Collected Papers in Avian Paleontology Honoring the 90Th Birthday of Alexander Wetmore
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
••53i Collected Papers in Avian Paleontology Honoring the 90th Birthday of Alexander Wetmore STORRS L. OLSON EDITOR SMITHSONIAN CONTRIBUTIONS TO PALEOBIOLOGY SERIAL PUBLICATIONS OF THE SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION The emphasis upon publications as a means of diffusing knowledge was expressed by the first Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution. In his formal plan for the Insti tution, Joseph Henry articulated a program that included the following statement: "It is proposed to publish a series of reports, giving an account of the new discoveries in science, and of the changes made from year to year in all branches of knowledge." This keynote of basic research has been adhered to over the years in the issuance of thousands of titles in serial publications under the Smithsonian imprint, com mencing with Smithsonian Contributions to Knowledge in 1848 and continuing with the following active series: Smithsonian Annals of Flight Smithsonian Contributions to Anthropology Smithsonian Contributions to Astrophysics Smithsonian Contributions to Botany Smithsonian Contributions to the Earth Sciences Smithsonian Contributions to Paleobiology Smithsonian Contributions to Zoology Smithsonian Studies in History and Technology In these series, the Institution publishes original articles and monographs dealing with the research and collections of its several museums and offices and of professional colleagues at other institutions of learning. These papers report newly acquired facts, synoptic interpretations of data, or original theory in specialized fields. These pub lications are distributed by mailing lists to libraries, laboratories, and other interested institutions and specialists throughout the world. Individual copies may be obtained from the Smithsonian Institution Press as long as stocks are available. S. DILLON RIPLEY Secretary Smithsonian Institution SMITHSONIAN CONTRIBUTIONS TO PALEOBIOLOGY • NUMBER 27 Collected Papers in Avian Paleontology Honoring the 90th Birthday of Alexander Wetmore Storrs L. Olson EDITOR ISSUED MAY 2 i 1976 SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION PRESS City of Washington 1976 ABSTRACT Olson, Storrs L., editor. Collected Papers in Avian Paleontology Honoring the 90th Birthday of Alexander Wetmore. Smithsonian Contributions to Paleobiology, number 27, 211 pages, 91 figures, 38 tables, 1976.—Eighteen papers covering diverse aspects of avian paleontology—from the earliest known bird to extinct species found in Indian middens—are collected here to honor the 90th birthday of Alexander Wetmore. These are preceded by an appraisal of the current state of avian paleontology and of Alexander Wetmore's influence on it, including a bibliography of his publications in this field. John H. Ostrom analyzes the hypothetical steps in the origin of flight between Archaeopteryx and modern birds. Philip D. Gingerich confirms that Ichthyornis and Hesperornis did indeed bear teeth, that the palate in Hesperornis is paleognathous, and that these Cretaceous toothed birds appear to occupy a position intermediate between dinosaurs and modern birds. Larry D. Martin and James Tate, Jr. describe the skeleton of the Cretaceous diving bird Baptornis advenus and conclude that the Baptornithidae belong in the Hesperornithiformes, but are less specialized than Hesperornis. Pierce Brodkorb describes the first known Cretaceous land bird as forming a new order possibly ancestral to the Coraciiformes and Piciformes. E. N. Kurochkin summarizes the distribution and paleoecology of the Paleogene birds of Asia, with particular emphasis on the evolution of the gruiform families Eogruidae and Ergilornithidae. Pat Vickers Rich and David J. Bohaska describe the earliest known owl from Paleocene deposits in Colorado. Alan Feduccia transfers the Eocene genus Neanis from the Passeriformes to the Piciformes and he and Larry D. Martin go on to refer this and four other genera to a new family of Piciformes, concluding that these were the dominant perching land birds of the Eocene of North America. Storrs L. Olson describes a new species of Todidae from the Oligocene of Wyoming and refers the genus Protornis from the Oligocene of Switzerland to the Momotidae, concluding that the New World Coraciiformes originated in the Old World. Charles T. Collins describes two new species of the Eo-Oligocene genus Aegialornis and presents evidence that the Aegialornithidae should be referred to the Caprimulgiformes rather than to the Apodiformes, although they might be ancestral to the swifts. In the following paper he shows that the earliest known true swifts (Apodidae) are three nominal forms from the Lower Miocene of France which prove to be but a single species of