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A remarkable new ‘gruiform’ bird from the Middle Eocene of Messel (Hessen, Germany)

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Kurzfassung

Salmila robusta n. gen., n. sp. (Aves: ‘Gruiformes’) wird aus dem Mittel-Eozän von Messel (Hessen, Deutschland) beschrieben. Die neue Art war vermutlich vorwiegend bodenbewohnend und teilt abgeleitete Merkmale des Carpometacarpus mit den rezenten Psophiidae und einigen Taxa der Cariamae. Sie unterscheidet sich jedoch in einigen Merkmalen deutlich von anderen ‘gruiformen’ Vögeln (z.B. im größeren proximalen Ende des Humerus und in der Form des caudalen Sternumrandes).Salmila robusta wurde unter Vorbehalt zu den Cariamae gestellt, aber ihre genaue systematische Stellung muß noch weiter untersucht werden. Der recht kurze Tarsometatarsus der neuen Art ähnelt dem des ‘Messel-Phorusrhaciden’Aenigmavis sapea Peters 1987.

Abstract

Salmila robusta n. gen., n. sp. (Aves: ‘Gruiformes’) is described from the Middle Eocene of Messel (Hessen, Germany). The new species is assumed to have had a predominantly terrestrial habit. It shares derived features of the carpometacarpus with the recent Psophiidae and some taxa of the Cariamae. In several features, however, it distinctly differs from other ‘gruiform’ birds (e. g. in the larger proximal end of the humerus and in the shape of the margo caudalis of the sternum). AlthoughSalmila robusta has been tentatively assigned to the Cariamae in this study, its exact systematic position deserves further investigations. The rather short tarsometatarsus of the new species resembles that of the ‘Messel-phorusrhacid’Aenigmavis sapea Peters 1987.

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  1. Division of Ornithology, Forschungsinstitut Senckenberg, Senckenberganlage 25, D-60325, Frankfurt am Main, Germany

    Gerald Mayr

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Correspondence to Gerald Mayr.

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Mayr, G. A remarkable new ‘gruiform’ bird from the Middle Eocene of Messel (Hessen, Germany). Paläont. Z. 74, 187–194 (2000). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02987960

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