Summary
The first fossil mousebird (Aves, Coliiformes) known from the Eocene of England is described. This taxon,Eocolius walkeri gen. n. sp. n., is assigned to the order Coliiformes (mousebirds) on the basis of a character of the proximal ulna (large cotyla dorsalis). The degree of similarity between the preserved elements ofEocolius and those of the other known fossil and Recent taxa further support this conclusion. At present, this new taxon is considered to occupy an unresolved position near to the base of the coliiform ingroup; the phylogenetic position ofEocolius cannot be resolved further owing to a lack of preservation of diagnostic characters.
Zusammenfassung
Der erste fossile Mausvogel (Aves: Coliiformes) aus dem Eozän von England wird beschrieben. Dieses Taxon,Eocolius walkeri gen. n. sp. n., wird aufgrund von Merkmalen der proximalen Ulna (grosse Cotyla dorsalis) in die Ordnung Coliiformes gestellt. Darüber hinaus stützt der Grad der Üebereinstimmung zwischen den erhaltenen Skelettelementen vonEocolius und den anderen bekannten fossilen und rezenten Taxa diese Zuordnung. Zur Zeit nimmt dieses neue Taxon eine nicht näher aufgelöste Stellung an der Basis der Coliiformes ein. Das Fehlen diagnostischer Merkmale lässt keine sichere Zuordnung vonEocolius zu den ausgestorbenen Sandcoleidae oder den rezenten Coliidae zu.
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Dyke, G.J., Waterhouse, D.M. A mousebird (Aves: Coliiformes) from the Eocene of England. J Ornithol 142, 7–15 (2001). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01651734
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01651734