Systematic revision of the Phorusrhacidae (Aves: Ralliformes)

Fossil remains of birds belonging to the family Phorusrhacidae were studied in several museums of South America, North America and Europe, the main objective being to characterize this family and solve the chaotic state of the nomenclature and classification of these birds. Reconstruction of some species has been done, with the purpose of having an idea about the size, body weight, posture and habit based in their skeletons. The European species, Ameghinornis minor and Aenigmavis sapea are refuted as belonging to this family. Also several forms described from the Tertiary of Argentina are refuted, because they are based on inadequate segments of the skeleton for a good identification, as is the case of the genera Cunampaia, Smiliornis, Pseudolarus, Lophiornis and Riacama, frequently refered to as belonging to the Phorusrhacidae. The Phorusrhacidae family probably originated in South America, since the end of the Cretaceous, as a result of an endemism formed by the isolation of this landmass. During the end of the Pliocene, with the emersion of the Panama isthmus, the family spread to the North America where at least one species is known Titanis walleri, which perhaps represents the last known species of this family, probably becoming extinct in the beginning of the Pleistocene. A systematic revision has been conducted, dealing with the countless problems of nomenclature, and the Phorusrhacidae is now composed of five subfamilies, which are: Brontornithinae, Phorusrhacinae, Patagornithinae, Psilopterinae and Mesembriornithinae in which 13 genera and 17 species are considered. Characters of all taxa are described and a geochronological distribution of all species is presented.Foram estudados os fósseis de aves atribuídos à família Phorusrhacidae depositados em diversos museus da América do Sul, da América do Norte e da Europa, com o objetivo principal de caracterizar esta família e reorganizar o estado caótico que até então envolvia a nomenclatura e classificação destas aves. A reconstituição de algumas espécies é feita, com o propósito de formar uma idéia sobre o tamanho, massa corpórea, postura e hábitos com base no esqueleto das mesmas. As formas européias, Ameghinornis minor e Aenigmavis sapea são refutadas como pertencentes à esta família. São refutadas ainda várias formas do Terciário da Argentina, descritas com base em segmentos de esqueleto, insuficientes para uma plena identificação como é o caso dos gêneros Cunampaia, Smiliornis, Pseudolarus, Lophiornis e Riacama, freqüentemente referidos como pertencentes aos Phorusrhacidae. A família Phorusrhacidae certamente originou-se na América do Sul pelo final do Cretáceo, como resultado de um endemismo formado pelo isolamento dessa porção de terra. Pelo final do Plioceno, com a emersão do istmo do Panamá, a família estendeu-se até a América do Norte onde pelo menos uma espécie, Titanis walleri que talvez represente a última conhecida desta família, que extinguiu-se no início do Pleistoceno. A revisão sistemática foi conduzida com inúmeros problemas de nomenclatura e a família Phorusrhacidae passa então a ser constituída de cinco subfamílias, ou seja: Brontornithinae, Phorusrhacinae, Patagornithinae, Psilopterinae e Mesembriornithinae, nas quais se distribuem 13 gêneros e 17 espécies. Os caracteres de todos os táxons são descritos e finalmente é apresentada uma distribuição geocronológica de todas as espécies

Photobiomodulation Therapy Restores IL-10 Secretion in a Murine Model of Chronic Asthma: Relevance to the Population of CD4+CD25+Foxp3+ Cells in Lung.

It is largely known that photobiomodulation (PBM) has beneficial effects on allergic pulmonary inflammation. Our previous study showed an anti-inflammatory effect of the PBM in an acute experimental model of asthma, and we see that this mechanism is partly dependent on IL-10. However, it remains unclear whether the activation of regulatory T cells is mediated by PBM in a chronic experimental model of asthma. In this sense, the objective of this study was to verify the anti-inflammatory role of the PBM in the pulmonary inflammatory response in a chronic experimental asthma model. The protocol used for asthma induction was the administration of OVA subcutaneously (days 0 and 14) and intranasally (3 times/week, for 5 weeks). On day 50, the animals were sacrificed for the evaluation of the different parameters. The PBM used was the diode, with a wavelength of 660 nm, a power of 100 mW, and 5 J for 50 s/point, in three different application points. Our results showed that PBM decreases macrophages, neutrophils, and lymphocytes in the bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF). Moreover, PBM decreased the release of cytokines by the lung, mucus, and collagen in the airways and pulmonary mechanics. When we analyzed the percentage of Treg cells in the group irradiated with laser, we verified an increase in these cells, as well as the release of IL-10 in the BALF. Therefore, we conclude that the use of PBM therapy in chronic airway inflammation attenuated the inflammatory process, as well as the pulmonary functional and structural parameters, probably due to an increase in Treg cells.post-print1951 K

Osteology of the Shoulder Girdle in the Piciformes, Passeriformes and Related Groups of Birds

