Journal article

New skeleton from the early Oligocene of Germany indicates a stem-group position of diomedeoidid birds

  • De Pietri, Vanesa L. Naturhistorisches Museum der Buergergemeinde Bern, Switzerland
  • Berger, Jean-Pierre Dept. Geosciences-Earth Sciences, University of Fribourg, Switzerland
  • Pirkenseer, Claudius Dept. Geosciences-Earth Sciences, University of Fribourg, Switzerland
  • Scherler, Laureline Dept. Geosciences-Earth Sciences, University of Fribourg, Switzerland
  • Mayr, Gerald Forschungsinstitut Senckenberg, Sektion Ornithologie, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
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    20.11.2009
Published in:
  • Acta Palaeontologica Polonica. - 2010, vol. 55, no. 1, p. 23-34
English We report a new specimen of the extinct procellariiform species Diomedeoides brodkorbi (Aves, Diomedeoididae) from the early Oligocene (Rupelian) of Rheinweiler in southwestern Germany. The well−preserved partial skeleton allows the recognition and reassessment of new osteological details that bear on the phylogenetic affinities of diomedeoidids. The presence on the coracoid of a deeply excavated, cup−like facies articularis for the scapula suggests a stem group position of the Diomedeoididae within Procellariiformes, because this trait also occurs in stem−group representatives of several avian groups, as well as in Mesozoic non−neornithine birds, and is a plesiomorphic character. We hypothesize that the similarities of Diomedeoides to extant southern storm−petrels (Oceanitinae), such as the long mandibular symphysis, the small processus supracondylaris dorsalis and the long legs are plesiomorphic for Procellariiformes.
Faculty
Faculté des sciences et de médecine
Department
Département de Géosciences
Language
  • English
Classification
Palaeontology
License
License undefined
Identifiers
Persistent URL
https://folia.unifr.ch/unifr/documents/301548
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