Brontornis burmeisteri Moreno & Mercerat, 1891
publication ID |
https://doi.org/ 10.1590/S0031-10492003000400001 |
persistent identifier |
https://treatment.plazi.org/id/03D18A23-C848-1855-5BB2-2ED393FBFA9D |
treatment provided by |
Carolina |
scientific name |
Brontornis burmeisteri Moreno & Mercerat, 1891 |
status |
|
Brontornis burmeisteri Moreno & Mercerat, 1891
Brontornis burmeisteri Moreno & Mercerat, 1891:37 ; Brodkorb, 1967.
Rostrornis floweri Moreno & Mercerat, 1891:40 ; Brodkorb 1967 (syn. of B. burmeisteri ).
Brontornis platyonyx Ameghino, 1895 ; Brodkorb 1967 (syn. of B. burmeisteri ).
Lectotypes – The left femur, tibiotarsus, fibula and tarsometatarsus (MLP-88-91), certainly belonging to the same individual, designated by Brodkorb (1967).
Hypodigm – lectotypes; portion of the mandible including the symphysis and part of the right branch (MHNP-1902-6, Fig. 7 View FIGURE 7 ); two large fragments of the
Brontornis Moreno & Mercerat, 1891 :20,37; Brodkorb, 1967.
Rostrornis Moreno & Mercerat, 1891 :20,40; Brodkorb, 1967 (syn. of Brontornis ).
Type Species – Brontornis burmeisteri Moreno & Mercerat, 1891 .
Included Species – Only the type species.
Distribution – Lower to Mid-Miocene in Argentina.
Diagnos i s Revised – Certainly the biggest of the Phorusrhacidae , it is the largest bird known from the Americas and one of the largest that has ever existed. The mandibule possesses a proportionally shorter, wider and higher symphysis than Physornis and Paraphysornis (e. g. Alvarenga, 1993: Fig. 1 View FIGURE 1 ) The internal condyle of the tibiotarsus is medially diverted. The cotyls of the tarsometatarsus are rounded off and the mandibular symphysis (MLP-94-95), mistakenly attributed to the premaxillas by Moreno & Mercerat (1891); quadrate, several complete and incomplete thoracic and caudal vertebras, phalanges and fragments of the hindlimbs (MLP-92-93 and 96-117, Fig. 10B View FIGURE 10 ); the complete left and the distal end of the right tarsometatarsus (FM-P13259, Fig. 10A View FIGURE 10 ); a distal extremity of the right tarsometatarsus (BMNH-A578); distal extremity of the left tarsometatarsus (BMNH-A580); 10 podal and ungual phalanges, the majority belonging to the left foot, apparently from the same specimen (BMNH-A549, Fig. 11 View FIGURE 11 ); distal end of the left femur (FM-P15309).
Horizon and Locality – Lower and Middle Miocene
(Santacrucian) of Argentina, Province of Santa Cruz: Lago Argentina, Monte Leon, Monte Observación, Kariaken, La Cueva, Rio Gallegos.
Measurements – Table 2.
Illustrations – Moreno & Mercerat (1891).
Remarks – The trochleae of the right tarsometatarsus of specimen MLP-112 ( Fig. 10B View FIGURE 10 ), which Moreno & Mercerat (1891) conceived and assigned to Rostrornis floweri , is a mistaken assemblage, wherein the internal trochlea is, in fact, an external left trochlea. Such an error in assemblage also served Dolgopol de Saez (1927) to characterize the genus Rostrornis . An appreciable difference in the size of the tarsometatarsus of specimens FM-P13259 and MLP-91 (lectotype) ( Fig. 2C and 2D View FIGURE 2 ), shows the second to be around 33% larger than the first, which possibly testifies to a sexual dimorphism, seeing that by the characteristics, both are adults. Two distal fragments of tarsometatarsus from the museum in London (BMNH-A578 and A580) are in accordance with this difference in size ( Table 2).
Ameghino (1895) described Brontornis platyonyx , basing it on the much smaller build than B. burmeisteri . His measurements are, however, compatible with the abovementioned variation for the species ( Fig. 11 View FIGURE 11 ).
No known copyright restrictions apply. See Agosti, D., Egloff, W., 2009. Taxonomic information exchange and copyright: the Plazi approach. BMC Research Notes 2009, 2:53 for further explanation.
Kingdom |
|
Phylum |
|
Class |
|
Order |
|
Family |
|
Genus |
Brontornis burmeisteri Moreno & Mercerat, 1891
Alvarenga, Herculano M. F. & Höfling, Elizabeth 2003 |
Brontornis burmeisteri
Moreno & Mercerat 1891: 37 |
Rostrornis floweri
Moreno & Mercerat 1891: 40 |
B. burmeisteri
Moreno & Mercerat 1891 |