Minutornis

Last updated

Minutornis
Temporal range: early Eocene,
54.6–55  Ma
O
S
D
C
P
T
J
K
Pg
N
Minutornis holotype.png
Holotype fossil elements of Minutornis
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Clade: Psittacopasseres
Clade: Parapasseres
Family: incertae sedis
Genus: Minutornis
Mayr & Kitchener, 2022
Species:
M. primoscenoides
Binomial name
Minutornis primoscenoides
Mayr & Kitchener, 2022

Minutornis (meaning "tiny bird") is an extinct genus of parapasserine bird from the Early Eocene London Clay Formation of Essex, United Kingdom. The genus contains a single species, M. primoscenoides, known from a fragmentary skeleton. [1]

Contents

Discovery and naming

Cliffs near the type locality Cliff erosion at the Naze - geograph.org.uk - 724944.jpg
Cliffs near the type locality

The holotype specimen, NMS.Z.2021.40.62, was discovered in 1987 by Michael Daniels in layers of the London Clay Formation (Walton Member), dated to the early Ypresian, which is located near Walton-on-the-Naze in Essex, England. This specimen consists of the left coracoid, a fragmentary furcula, a partial sternum, left and right humeri, left and right carpometacarpi, and a wing phalanx. [1]

In 1998, German paleontologist Gerald Mayr incorrectly assigned the fossil material to Primoscens minutus . In 2022, Gerald Mayr and British zoologist Andrew C. Kitchener described Minutornis primoscenoides, a new genus and species of parapasserine, based on these fossil remains. The generic name, "Minutornis", combines the Latin word "minutus", meaning "tiny" with the Greek word "ornis", meaning "bird". The specific name, "primoscenoides", references the extinct bird Primoscens which shares some anatomical similarities. It also references the fact that the fossil material was initially described as belonging to Primoscens. [1]

Classification

Mayr and Kitchener (2022) recovered Minutornis as closely related to the Parapasseres, which is the clade containing zygodactylids and crown group Passeriformes, in their phylogenetic analyses. In their description of the new genus and species they placed Minutornis in Parapasseres incertae sedis.[ clarification needed ] Their results are shown in the cladogram below: [1]

Psittacopasseres

See also

Related Research Articles

<i>Lithornis</i> Extinct genus of birds

Lithornis is a genus of extinct paleognathous birds. Although Lithornis was able to fly well, their closest relatives are the extant tinamous and ratites.

Psittacopes is an extinct genus of bird from Middle Eocene. One species is recorded from Messel, Germany, and other three possible species are from London Clay, England, one named ?Psittacopes occidentalis in 2022, and the other two unnamed. Its phylogenetic placement within Aves is uncertain; it was originally interpreted as a parrot, but the phylogenetic analysis conducted by Mayr (2015) recovered it as more closely related to the passerines and the extinct family Zygodactylidae.

Eurofluvioviridavis is a genus of extinct primitive birds from the Middle Eocene Messel Pit, Germany. It contains a single species, Eurofluvioviridavis robustipes. It is related to Avolatavis and Vastanavis, other members of the family Vastanavidae.

Avolatavis is an extinct genus of stem-parrot (pan-psittaciform) or a member of the stem group of Psittacopasseres, known from the early Eocene Fossil Butte Member of the Green River Formation of Wyoming, United States, and from the London Clay of Walton-on-the-Naze. It was first named by Daniel T. Ksepka and Julia A. Clarke in 2012 and the type species is Avolatavis tenens. Gerald Mayr and Andrew C. Kitchener described the second species, A. europaeus, in 2023. Mayr and Kitchener assigned Avolatavis to the family Vastanavidae, which might be early diverging stem group presentatives of Pan-Psittaciformes or stem group representatives of Psittacopasseres.

<i>Septencoracias</i> Extinct genus of birds

Septencoracias is an extinct genus of bird related to modern rollers and other Coraciiformes such as kingfishers, bee-eaters, motmots, and todies. It contains two species, Septencoracias morsensis described in 2016, and S. simillimus, which was named in 2024. It was found in the Fur Formation of Denmark, dating back to the Ypresian of the Lower Eocene Epoch, about 54 million years ago. Septencoracias is one of the earliest known members of Coraciiformes, lending insight into the earliest radiation of this group.

