A new zygodactylid species indicates the persistence of stem passerines into the early Oligocene in North America

Abstract Background The lake deposits of the informal Ruby Paper Shale unit, part of the Renova Formation of Montana, have yielded abundant plant fossils that document Late Eocene – Early Oligocene global cooling in western North America. A nearly complete small bird with feather impressions was rec...

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Main Authors: Tobin L. Hieronymus, David A. Waugh, Julia A. Clarke
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: BMC 2019-01-01
Series:BMC Evolutionary Biology
Subjects:
Online Access:http://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/s12862-018-1319-6
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author Tobin L. Hieronymus
David A. Waugh
Julia A. Clarke
author_facet Tobin L. Hieronymus
David A. Waugh
Julia A. Clarke
author_sort Tobin L. Hieronymus
collection DOAJ
description Abstract Background The lake deposits of the informal Ruby Paper Shale unit, part of the Renova Formation of Montana, have yielded abundant plant fossils that document Late Eocene – Early Oligocene global cooling in western North America. A nearly complete small bird with feather impressions was recovered from this unit in in 1959, but has only been informally mentioned. Results Here we describe this fossil and identify it as a new species of Zygodactylus, a stem lineage passerine with a zygodactyl foot. The new taxon shows morphological traits that are convergent on crown Passeriformes, including an elongate hallux, reduced body size, and a comparative shortening of proximal limb elements. The fossil documents the persistence of this lineage into the earliest Oligocene (~ 33 Ma) in North America. It is the latest occurring North American species of a group that persists in Europe until the Miocene. Conclusions Eocene-Oligocene global cooling is known to have significantly remodeled both Palearctic and Nearctic mammal faunas but its impact on related avifaunas has remained poorly understood. The geographic and temporal range expansion provided by the new taxon together with avian other taxa with limited fossil records suggests a similar pattern of retraction in North America followed by Europe.
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spelling doaj.art-fd43ac6d347548d99e34ebbf721cfb822022-12-21T18:46:43ZengBMCBMC Evolutionary Biology1471-21482019-01-011911910.1186/s12862-018-1319-6A new zygodactylid species indicates the persistence of stem passerines into the early Oligocene in North AmericaTobin L. Hieronymus0David A. Waugh1Julia A. Clarke2Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, Northeast Ohio Medical UniversityDepartment of Anatomy and Neurobiology, Northeast Ohio Medical UniversityUniversity of Texas at Austin, Jackson School of GeosciencesAbstract Background The lake deposits of the informal Ruby Paper Shale unit, part of the Renova Formation of Montana, have yielded abundant plant fossils that document Late Eocene – Early Oligocene global cooling in western North America. A nearly complete small bird with feather impressions was recovered from this unit in in 1959, but has only been informally mentioned. Results Here we describe this fossil and identify it as a new species of Zygodactylus, a stem lineage passerine with a zygodactyl foot. The new taxon shows morphological traits that are convergent on crown Passeriformes, including an elongate hallux, reduced body size, and a comparative shortening of proximal limb elements. The fossil documents the persistence of this lineage into the earliest Oligocene (~ 33 Ma) in North America. It is the latest occurring North American species of a group that persists in Europe until the Miocene. Conclusions Eocene-Oligocene global cooling is known to have significantly remodeled both Palearctic and Nearctic mammal faunas but its impact on related avifaunas has remained poorly understood. The geographic and temporal range expansion provided by the new taxon together with avian other taxa with limited fossil records suggests a similar pattern of retraction in North America followed by Europe.http://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/s12862-018-1319-6PasseriformesPaleogenePaleobiogeographyZygodactylidae
spellingShingle Tobin L. Hieronymus
David A. Waugh
Julia A. Clarke
A new zygodactylid species indicates the persistence of stem passerines into the early Oligocene in North America
BMC Evolutionary Biology
Passeriformes
Paleogene
Paleobiogeography
Zygodactylidae
title A new zygodactylid species indicates the persistence of stem passerines into the early Oligocene in North America
title_full A new zygodactylid species indicates the persistence of stem passerines into the early Oligocene in North America
title_fullStr A new zygodactylid species indicates the persistence of stem passerines into the early Oligocene in North America
title_full_unstemmed A new zygodactylid species indicates the persistence of stem passerines into the early Oligocene in North America
title_short A new zygodactylid species indicates the persistence of stem passerines into the early Oligocene in North America
title_sort new zygodactylid species indicates the persistence of stem passerines into the early oligocene in north america
topic Passeriformes
Paleogene
Paleobiogeography
Zygodactylidae
url http://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/s12862-018-1319-6
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