View metadata, citation and similar papers at core.ac.uk brought to you by CORE provided by Springer - Publisher Connector J Ornithol (2011) 152:1045–1053 DOI 10.1007/s10336-011-0693-2 ORIGINAL ARTICLE A new passerine bird from the early Oligocene of Poland Zbigniew M. Bochen´ski • Teresa Tomek • Małgorzata Bujoczek • Krzysztof Wertz Received: 15 December 2010 / Revised: 25 January 2011 / Accepted: 31 March 2011 / Published online: 21 April 2011 Ó The Author(s) 2011. This article is published with open access at Springerlink.com Abstract We describe a nearly complete articulated Zusammenfassung Wir beschreiben ein fast vollsta¨ndig specimen representing a new species and genus, Jamna artikuliertes Exemplar einer neuen Sperlingsvogel-Art und szybiaki gen. et sp. nov., of an early Oligocene passeriform -Gattung, Jamna szybiaki gen. et sp. nov., aus dem fru¨hen bird from Poland. In overall osteology, the specimen Oligoza¨n in Polen. In seinem Knochenbau erinnert das resembles extant Passeriformes but it differs from that Exemplar an heutige Sperlingsartige, unterscheidet sich group in several characters including the not bifurcated jedoch von dieser Gruppe in einigen Merkmalen wie z.B. spina externa (sternum) and the absence of a hooked pro- dem ungegabelten Brustbein (sternum) und dem nicht cessus acrocoracoideus (coracoid). Its affinities within vorhandenen eingehakten Rabenschnabelfortsatz processus Passeriformes cannot be resolved at the moment due to the acrocoracoideus (coracoid). Die Verwandtschaft mit den lack of characters that would support its position within Sperlingsvo¨geln ist derzeit noch nicht ganz klar, weil either Oscines or Suboscines. For the first time in Paleo- Merkmale fehlen, die seine Stellung innerhalb entweder gene passerines, wing and tail feathers are visible which der Oscines, oder der Suboscines festlegen wu¨rden. Zum provide new information on the external appearance of the ersten Mal sind hier bei einem Sperlingsvogel aus dem bird. Its morphology suggests that it was a frugivorous/ Pala¨ogen Hand- und Schwanzfedern sichtbar; sie geben insectivorous bird that lived in shrubs and forests. neue Informationen u¨ber das a¨ußere Aussehen des Vogels. Seine Morphologie la¨sst vermuten, dass er ein Fru¨chte- und Keywords Fossil birds Á Feathers Á Menilite shales Á Insektenfresser war und in Stra¨uchern und Wa¨ldern lebte. Carpathian flysch Á Oligocene Á Paleogene Introduction Communicated by F. Bairlein. Avian remains dated to the Paleogene are very rare in Z. M. Bochen´ski (&) Á T. Tomek Á K. Wertz Poland. All of them come from marine deposits of SE Institute of Systematics and Evolution of Animals, Polish Poland. So far, two specimens have been described: a Academy of Sciences, Slawkowska 17, 31-016 Krakow, Poland e-mail: [email protected] hummingbird Eurotrochilus noniewiczi (Bochen´ski and Bochen´ski 2008) and an unspecified taxon with a colum- T. Tomek e-mail: [email protected] bid-like foot (Bochen´ski et al. 2010). Several other speci- mens are under study. K. Wertz e-mail: [email protected] Passeriformes include more than half of all extant avian species. Their Neogene fossil record is very abundant but M. Bujoczek their remains from the Paleogene are very scarce (Mayr Department of Natural and Cultural Heritage, Animal Ecology 2005, 2009). The oldest findings that include two isolated and Wildlife Management, Faculty of Forestry, University of Agriculture, al. 29 Listopada 46, 31-425 Krakow, Poland bones of possible Passeriformes are dated to the early e-mail: [email protected] Eocene of Australia (Boles 1995, 1997). The remaining 123 1046 J Ornithol (2011) 152:1045–1053 passerine remains are from the Oligocene of Europe. They Krako´w, Poland; MSMD, Muzeum Skamieniałos´ci i include several dozen isolated bones from various localities Minerało´w, Dubiecko, Poland; SMF, Forschungsinstitut of France and Germany (Manegold 2008; Mourer-Chauvire´ Senckenberg, Frankfurt am Main, Germany; SMNS, 2006; Mourer-Chauvire´ et al. 1989), an articulated wing Staatliches Museum fu¨r Naturkunde Stuttgart, Germany. from France (Mayr and Manegold 2006b), two so far undescribed articulated legs from Poland (Bochen´ski 1989, Systematic paleontology 1993, 1996), one nearly complete specimen (preserved on two slabs in separate collections) and a skull of Wieslochia Aves Linnaeus, 1758 weissi from Germany (Mayr and Manegold 2004, 2006a), Pan-Passeriformes (Linnaeus, 1758) and a so far undescribed specimen from France (Roux Genus Jamna nov. 2002). The remains represent both Oscines and Suboscines Type species: Jamna szybiaki sp. nov. (Manegold 2008; Mayr 2009; Mourer-Chauvire´ 2006). Etymology: The genus name refers to the type locality, The phylogenetic relationship of Passeriformes has been Jamna