Palaeotringa
Encyclopedia
Palaeotringa is a prehistoric bird
genus
that was discovered by O. C. Marsh during the bone wars
. Its remains were found in the controversial Hornerstown Formation
of New Jersey
(USA) which straddles the Cretaceous
-Paleocene
boundary some 66 million years ago. Though it cannot be said if these birds lived before or after the K-Pg extinction event, they were in all likelihood wading birds that inhabited the coasts of the northwestern Atlantic.
Two species
are assigned to this genus nowadays, Palaeotringa littoralis and P. vagans. They were for some time believed to be primitive, small Gruiformes
and later on placed in the form taxon
"Graculavidae", the "transitional shorebirds". Though they appear to be early Charadriiformes
- and may well be so, for this order
seems to date back to the Cretaceous - their remains are too fragmentary for cladistic analysis to say anything more precise than that they are Neornithes like all birds alive today. Instead of being Charadriiformes, they might be some distinct but rather basal member of the Neoaves, close to the common ancestor of some or all of such birds as crane
s, rails, stork
s and/or heron
s perhaps. Although their exact origin is not known, it is likely that some primitive and probably fairly small ancestral birds of these lineages were around at the end of the Cretaceous. It may be noted, however, that the Hornerstown Formation seems to contain little else but marine and seashore animals.
There exist two distal tibiotarsi from another bird species, specimens ANSP
13361 and AMNH 25221. Initially assigned to this genus too, one bone each of "Palaeotringa" vetus was found in the Hornerstown Formation and in the Maastrichtian
Lance Formation
in Wyoming
. Later analyses concluded that they were not of a Palaeotringa and at first the bones were assigned to Telmatornis priscus. More recently, a reevaluation considered them neither close to Palaeotringa nor to Charadriiformes in general. Rather, the bones share some characters with Gruidae and Idiornithidae as well as the presbyornithid
Telmabates. Much like with its erstwhile relatives, cladistic analysis is unable to resolve the affinities of this taxon
for dearth of material.
Bird
Birds are feathered, winged, bipedal, endothermic , egg-laying, vertebrate animals. Around 10,000 living species and 188 families makes them the most speciose class of tetrapod vertebrates. They inhabit ecosystems across the globe, from the Arctic to the Antarctic. Extant birds range in size from...
genus
Genus
In biology, a genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, which is an example of definition by genus and differentia...
that was discovered by O. C. Marsh during the bone wars
Bone Wars
The Bone Wars, also known as the "Great Dinosaur Rush", refers to a period of intense fossil speculation and discovery during the Gilded Age of American history, marked by a heated rivalry between Edward Drinker Cope and Othniel Charles Marsh...
. Its remains were found in the controversial Hornerstown Formation
Hornerstown Formation
The Hornerstown Formation is a Paleogene or latest Mesozoic geologic formation. The age of these deposits have been controversial. While most fossils are of animals types known from the earliest Cenozoic era, several fossils of otherwise exclusively Cretaceous age have been found...
of New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
(USA) which straddles the Cretaceous
Cretaceous
The Cretaceous , derived from the Latin "creta" , usually abbreviated K for its German translation Kreide , is a geologic period and system from circa to million years ago. In the geologic timescale, the Cretaceous follows the Jurassic period and is followed by the Paleogene period of the...
-Paleocene
Paleocene
The Paleocene or Palaeocene, the "early recent", is a geologic epoch that lasted from about . It is the first epoch of the Palaeogene Period in the modern Cenozoic Era...
boundary some 66 million years ago. Though it cannot be said if these birds lived before or after the K-Pg extinction event, they were in all likelihood wading birds that inhabited the coasts of the northwestern Atlantic.
Two species
Species
In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring. While in many cases this definition is adequate, more precise or differing measures are...
are assigned to this genus nowadays, Palaeotringa littoralis and P. vagans. They were for some time believed to be primitive, small Gruiformes
Gruiformes
The Gruiformes are an order containing a considerable number of living and extinct bird families, with a widespread geographical diversity. Gruiform means "crane-like"....
and later on placed in the form taxon
Form taxon
Form classification is the classification of organisms based on their morphology, which does not necessarily reflect their biological relationships...