Cypseloides, a modern genus belonging to a primitive sub family now restricted to the New World. Stuart L. Warter describes a new osprey from the Miocene of California to provide the earliest certain occurrence of the family Pandionidae and he treats functional aspects of the evolution of the wing in Pandion. Hildegarde Howard describes a. new species of flightless mancalline auk, also from the Miocene of California, which is temporally and morphologically intermediate between Praemancalla lagunensis and the species of Mancalla. Robert W. Storer analyzes Pleistocene fossils of pied-billed grebes, synonymizing Podilymbus magnus Shufeldt with modern P. podiceps and describing a new species from peninsular Florida. Kenneth E. Campbell, Jr., lists 53 species of birds, including new species of Buteo and Oreopholus, from a Pleistocene deposit in southwestern Ecuador and compares this with a fauna of similar age from northwestern Peru, both of which indicate more humid condi tions in the past. Oscar Arredondo summarizes aspects of the morphology, evolution, and ecology of the gigantic owls, eagles, and vultures recently discovered in Pleistocene deposits in Cuba. Joel Cracraft analyzes variation in the moas of New Zealand, reduces the number of species recognized to 13, and suggests that several "species pairs" represent examples of sexual size dimorphism. G. Victor Morejohn reports remains of the extinct flightless duck Chendytes lawi, previously known only from Pleistocene deposits, from Indian middens in northern Cali fornia and concludes that the species became extinct through human agency less than 3800 years ago. OFFICIAL PUBLICATION DATE is handstamped in a limited number of initial copies and is recorded in the Institution's annual report, Smithsonian Year. SI PRESS NUMBER 6137. SERIES COVER DESIGN: The trilobite Phacops rana Green. Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data Main entry under title: Collected papers in avian paleontology honoring the 90th birthday of Alexander Wetmore. (Smithsonian contributions to paleobiology ; no. 27) CONTENTS: Ostrom, J. H. Some hypothetical anatomical stages in the evolution of avian flight— Gingerich, P. D. Evolutionary significance of the Mesozoic toothed birds.—Martin, L. D. and Tate, J., Jr. The skeleton of Baptornis advenus (Aves: Hesperornithiformes). [etc.] Supt. of Docs. No.: SI 1.30:27 1. Birds, Fossil—Addresses, essays, lectures. I. Wetmore, Alexander, 1886- II. Olson, Storrs L. III. Series: Smithsonian Institution. Smithsonian contributions to paleobiology ; no. 27. QE701.S56 no. 27 [QE871] 560'8s [568'.2] 75-619322 Contents Page PREFACE v APPRECIATIONS, by S. Dillon Ripley and Jean Delacour ... .... vii ALEXANDER WETMORE AND THE STUDY OF FOSSIL BIRDS, by Storrs L. Olson xi PUBLICATIONS IN AVIAN PALEONTOLOGY BY ALEXANDER WETMORE xvii INDEX TO FOSSIL AVIAN TAXA DESCRIBED BY ALEXANDER WETMORE .... xxv SOME HYPOTHETICAL ANATOMICAL STAGES IN THE EVOLUTION OF AVIAN FLIGHT, by John H. Ostrom 1 EVOLUTIONARY SIGNIFICANCE OF THE MESOZOIC TOOTHED BIRDS, by Philip D. Gingerich 23 THE SKELETON OF Baptornis advenus (AVES: HESPERORNITHIFORMES), by Larry D. Martin and James Tate, Jr. ... 35 DISCOVERY OF A CRETACEOUS BIRD, APPARENTLY ANCESTRAL TO THE ORDERS CORACIIFORMES AND PICIFORMES (AVES: CARINATAE), by Pierce Brodkorb 67 A SURVEY OF THE PALEOGENE BIRDS OF ASIA, by E. N. Kurochkin 75 THE WORLD'S OLDEST OWL: A NEW STRIGIFORM FROM THE PALEOCENE OF SOUTHWESTERN COLORADO, by Pat Vickers Rich and David J. Bohaska 87 Neanis schucherti RESTUDIED: ANOTHER EOCENE PICIFORM BIRD, by Alan Feduccia 95 THE EOCENE ZYGODACTYL BIRDS OF NORTH AMERICA (AVES: PICIFORMES), by Alan Feduccia and Larry D. Martin 101 OLIGOCENE FOSSILS BEARING ON THE ORIGINS OF THE TODIDAE AND THE MOMOTIDAE (AVES: CORACIIFORMES), by Storrs L. Olson ... .... Ill Two NEW SPECIES OF Aegialornis FROM FRANCE, WITH COMMENTS ON THE ORDINAL AFFINITIES OF THE AEGIALORNITHIDAE, by Charles T. Collins 121 A REVIEW OF THE LOWER MIOCENE SWIFTS (AVES: APODIDAE), by Charles T. Collins 129 A NEW OSPREY FROM THE MIOCENE OF CALIFORNIA (FALCONIFORMES: PANDIONIDAE), by Stuart L. Warter 133 A NEW SPECIES OF FLIGHTLESS AUK FROM THE MIOCENE OF CALIFORNIA (ALCIDAE: MANCALLINAE), by Hildegarde Howard 141 THE PLEISTOCENE PIED-BILLED GREBES (AVES: PODICIPEDIDAE), by Robert W. Storer 147 THE LATE PLEISTOCENE AVIFAUNA OF LA CAROLINA, SOUTHWESTERN ECUADOR, by Kenneth E. Campbell, Jr. ... 155 THE GREAT PREDATORY BIRDS OF THE PLEISTOCENE OF CUBA, by Oscar Arredondo, translated and amended by Storrs L. Olson 169 THE SPECIES OF MOAS (AVES: DINORNITHIDAE), by Joel Cracraft 189 EVIDENCE OF THE SURVIVAL TO RECENT TIMES OF THE EXTINCT FLIGHTLESS DUCK Chendytes lawi MILLER, by G. Victor Morejohn 207 in Preface Had contributions for this volume been sought from the associates and friends of Alexander Wetmore in all fields of ornithology, their number would