Brontornis burmeisteri Moreno & Mercerat, 1891

Alvarenga, Herculano M. F. & Höfling, Elizabeth, 2003, Systematic Revision Of The Phorusrhacidae (Aves: Ralliformes), Papéis Avulsos de Zoologia 43 (4), pp. 55-91 : 65-66

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 ).

Kingdom

Animalia

Phylum

Chordata

Class

Aves

Order

Gruiformes

Family

Brontornithidae

Genus

Brontornis

Loc

Brontornis burmeisteri Moreno & Mercerat, 1891

Alvarenga, Herculano M. F. & Höfling, Elizabeth 2003
2003
Loc

Brontornis burmeisteri

Moreno & Mercerat 1891: 37
1891
Loc

Rostrornis floweri

Moreno & Mercerat 1891: 40
1891
Loc

B. burmeisteri

Moreno & Mercerat 1891
1891
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