"Graculavidae", the "transitional shorebirds". Though they appear to be early Charadriiformes
Charadriiformes
Charadriiformes is a diverse order of small to medium-large birds. It includes about 350 species and has members in all parts of the world. Most Charadriiformes live near water and eat invertebrates or other small animals; however, some are pelagic , some occupy deserts and a few are found in thick...
- and may well be so, for this order
Order (biology)
In scientific classification used in biology, the order is# a taxonomic rank used in the classification of organisms. Other well-known ranks are life, domain, kingdom, phylum, class, family, genus, and species, with order fitting in between class and family...
seems to date back to the Cretaceous - their remains are too fragmentary for cladistic analysis to say anything more precise than that they are Neornithes like all birds alive today. Instead of being Charadriiformes, they might be some distinct but rather basal member of the Neoaves, close to the common ancestor of some or all of such birds as crane
Crane (bird)
Cranes are a family, Gruidae, of large, long-legged and long-necked birds in the order Gruiformes. There are fifteen species of crane in four genera. Unlike the similar-looking but unrelated herons, cranes fly with necks outstretched, not pulled back...
s, rails, stork
Stork
Storks are large, long-legged, long-necked wading birds with long, stout bills. They belong to the family Ciconiidae. They are the only family in the biological order Ciconiiformes, which was once much larger and held a number of families....
s and/or heron
Heron
The herons are long-legged freshwater and coastal birds in the family Ardeidae. There are 64 recognised species in this family. Some are called "egrets" or "bitterns" instead of "heron"....
s perhaps. Although their exact origin is not known, it is likely that some primitive and probably fairly small ancestral birds of these lineages were around at the end of the Cretaceous. It may be noted, however, that the Hornerstown Formation seems to contain little else but marine and seashore animals.
There exist two distal tibiotarsi from another bird species, specimens ANSP
Academy of Natural Sciences
The Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University, formerly Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia, is the oldest natural science research institution and museum in the New World...
13361 and AMNH 25221. Initially assigned to this genus too, one bone each of "Palaeotringa" vetus was found in the Hornerstown Formation and in the Maastrichtian
Maastrichtian
The Maastrichtian is, in the ICS' geologic timescale, the latest age or upper stage of the Late Cretaceous epoch or Upper Cretaceous series, the Cretaceous period or system, and of the Mesozoic era or erathem. It spanned from 70.6 ± 0.6 Ma to 65.5 ± 0.3 Ma...
Lance Formation
Lance Formation
The Lance Formation is a division of Late Cretaceous rocks in the western United States. Named after Lance Creek, Wyoming, the microvertebrate fossils and dinosaurs represent important components of the latest Mesozoic vertebrate faunas...
in Wyoming
Wyoming
Wyoming is a state in the mountain region of the Western United States. The western two thirds of the state is covered mostly with the mountain ranges and rangelands in the foothills of the Eastern Rocky Mountains, while the eastern third of the state is high elevation prairie known as the High...
. Later analyses concluded that they were not of a Palaeotringa and at first the bones were assigned to Telmatornis priscus. More recently, a reevaluation considered them neither close to Palaeotringa nor to Charadriiformes in general. Rather, the bones share some characters with Gruidae and Idiornithidae as well as the presbyornithid
Presbyornithidae
Presbyornithidae were a family of waterbirds with an apparently global distribution that lived until the Earliest Oligocene, but are now extinct...
Telmabates. Much like with its erstwhile relatives, cladistic analysis is unable to resolve the affinities of this taxon
Taxon
|thumb|270px|[[African elephants]] form a widely-accepted taxon, the [[genus]] LoxodontaA taxon is a group of organisms, which a taxonomist adjudges to be a unit. Usually a taxon is given a name and a rank, although neither is a requirement...
for dearth of material.