Vastanavidae is an extinct family of birds related to parrots and passerine birds. They are known from fossils from Eocene sites in India, Europe, and North America. The vastanavids resemble parrots and the extinct parrot relative Quercypsitta in their morphology, including the partially zygodactyl foot, in which two toes could face opposite the other two.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Halcyornithidae</span> Extinct family of birds

Halcyornithidae is an extinct family of telluravian birds thought to be related to the Psittaciformes (parrots), Passeriformes (songbirds), and to the extinct Messelasturidae. Halcyornithids have been found in various Eocene formations in Europe and North America. Widespread and diverse in the Early Eocene of North America and Europe, halcyornithids are not found in locales later than the Middle Eocene. Halcyornithids were small, arboreal birds with zygodactyl feet, with two toes facing forwards and two facing back, a trait shared with other tree-dwelling families of Eocene birds like the Zygodactylidae and the messelasturids. The skull of halcyornithids features a ridge of bone above the eye called the supraorbital process, similar to birds of prey. The relationships of the halcyornithids to other birds remain uncertain. Halcyornithids have been proposed as relatives to owls and as a lineage closer to parrots than to songbirds. Most recently, halcyornithids have been identified as the sister group of the clade including parrots and songbirds. It is also possible that Halcyornithidae is paraphyletic with respect to the Messelasturidae.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Zygodactylidae</span> Extinct family of birds

Zygodactylidae is a family of extinct birds found in Europe and North America from the Eocene epoch to the Middle Miocene. First named in 1971, based on fragmentary remains of two species from Germany, a more complete description of the birds became possible in 2008 when a number of other, better-preserved fossil species were assigned to the family based on a number of shared characteristics.

Danielsraptor is an extinct genus of masillaraptorid bird from the Early Eocene (Ypresian) Walton Member of the London Clay Formation in Essex, United Kingdom. The genus contains a single species, D. phorusrhacoides, known from a partial skeleton.

Nasidytes is an extinct genus of loon (Gaviiformes) that lived during the early Eocene in what is now Great Britain. It contains a single species, N. ypresianus. Nasidytes is the earliest unambiguously identified loon in the fossil record.

<i>Ypresiglaux</i> Extinct genus of strigiform birds

Ypresiglaux is an extinct genus of strigiform bird from the Early Eocene London Clay Formation of Essex, United Kingdom and Nanjemoy Formation of Virginia, United States. The genus contains two species: Y. michaeldanielsi, known from a partial skeleton, and Y. gulottai, known from a distal tarsometatarsus.

<i>Lutavis</i> Extinct genus of birds

Lutavis is an extinct genus of potentially afroavian bird from the Early Eocene London Clay Formation of Essex, United Kingdom. The genus contains a single species, L. platypelvis, known from a partial skeleton.

<i>Waltonavis</i> Extinct genus of birds

Waltonavis is an extinct genus of potentially leptosomiform bird from the Early Eocene London Clay Formation of Essex, United Kingdom. The genus contains two species: W. paraleptosomus and W. danielsi, both known from partial skeletons.

<i>Psittacomimus</i> Extinct genus of psittacopedid birds

Psittacomimus is an extinct genus of psittacopedid bird from the Early Eocene London Clay Formation of Essex, United Kingdom. The genus contains a single species, P. eos, known from a partial skeleton.

Charadriisimilis is an extinct genus of charadriiform birds from the Early Eocene (Ypresian) London Clay of Walton-on-the-Naze, United Kingdom. The genus contains a single species, Charadriisimilis essexensis, known from partial postcranial remains.

Pulchrapollia is an extinct genus of halcyornithid bird from the Early Eocene London Clay of Walton-on-the-Naze, United Kingdom and the Nanjemoy Formation of Virginia, United States. The genus contains three species, Pulchrapollia gracilis, Pulchrapollia tenuipes and Pulchrapollia eximia.

<i>Serudaptus</i> Extinct genus of birds

Serudaptus is an extinct genus of halcyornithid bird from the Middle Eocene Messel pit in Hesse, Germany. The genus contains one species, Serudaptus pohli, and is known for long, raptorial claws on its zygodactyl feet.

Parapsittacopes is an extinct genus of psittacopedid bird from the Early Eocene London Clay, United Kingdom. The genus contains one species, Parapsittacopes bergdahli.

Eofringillirostrum is an extinct species of bird known from the Early Eocene Green River Formation of the Western United States and from the Messel Pit in Germany. The genus contains two species, Eofringillirostrum boudreauxi and Eofringillirostrum parvulum. They are the earliest known fossil birds to have a finch-like beak.

Sororavis is an extinct genus of bird from the Early Eocene London Clay of Walton-on-the-Naze, United Kingdom. It contains a single named species, Sororavis solitarius. It is a member of the Morsoravidae.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Mayr, Gerald; Kitchener, Andrew C. (2022-11-14). "Psittacopedids and zygodactylids: The diverse and species-rich psittacopasserine birds from the early Eocene London Clay of Walton-on-the-Naze (Essex, UK)". Historical Biology. 35 (12): 2372–2395. doi: 10.1080/08912963.2022.2141629 . ISSN   0891-2963. S2CID   253538776.