| Phoenicopterus floridanus Temporal range: | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification  | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Clade: | Dinosauria |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Phoenicopteriformes |
| Family: | Phoenicopteridae |
| Genus: | Phoenicopterus |
| Species: | †P. floridanus |
| Binomial name | |
| †Phoenicopterus floridanus Brodkorb, 1953 | |
Phoenicopterus floridanus is an extinct species of flamingo that lived during the Pliocene in what is now Florida and potentially North Carolina.
Fossil material of Phoenicopterus floridanus was first described in 1953 by Pierce Brodkorb based on material discovered in the phosphate deposits of southern Florida, specifically the Bone Valley Formation in Polk County. The holotype, the distal portion of a tibiotarsus, was discovered the year prior by George C. Elmore. In the type description Brodkorb also mentions the shaft of a tibiotarsus as well as the distal ends of two tarsometatarsi belonging to differently sized individuals, all collected from the same locality as the holotype. These remains marked the first time flamingo fossils had been discovered in the eastern United States, as all previously named North American fossil flamingos stemmed from the west. [1] [2] In 2001, additional material including cervical vertebrae were tentatively assigned to Phoenicopterus floridanus by Olson and Rasmussen. This material was discovered in the Yorktown Formation in North Carolina. [3]
Brodkorb described Phoenicopterus floridanus' tibiotarsus as similar to modern Phoenicopterus species, but broader and deeper and with wider intercondylar fossa. The internal condyle is described as more deeply excavated and the supratendinal bridge, which is situated above the condyles, is said to be more oblique. However Brodkorb also mentions that this element is somewhat broken in the type specimen. According to Brodkorb, the state of the supratendinal bridge and the deeply excavated condyles form an intermediate condition between members of the Palaelodidae and the more recent Phoenicopterus. The back of the bone is more compressed with a narrower intercondylar sulcus. The groove that would house the peroneus medius, one of the fibularis muscles, runs almost parallel to the shaft of the bone at its upper end. [1] Initially Phoenicopterus floridanus was also thought differs from all other Phoenicopterus species in the ratio between the width of the distal end and that of the condyles but Pickford et al. determined that a greater sample size shows that this low ratio is entirely within the range of variation seen in the American flamingo. [4]
The species was also compared to the previously described fossil flamingos of North America. P. floridanus was noted as being significantly larger than Phoenicopterus stocki from Pliocene Mexico and for having wider anterior intercondylar fossa and smaller condyles than the Pleistocene Phoenicopterus copei . The later species also had a generally broader distal tibiotarsus. The condition of the intercondylar fossa that differentiates P. floridensis from P. copei also serves to set the species apart from Harrisonavis of Oligocene Europe. [1]
Much like the distal end, the referred shaft of the tibiotarsus is wider and deeper than in extant Phoenicopterus. The second trochlea is narrower than in P. copei and oriented less towards the third trochlea and the facet for the second toe resembles more that of the Chilean flamingo than P. copei, as it is more perpendicular rather than oblique. The distal foramen resemble the greater flamingo the most out of the Phoenicopterus species known at the time, which excludes Phoenicopterus minutus and Phoenicopterus novaehollandiae . [1] The later species can still be differentiated via the distal foramen however, as it is perforated in P. floridanus. The Floridian species also differs clearly from the Australian form through the lack of the characteristic second trochlea anatomy as well as having a deeper shaft. [5]
There are some differences between Phoenicopterus floridanus from Florida and the Phoenicopterus cf. floridanus material mentioned by Olson and Rasmussen from North Carolina. Namely, the two differ in regards to the supratendinal bridge and the tendinal groove. The North Carolina material also appears to be larger than the average of the Florida material, but still smaller than the largest Bone Valley specimen. [3]
The darters, anhingas, or snakebirds are mainly tropical waterbirds in the family Anhingidae, which contains a single genus, Anhinga. There are four living species, three of which are very common and widespread while the fourth is rarer and classified as near-threatened by the IUCN. The term snakebird is usually used without any additions to signify whichever of the completely allopatric species occurs in any one region. It refers to their long thin neck, which has a snake-like appearance when they swim with their bodies submerged, or when mated pairs twist it during their bonding displays. "Darter" is used with a geographical term when referring to particular species. It alludes to their manner of procuring food, as they impale fishes with their thin, pointed beak. The American darter is more commonly known as the anhinga. It is sometimes called "water turkey" in the southern United States; though the anhinga is quite unrelated to the wild turkey, they are both large, blackish birds with long tails that are sometimes hunted for food.
The St. Croix macaw or Puerto Rican macaw, is an extinct species of macaw whose remains have been found on the Caribbean islands of St. Croix and Puerto Rico. It was described in 1937 based on a tibiotarsus leg bone unearthed from a kitchen midden at a pre-Columbian site on St. Croix. A second specimen consisting of various bones from a similar site on Puerto Rico was described in 2008, while a coracoid from Montserrat may belong to this or another extinct species of macaw. The St. Croix macaw is one of 13 extinct macaw species that have been proposed to have lived on the Caribbean islands. Macaws were frequently transported long distances by humans in prehistoric and historical times, so it is impossible to know whether species known only from bones or accounts were native or imported.
