Abstract
Although the avian speciesPumiliornis tessellatus Mayr, 1999 is known from two skeletons from the Middle Eocene of Messel in Germany, its phylogenetic affinities remained enigmatic. The new osteological data presented in this study document thatP. tessellatus had an at least semizygodactyl foot, with a very wide basal phalanx of the fourth toe, and lacked an ossified pons supratendineus on the distal tibiotarsus. Compared to the known zygodactyl and semizygodactyl birds, this tiny Middle Eocene species resembles the late Eocene/early Oligocene taxonEocuculus Chandler, 1999. Anew, tentatively referred wing ofEocuculus from the early Oligocene of France is described and compared withPumiliornis.
Kurzfassung
Obwohl die VogelartPumiliornis tessellatus Mayr, 1999 von zwei Skeletten aus dem mittleren Eozän von Messel in Deutschland bekannt ist, blieben ihre Verwandtschaftsbeziehungen rätselhaft. In dieser Studie vorgestellte neue osteologische Einzelheiten belegen, daßP. tessellatus einen zumindest semizygodactylen Fuß mit sehr breiter Grundphalanx der vierten Zehe hatte und der Pons supratendineus des distalen Tibiotarsus nicht verknöchert war. Verglichen mit den bekannten zygodactylen und semizygodactylen Vogelgruppen ähnelt die winzige mitteleozäne Art am stärksten dem obereozänen/unteroligozänen TaxonEocuculus Chandler, 1999. Ein neuer, unter Vorbehalt zugeordneter Flügel vonEocuculus aus dem unteren Oligozän Frankreichs wird beschrieben und mitPumiliornis verglichen.
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Mayr, G. Pumiliornis tessellatus Mayr, 1999 revisited — new data on the osteology and possible phylogenetic affinities of an enigmatic Middle Eocene bird. Paläont. Z. 82, 247–253 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02988891
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02988891