Abstract. A comparative study of the bones of the shoulder girdle in the Piciformes, Passeriformes and Coraciiformes, and also in related orders of birds such as the Trogoniformes, Coliiformes, Apodiformes, Strigiformes and Caprimulgiformes, is presented and discussed. A number of observed characters justify inclusion only the families Indicatoridae, Picidae, Capitonidae and Ramphastidae in the order Piciformes, while also demonstrating a close resemblance with the Passeriformes that suggests a monophyletic origin for these two orders. On the other hand, although the closely related Bucconidae and Galbulidae are not included in the Piciformes they more closely resemble the Coraciiformes, particularly the Meropidae, Coraciidae and Brachypteraciidae. Among the Coraciiformes, it was observed that the Upupidae closely resemble the Phoeniculidae and, to a lesser extent, the Bucerotidae (particularly Tockus). For other coraciiforms, observation of shoulder girdle osteology alone did not provide sufficient evidence to justify a family grouping or a clearer definition of the boundaries of this order

A new genus of tiny condor from the Pleistocene of Brazil (Aves: Vulturidae)

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Out of Africa : Fossils shed light on the origin of the hoatzin, an iconic Neotropic bird

International audienceWe describe the earliest fossils of the enigmatic avian taxon Opisthocomiformes (hoatzins) from the Oligo-Miocene (22-24 mya) of Brazil. The bones, a humerus, scapula and coracoid, closely resemble those of the extant hoatzin, Opisthocomus hoazin. The very similar osteology of the pectoral girdle in the new Brazilian fossil compared to the extant O. hoazin, in which it reflects peculiar feeding adaptations, may indicate that hoatzins had already evolved their highly specialized feeding behavior by the mid-Cenozoic. We further show that Namibiavis senutae from the early Miocene of Namibia is another, previously misclassified representative of Opisthocomiformes, which documents that the extant Neotropic distribution of hoatzins is relictual. Because of the weak flight capabilities of hoatzins, their occurrence on both sides of the South Atlantic is of particular biogeographic interest. We detail that this distribution pattern is best explained by dispersal from Africa to South America, and that Opisthocomiformes provide the first example of transatlantic rafting among birds

The youngest record of phorusrhacid birds (Aves, Phorusrhacidae) from the late Pleistocene of Uruguay: Neues Jahrbuch für Geologie und Paläontologie

Abstract: We report the youngest record of a phorusrhacid bird based on a distal portion of a right tarsometatarsus. This fossil comes from late Pleistocene sediments of Uruguay. The age determination was based on lithological features, biostratigraphical studies and absolute dating. The evidence indicates that these groundbirds co-occurred with the typical Pleistocene South American megafaunal mammals. The so far youngest fossils of phorusrhacids stem from the Pliocene or lower Pleistocene of South and North America

Considerações Paleoecológicas sobre os Notoungulados da Formação Tremembé,Bacia de Taubaté (São Paulo, Brasil).

Notoungulates were recovered from bentonitic clays of the Tremembé Formation (Taubaté Basin).Two families, three genres and two species are known so far: Leontinidae (Taubatherium paulacoutoi and ?Ancylocoelus) and Notohippidae (Rhychippus brasiliensis). Analyzing the paleobiology data of this group and the geological context of the basin together, we assume that leontinids inhabited lake’s margin,occupy a niche similar to the capybara (Hydrochoerus), having amphibian habit and feeding on plants like Pteridophyta, Cyperaceae, Typhaceae, aquatic plants and with Gramineae possibilities. Although notohippids seem to forest dwellers, they probably supported selective habits, feeding on fruits, young leaves and buds

Circumscription of a monophyletic family for the tapaculos (Aves: Rhinocryptidae):<i>Psiloramphus</i> in and <i>Melanopareia</i> out

International audienceThe tapaculos (Rhinocryptidae) are tracheophone, suboscine birds restricted to South and Central America. Most tapaculos share a number of internal and external characteristics that have been used to define the family taxonomically. The genera and do not fully fit this pattern and have caused considerable dispute among taxonomists since they were first described. In this paper we delimit the systematic boundaries of the tapaculos and assess their generic relationships by analysis of molecular sequence data. The results show that whereas is nested well within the Rhinocryptidae, falls far outside that clade. A new family is erected fo

Pleistovultur nevesi gen. et sp nov (Aves: Vulturidae) and the diversity of condors and vultures in the South American Pleistocene

Pleistovultur nevesi, a new genus and species of a large Vulturidae is described from the Upper Pleistocene or beginning of the Holocene, based on a complete and well preserved right tibiotarsus from the Cuvieri cave deposits, one of the hundreds of caves of the Lagoa Santa region in Minas Gerais state, Brazil. Also described here is a distal half of a left tibiotarsus from Gruta dos Brejoes, a cave in Morro do Chapeu, Bahia state, Brazil, which probably belongs to another not-yet-known genus and species of the Vulturidae. The described material, added to prior literature, is proof of the appreciable diversity of the Vulturidae during the Pleistocene in South America.Conselho Nacional de Pesquisas e Desenvolvimento (CNPq)[130053/2006-6]Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)Conselho Nacional de Pesquisas e Desenvolvimento (CNPq)[140359/20044]Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)FAPESP Fundacao de Amparo A Pesquisa do Estado de Sao Paulo (FAPE-SP)[06/51406-1]Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)[303926/85-6-RV]Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo - FAPESP[04/013216]Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP