Leptoptilos patagonicus

Leptoptilos patagonicus Temporal range: Late Miocene (Chasicoan) ~9.41  Ma PreꞒ Ꞓ O S D C P T J K Pg N ↓
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Aves
Order:	Ciconiiformes
Family:	Ciconiidae
Genus:	Leptoptilos
Species:	†L. patagonicus
Binomial name
†Leptoptilos patagonicus Noriega & Cladera, 2008

Leptoptilos patagonicus is an extinct species of large-bodied stork that existed during the Late Miocene. Fossils of the species were discovered in the San Madryn Formation in Chubut Province, Argentina. ^[1] L. patagonicus is the first fossil record discovery of a member of Leptoptilos in South America ^[2] and the only one found so far in the New World. ^[3]

Description

In comparison with extant Leptoptilos, L. patagonicus is larger than L. javanicus and similar in size to the largest members of L. dubius and L. crumenifer . ^[4] In comparison with extant Leptoptilos, the hindlimbs are larger than the forelimbs, resulting in shorter wings relative to extant Leptoptilos, a characteristic shared by the extinct Leptoptilos falconeri . ^[4] L. patagonicus is smaller than L. falconeri. ^[4]

The humerus and ulna are shorter than those of L. dubius and L. crumenifer. ^[5] The tibiotarsus is shorter than that of L. falconeri, but slighter longer than those usually found in L. dubius and L. crumenifer. ^[5]

References

• Argentina portal
• Birds portal
• Paleontology portal

1. Leptoptilos patagonicus at Fossilworks.org
2. Noriega & Cladera 2008, p. 593.
3. Zhang et al. 2012, p. 699.
4. Noriega & Cladera 2008, p. 596.
5. Noriega & Cladera 2008, p. 599.

Bibliography

• Noriega, Jorge Ignacio; Cladera, Gerardo (2008). "First record of an extinct marabou stork in the Neogene of South America". Acta Palaeontologica Polonica. 53 (4): 593–600. doi: 10.4202/app.2008.0404 . hdl: 11336/80472 .
• Zhang, Zihui; Huang, Yunping; James, Helen F.; Hou, Lianhai (2012). "A Marabou (Ciconiidae: Leptoptilos) from the Middle Pleistocene of Northeastern China". The Auk. 129 (4): 699–706. doi: 10.1525/auk.2012.11227 . S2CID   55170353.