Dolna. much debated in the last years (see Mayr 2009 for sum- Remarks: The specimen resembles Passeriformes in mary). Taxa that have been proposed as the closest rela- overall morphology and derived features. In particular, the tives of the passerine birds include Piciformes and the humerus bears a large processus supracondylaris dorsalis polyphyletic ‘‘Coraciiformes’’ (Livezey and Zusi 2007; just above the condylus dorsalis, and a prominent processus Manegold 2005 after Mayr 2009), Psittaciformes (Ericson flexorius that projects far distally; the carpometacarpus et al. 2006; Hackett et al. 2008) and the extinct family bears the processus intermetacarpalis that projects caudally Zygodactylidae (‘‘Primoscenidae’’; Mayr 2008). According slightly behind the os metacarpale minus, broad distal end to both molecular and morphological analyses, the of the os metacarpale minus that protrudes far distally, and Acanthisittidae are the sister taxon of all other extant a fossa in the ventral surface of the synostosis metacarpalis Passeriformes (Barker et al. 2004; Ericson et al. 2003; distalis. Worthy et al. 2010). Phylogenies based on molecular data Differential diagnosis: Small passerine, approximately indicate that Oscines originated on the Australian conti- the size of a Dipper Cinclus cinclus. The specimen differs nental plate (Barker et al. 2002; Ericson et al. 2002). from: In this paper, we describe a nearly complete articulated specimen found in SE Poland. It provides many new details • All extant Passeriformes in the unique combination of of the osteology of passerine birds that lived in Europe in the the following characters: sternum with spina externa early Oligocene. The specimen also shows relatively well- rod-like and not bifurcated, and with short processus preserved wing and tail feathers that for the first time cast craniolateralis; coracoid with a rounded and not hooked light on the external appearance of Paleogene Passeriformes. processus acrocoracoideus; very stout humerus with elongated crista deltopectoralis that reaches about one- third of the total length of the bone; carpometacarpus Methods with very stout os metacarpale majus, and phalanx proximalis digiti majoris that widens a little cranio- Osteological terminology follows Baumel and Witmer caudally toward its distal end. (1993). Dimensions are given in millimeters and refer to • The early Oligocene Wieslochia weissi in: the sternum the greatest length along the longitudinal axis of the bone. with the spina externa rod-like and not bifurcated; the In the case of feathers, the measurements are approxima- carpometacarpus with broad distal end of the os tions of their probable length. The term Pan–Passeriformes metacarpale minus that protrudes far distally. denotes the clade including stem group and crown group • The extinct passerine-like family Zygodactylidae in the Passeriformes. The fossil was compared with comparative following characters: there are seven caudal vertebrae; specimens from the osteological collection of the ISEA, the processus lateralis (coracoid) is short and rounded; and with published data on the osteology of extant and the sternum bears only a single pair of the incisurae in fossil Acanthisittidae, Oscines and Suboscines as well as its caudal part; the ulna bears a prominent olecranon extinct Zygodactylidae that are morphologically very that projects far proximally and tapers; on the carpo- similar to Passeriformes (Mayr 2008, 2009). The fossilif- metacarpus the distal end of the os metacarpale minus erous horizon of Jamna Dolna has been dated on the basis is broad and protrudes far distally, and there is a fossa of the fish assemblage (Jerzman´ska and Kotlarczyk 1968; in the ventral surface of the synostosis metacarpalis Kotlarczyk et al. 2006). distalis; the phalanx distalis digiti majoris is much Institutional abbreviations: ISEA, Institute of Systemat- shorter than the phalanx proximalis; tail feathers seem ics and Evolution of Animals, Polish Academy of Sciences, to have relatively thin and delicate rachises; the width 123 J Ornithol (2011) 152:1045–1053 1047 of the tail feathers remains approximately constant Poland, high bank of Jamninka stream, a tributary of the throughout their length. river Wiar; geographical coordinates of the site: 49°38.6670N, 022°33.5150E; Rupelian, early Oligocene, ca. Jamna szybiaki gen. et sp. nov. 30–31 MYA, marine deposits of the Menilite Formation of Etymology: The species is named after Robert Szybiak Outer Carpathians, specimen found in the horizon called who collected the specimen. ‘‘pakiet E’’ (Jerzman´ska and Kotlarczyk 1968: fig. 4), Holotype: MSMD Av JAM-6 (Figs. 1 and 2), almost correlated with the calcareous nannoplankton of the NP 23 complete articulated skeleton preserved