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A tiny stem group representative of Pici (Aves, Piciformes) from the early Oligocene of the Czech Republic

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Abstract

We describe a new stem group representative of Pici (woodpeckers, honeyguides, barbets, and allies) from the early Oligocene (Rupelian) of the Czech Republic. The holotype of Picavus litencicensis, gen. et sp. nov. is a postcranial skeleton with well-preserved feather remains. The new species is distinguished from crown group Pici in several plesiomorphic features and is assigned to the new taxon Picavidae, fam. nov. The absence of an elongated accessory trochlea for the reversed fourth toe shows P. litencicensis to be the most basal representative of Pici, and concerning the morphology of the distal tarsometatarsus the species represents a morphological link between Pici and their sister taxon, the Galbulae. Like all other early Oligocene piciform birds, P. litencicensis is a tiny bird, the size of the smallest extant Pici. Because all Palaeogene Pici were found in Europe and some of these are outside the crown group, an Old World origin of Pici is likely. With definitive crown group representatives of Pici being unknown before the late Oligocene/early Miocene, the fossil record does not support earlier molecular calibrations, which resulted in a late Cretaceous divergence of crown group Pici.

Kurzfassung

Wir beschreiben einen neuen Stammgruppen-Vertreter der Pici (Spechte, Honiganzeiger, Bartvögel und Verwandte) aus dem unteren Oligozän (Rupelium) der Tschechischen Republik. Der Holotypus von Picavus litencicensis, gen. et sp. nov. ist ein postcraniales Skelett mit sehr gut erhaltener Befiederung. Die neue Art unterscheidet sich in mehreren plesiomorphen Merkmale von Kronengruppen-Pici und wird dem neuen Taxon Picavidae, fam. nov. zugeordnet. Das Fehlen einer verlängerten zusätzlichen Trochlea für die zurückgedrehte vierte Zehe weist P. litencicensis als basalen Vertreter der Pici aus, und bezüglich der Morphologie des distalen Tarsometatarsus stellt die neue Art eine morphologische Übergangsform zwischen Pici und ihrem Schwestertaxon, den Galbulae, dar. Wie alle anderen unteroligozänen piciformen Vögel ist P. litencicensis ein winziger Vogel, von der Größe der kleinsten heutigen Pici. Weil alle paläogenen Pici in Europa gefunden wurden und weil einige von diesen außerhalb der Kronengruppe sind, ist ein altweltlicher Ursprung der Pici wahrscheinlich. Da es keine definitiven Kronengruppen-Vertreter der Pici aus Ablagerungen vor dem späten Oligozän/frühen Miozän gibt, stützt der Fossilbericht keine Aufspaltung der Kronengruppen-Pici in der späten Kreidezeit, welche aus früheren molekularen Kalibrierungen resultierte.

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Acknowledgments

We thank Olaf Vogel for the expert preparation of the legs of the fossil and Sven Tränkner for taking the photographs. This study was supported by research project MK 00009486201 of the Moravian Museum, Brno, and a research and exploration grant for “Field Excavation of Oligocene Deep-sea Fauna at the Litenčice pit (West Carpathians, Czech Republic)” from the National Geographic Society (grant number 8786-10). Comments by D. Ksepka and an anonymous referee improved the manuscript.

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  1. Sektion Ornithologie, Forschungsinstitut Senckenberg, Senckenberganlage 25, 60325, Frankfurt am Main, Germany

    Gerald Mayr

  2. Department of Geology and Paleontology, Moravian Museum, Zelnýtrh 6, 601 00, Brno, Czech Republic

    Růžena Gregorová

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  1. Gerald Mayr
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Correspondence to Gerald Mayr.

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Mayr, G., Gregorová, R. A tiny stem group representative of Pici (Aves, Piciformes) from the early Oligocene of the Czech Republic. Paläontol Z 86, 333–343 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12542-012-0133-5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12542-012-0133-5

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