Quaternary megafauna. In addition to the megafauna, the JCPS natural tanks have safeguarded unidentified bird fossil remains. Our research uncovers the presence of birds from the Accipitridae family, a group with a broad distribution across the American continent, and the record of Rhea americana, a terrestrial bird that populates biomes such as Cerrado, Caatinga, and the Pampa grasslands. The existence of these fossils underscores the JCPS's pivotal role as an exceptionally diversified deposit, not only in mammals but also in birds and other animal groups.
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Free pdf:
Martin Pickford (2024)
Taxonomic revision of the extinct avian oospecies Diamantornis karingarabensis (Senut et al., 1998) from the Latest Miocene of Namibia.
Communications of the Geological Survey of Namibia 27: 66-71.
https://www.mme.gov.na/files/publications/9f8_6_Vol%2027_2024_Pickford_Egg%20shells.pdf
Restudy of the fossil eggshells originally identified as Struthio karingarabensis indicates that they are more likely to belong to the extinct oogenus Diamantornis than to Struthio. Remeasurement of the entire sample of eggshell fragments from the type locality reveals that the range of variation in thickness is slightly different from previously published estimates. In particular the holotype is thinner than originally reported.
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