Megapaloelodus is an extinct genus of stem flamingo of the family Palaelodidae. Megapaloelodus is primarily known from Miocene America, from South Dakota and Oregon in the north to Argentina in the south, but the species Megapaloelodus goliath was found in Europe. Additionally, one unnamed species was discovered in Miocene sediments from Namibia. Due to a lack of skull material, little can be said about the ecology of Megapaloelodus. Species of this genus are typically larger than those of Palaelodus and appear to have inhabited similar brackish lake environments. Additionally, they may have been capable of "locking" their legs in a standing position.
The Pelagornithidae, commonly called pelagornithids, pseudodontorns, bony-toothed birds, false-toothed birds or pseudotooth birds, are a prehistoric family of large seabirds. Their fossil remains have been found all over the world in rocks dating between the Early Paleocene and the Pliocene-Pleistocene boundary.
The intercondylar fossa of femur is a deep notch between the rear surfaces of the medial and lateral epicondyle of the femur, two protrusions on the distal end of the femur that joins the knee. On the front of the femur, the condyles are but much less prominent and are separated from one another by a smooth shallow articular depression called the patellar surface because it articulates with the posterior surface of the patella (kneecap).
Phoeniconotius is an extinct genus of flamingo that lived in Australia from the late Oligocene to the early Miocene. Unlike modern flamingos and the contemporary Phoenicopterus novaehollandiae, it was likely less well adapted for swimming and deep water wading. Phoeniconotius was a robust flamingo with bones more massive than those of the modern greater flamingo. Only a single species is recognized, Phoeniconotius eyrensis.
Odontopteryx is a genus of the extinct pseudotooth birds or pelagornithids. These were probably rather close relatives of either pelicans and storks, or of waterfowl, and are here placed in the order Odontopterygiformes to account for this uncertainty.
Leptoptilos robustus is an extinct species of large-bodied stork belonging to the genus Leptoptilos that lived on the island of Flores in Indonesia during the Pleistocene epoch. It stood at about 1.8 metres (5.9 ft) tall and weighed up to an estimated 16 kilograms (35 lb). The majority of the discoveries are concentrated in Liang Bua cave located slightly north of Ruteng in the East Nusa Tenggara province.
Phoenicopterus minutus is an extinct species of flamingo which inhabited California during the Late Pleistocene. It was originally discovered in San Bernardino County, California in the Lake Manix beds, where it coexisted with a second, larger flamingo species.
Phoenicopterus copei is an extinct species of flamingo that inhabited North America during the Late Pleistocene. Its fossils have been discovered in Oregon, California, Mexico and Florida. Many of these localities preserve the remains of juvenile individuals, indicating that this species nested at the lakes found there. In some areas like California and Florida it coexisted with smaller flamingo species. P. copei was a large species of Phoenicopterus, described as being greater in size than modern American flamingos.
Garganornis is an extinct genus of enormous flightless anatid waterfowl from the Late Miocene of Gargano, Italy. The genus contains one species, G. ballmanni, named by Meijer in 2014. Its enormous size is thought to have been an adaptation to living in exposed, open areas with no terrestrial predators, and as a deterrent to the indigenous aerial predators like the eagle Garganoaetus and the giant barn owl Tyto gigantea.
Jabiru codorensis is an extinct species of stork related to the extant Jabiru. It lived in what is now Venezuela during the Pliocene period and appears to have been similar to its modern relative.
Melanerpes shawi is an extinct species of woodpecker from the Pleistocene of California. It was found in the La Brea tar pits. It's part of the genus Melanerpes, which includes twenty-four extant species found across North and South America.
Phoeniconaias siamensis is an extinct species of flamingo that lived in northern Thailand during the Miocene period. Its closest living relative is the lesser flamingo.
Phoenicopterus novaehollandiae is an extinct species of flamingo from the late Oligocene or early Miocene Etadunna Formation of Australia. It was a large species similar in size to large specimens of the modern greater flamingo, but differed by likely having had a much better developed hallux which is typically reduced or absent in modern flamingos.
Phoenicopterus stocki, also known as Stock's flamingo, is an extinct species of flamingo from the Pliocene of Chihuahua, Mexico. It was described in 1944 as a small bodied flamingo species known from assorted fragmentary remains, including bones of the tibia and the wings. The discovery of juvenile remains suggests that the locality where the fossils were found represents a shallow lagoon or mudflat that housed a breeding colony.
Phoeniconaias proeses is an extinct species of flamingo from the Pliocene of Australia. Fossil material was described under several names including Ocyplanus proeses and Phoeniconaias gracilis, which were eventually found to be synonymous. Only material from the Tirari Formation has been dated, while most other material lacks precise information on its age. P. proeses was one of the smallest species of flamingo, smaller than the modern lesser flamingo which it may be related to.
Gavia howardae is an extinct species of loon from the Piacenzian age from United States. Fossils of this bird were initially found in 1947 by Clifford Kennell in the San Diego Formation, California and were given a name in 1953 by Pierce Brodkorb. These first specimens consisted of humeri bones, which Brodkorb indicated based on the distal end of the humerus were a smaller species of the genus Gavia, with a possible relationship with the pacific loon. More specimens were collected from the same deposits covering the entirety of the wing, some more complete than others. Chandler (1990) described and published these new materials and found G. howardae to be related to the red-throated loon instead. Additional material has been recovered from the Yorktown Formation, North Carolina where in addition more wing bones, there were also remains of the leg and shoulder regions. Based on the overall size of the remains, G. howardae was on average smaller than the red-throated loon, and one of the smallest species of Neogene loons from North America.
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