New Early Pliocene Owls from Langebaanweg, South Africa, with First Evidence of Athene South of the Sahara and a New Species of Tyto
New Early Pliocene Owls from Langebaanweg, South Africa, with First Evidence of Athene South of the Sahara and a New Species of Tyto
复制标题
DOI：
10.4202/app.00077.2014
复制
发表时间：
2014-06
期刊：
影响因子：
--
通讯作者：
M. Pavia;A. Manegold;P. Haarhoff
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
M. Pavia;A. Manegold;P. Haarhoff
南非Langebaanweg的上瓦尔斯沃特组（英语：Upper Varswater Formation）中发现了至少五种猫头鹰（Strigiformes）的遗骸。Tyto richae sp. nov.是第一个在非洲化石地点描述的Tytonidae古种，尽管在摩洛哥的中新世中期、埃塞俄比亚的上新世早期和坦桑尼亚的上新世都有不确定的遗迹可被归为Tyto属。该种不仅是世界上最早的该属化石证据，也是撒哈拉以南非洲第一个记录的一个种。其后肢的比例表明，在。inexpectata sp. nov.可能与其现代近亲At一样是陆生的。兔子一些额外的遗骸代表了非洲大陆上Asio属和Bubo属最早的化石证据，尽管这些骨骼的保存状况不佳，无法进行更详细的鉴定。一只小猫头鹰的胫跗骨末端，大约有AT那么大。inexpectata sp. nov.表明在Langebaanweg存在第五种猫头鹰，但尚未确定。生物地理和古生态的影响，这一组合的猫头鹰进行了讨论。
The fossiliferous Upper Varswater Formation at Langebaanweg (South Africa) produced remains of at least five species of owls (Strigiformes). Tyto richae sp. nov. is the first palaeospecies of Tytonidae described from an African fossil site, though indeterminate remains referable to the genus Tyto are known from the Middle Miocene of Morocco, the early Pliocene of Ethiopia, and the Pliocene of Tanzania. Athene inexpectata sp. nov. is not only the earliest documented fossil evidence for the genus worldwide, but also the first record of a species of Athene in Africa south of the Sahara. Proportions of its hind limb indicate that At. inexpectata sp. nov. probably has been as terrestrial as its modern relative At. cunicularia. A few additional remains represent the earliest fossil evidence for the genera Asio and Bubo on the African continent, though the poor preservation of these bones prevents more detailed identifications. A distal tibiotarsus of a small owl about the size of At. inexpectata sp. nov. indicates the presence of a fifth, as yet indeterminate, species of owl at Langebaanweg. Biogeographical and palaeoecological implications of this assemblage of owls are discussed.