Two new fossil parrots (Psittaciformes) from the Lower Eocene Fur Formation of Denmark

Two new fossil psittaciform birds from the Lower Eocene ‘Mo Clay’ (Fur Formation) of Denmark (c. 54 Ma) are described. An unnamed specimen is assigned to the extinct avian family of stem-group parrots, Pseudasturidae (genus and species incertae sedis), while a second (Mopsitta tanta gen. et sp. nov.) is the largest fossil parrot yet known. Both specimens are the first fossil records of these birds from Denmark. Although the phylogenetic position of Mopsitta is unclear (it is classified as family incertae sedis), this form is phylogenetically closer to Recent Pstittacidae than to other known Palaeogene psittaciforms and may, therefore, represent the oldest known crown-group parrot

Affinities of Miocene Waterfowl (Anatidae: Manuherikia, Dunstanetta and Miotadorna) from the St Bathans Fauna, New Zealand

The recently described St Bathans Fauna, from the Manuherikia Group, Early-Middle Miocene, 19-16 Ma, New Zealand, includes six anatid taxa. Here we present detailed morphological descriptions of all available skeletal elements of the three best represented anatids: Manuherikia lacustrina (551 specimens), Dunstanetta johnstoneorum (7 specimens), and Miotadorna sanctibathansi (115 specimens). The affinities of these taxa, and of the similar-aged European taxon Mionetta blanchardi, are evaluated with phylogenetic analyses using a dataset of 133 characters (128 osteological, 5 integumental) and 57 terminal taxa. Representatives of all main anatid groups were included, with dense sampling of Australasian taxa including the recently extinct New Zealand forms (Cnemiornis, Chenonetta finschi), and relatively primitive taxa (anserines, Dendrocygna, oxyurines, tadornines). Analyses were conducted with no constraints, and with certain taxa constrained to conform to arrangements supported by multiple independent genetic studies. In the preferred (constrained) analyses: (1) anserines were the most basal anatids; (2) the four Tertiary fossil taxa were more derived than anserines and Dendrocygna; and (3) the European Mionetta blanchardi was basal to an oxyurine clade. The New Zealand fossils Manuherikia and Dunstanetta either associated with this oxyurine clade or formed separate lineages of an approximately oxyurine evolutionary grade, depending on whether diving characters were included or excluded. Similarly, Biziura, Thalassornis, and a Stictonetta - Malacorhynchus clade either associated with oxyurines or formed independent lineages of approximately oxyurine grade. Above oxyurines, a well-supported clade groups Miotadorna with Tadorna species exclusive of T. radjah. These results cast doubt on the distinctiveness of Dendrocheninae Livezey and Martin, 1988, and instead suggest oxyurine affinities for the Miocene fossils Mionetta, Dendrochen, Manuherikia and Dunstanetta, and the modern Biziura, Thalassornis, Oxyura, Nomonyx, Stictonetta and Malacorhynchus. The association of Mionetta with oxyurines indicates that the divergence between oxyurines and higher anatids occurred around 25Ma, while the position of Miotadorna within Tadorna indicates that the basal divergence between living Tadorna occurred by the Early-Middle Miocene; together, these two dates indicate that many basal splits within anatids occurred within a short interval during the Miocene. © The Palaeontological Association, 2008.Trevor H. Worthy and Michael S. Y. Le

A phylogenetic analysis of the Gruiformes (Aves) based on morphological characters, with an emphasis on the rails (Rallidae)

The order Gruiformes, for which even familial composition remains controversial, is perhaps the least well understood avian order from a phylogenetic perspective. The history of the systematics of the order is presented, and the ecological and biogeographic characteristics of its members are summarized. Using cladistic techniques, phylogenetic relationships among fossil and modern genera of the Gruiformes were estimated based on 381 primarily osteological characters; relationships among modern species of Grues (Psophiidae, Aramidae, Gruidae, Heliornithidae and Rallidae) were assessed based on these characters augmented by 189 characters of the definitive integument. A strict consensus tree for 20,000 shortest trees compiled for the matrix of gruiform genera (length = 967, CI = 0.517) revealed a number of nodes common to the solution set, many of which were robust to bootstrapping and had substantial support (Bremer) indices. Robust nodes included those supporting: a sister relationship between the Pedionomidae and Turnicidae; monophyly of the Gruiformes exclusive of the Pedionomidae and Turnicidae; a sister relationship between the Cariamidae and Phorusrhacoidea; a sister relationship between a clade comprising Eurypyga and Messelornis and one comprising Rhynochetos and Aptornis; monophyly of the Grues (Psophiidae, Aramidae, Gruidae, Heliornithidae and Rallidae); monophyly of a clade (Gruoidea) comprising (in order of increasingly close relationship) Psophia, Aramus, Balearica and other Gruidae, with monophyly of each member in this series confirmed; a sister relationship between the Heliornithidae and Rallidae; and monophyly of the Rallidae exclusive of Himantornis. Autapomorphic divergence was comparatively high for Pedionomus, Eurypyga, Psophia, Himantornis and Fulica; extreme autapomorphy, much of which is unique for the order, characterized the extinct, flightless Aptornis. In the species-level analysis of modern Grues, special efforts were made to limit the analytical impacts of homoplasy related to flightlessness in a number of rallid lineages. A strict consensus tree of 20,000 shortest trees compiled (length = 1232, CI = 0.463) confirmed the interfamilial relationships resolved in the ordinal analysis and established a number of other, variably supported groups within the Rallidae. Groupings within the Rallidae included: monophyly of Rallidae exclusive of Himantornis and a clade comprising Porphyrio (including Notornis) and Porphyrula; a poorly resolved, basal group of genera including Gymnocrex, Habroptila, Eulabeornis, Aramides, Canirallus and Mentocrex; an intermediate grade comprising Anurolimnas, Amaurolimnas, and Rougetius; monophyly of two major subdivisions of remaining rallids, one comprising Rallina (paraphyletic), Rallicula, and Sarothrura, and the other comprising the apparently paraphyletic 'long-billed' rails (e.g. Pardirallus, Cyanolimnas, Rallus, Gallirallus and Cabalus and a variably resolved clade comprising 'crakes' (e.g. Atlantisia, Laterallus and Porzana, waterhens (Amaurornis), moorhens (Gallinula and allied genera) and coots (Fulica). Relationships among 'crakes' remain poorly resolved; Laterallus may be paraphyletic, and Porzana is evidently polyphyletic and poses substantial challenges for reconciliation with current taxonomy. Relationships among the species of waterhens, moorhens and coots, however, were comparatively well resolved, and exhaustive, fine-scale analyses of several genera (Grus, Porphyrio, Aramides, Rallus, Laterallus and Fulica) and species complexes (Porphyrio porphyrio -group,Gallirallus philippensis -group and Fulica americana -group) revealed additional topological likelihoods. Many nodes shared by a majority of the shortest trees under equal weighting were common to all shortest trees found following one or two iterations of successive weighting of characters. Provisional placements of selected subfossil rallids (e.g. Diaphorapteryx, Aphanapteryx and Capellirallus ) were based on separate heuristic searches using the strict consensus tree for modern rallids as a backbone constraint. These analyses were considered with respect to assessments of robustness, homoplasy related to flightlessness, challenges and importance of fossils in cladistic analysis, previously published studies and biogeography, and an annotated phylogenetic classification of the Gruiformes is proposed