Valenticarbo
Encyclopedia
Valenticarbo is a supposed genus
of extinct bird
that lived during the Late Pliocene
or Early Pleistocene
(c. 1.8 mya) of South Asia
. It contains only the type species
, V. praetermissus.
Harrison (1979) erected this genus because he found himself unable to assign a 19th century plaster cast
of a broken tarsometatarsus
bone originally retrieved from Siwalik Hills
sediments to modern cormorants. As the fossil
itself is apparently lost, this makes the genus a nomen dubium
.
Few other researchers have commented on this, most deciding not to discuss this taxon
. Those that did chided Harrison's decision to assign an undiagnostic and possibly damaged cast as a type specimen of a new genus. Olson (1985) called it
Carroll (1988) considers this "genus" a synonym of Phalacrocorax, the modern cormorant
s. Given that fossil cormorants not assignable to Phalacrocorax are not known to have occurred later than Early Pliocene, this is likely to be correct, but the possibility that the original fossil was not of a cormorant at all cannot be discounted.
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...
of extinct bird
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...
that lived during the Late Pliocene
Pliocene
The Pliocene Epoch is the period in the geologic timescale that extends from 5.332 million to 2.588 million years before present. It is the second and youngest epoch of the Neogene Period in the Cenozoic Era. The Pliocene follows the Miocene Epoch and is followed by the Pleistocene Epoch...
or Early Pleistocene
Pleistocene
The Pleistocene is the epoch from 2,588,000 to 11,700 years BP that spans the world's recent period of repeated glaciations. The name pleistocene is derived from the Greek and ....
(c. 1.8 mya) of South Asia
Asia
Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.7% of the Earth's total surface area and with approximately 3.879 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population...
. It contains only the type species
Type species
In biological nomenclature, a type species is both a concept and a practical system which is used in the classification and nomenclature of animals and plants. The value of a "type species" lies in the fact that it makes clear what is meant by a particular genus name. A type species is the species...
, V. praetermissus.
Harrison (1979) erected this genus because he found himself unable to assign a 19th century plaster cast
Plaster cast
A plaster cast is a copy made in plaster of another 3-dimensional form. The original from which the cast is taken may be a sculpture, building, a face, a fossil or other remains such as fresh or fossilised footprints – particularly in palaeontology .Sometimes a...
of a broken tarsometatarsus
Tarsometatarsus
The tarsometatarsus is a bone that is found in the lower leg of certain tetrapods, namely birds.It is formed from the fusion of several bones found in other types of animals, and homologous to the mammalian tarsal and metatarsal bones...
bone originally retrieved from Siwalik Hills
Siwalik Hills
The Sivalik hills is a mountain range of the outer Himalayas also known as Manak Parbat in ancient times. Shivalik literally means 'tresses of Shiva’. This range is about long enclosing an area that starts almost from the Indus and ends close to the Brahmaputra, with a gap of about between the...
sediments to modern cormorants. As the fossil
Fossil
Fossils are the preserved remains or traces of animals , plants, and other organisms from the remote past...
itself is apparently lost, this makes the genus a nomen dubium
Nomen dubium
In zoological nomenclature, a nomen dubium is a scientific name that is of unknown or doubtful application...
.
Few other researchers have commented on this, most deciding not to discuss 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...
. Those that did chided Harrison's decision to assign an undiagnostic and possibly damaged cast as a type specimen of a new genus. Olson (1985) called it
"...very near the acme of zealotry for naming new species of fossil birds. It is highly doubtful that the genus Valenticarbo could be shown to be valid, even if a specimen of it did exist."
Carroll (1988) considers this "genus" a synonym of Phalacrocorax, the modern cormorant
Cormorant
The bird family Phalacrocoracidae is represented by some 40 species of cormorants and shags. Several different classifications of the family have been proposed recently, and the number of genera is disputed.- Names :...
s. Given that fossil cormorants not assignable to Phalacrocorax are not known to have occurred later than Early Pliocene, this is likely to be correct, but the possibility that the original fossil was not of a cormorant at all cannot be discounted.
External links
- Carroll, Robert L. (1988): Vertebrate Paleontology and Evolution. W.H. Freeman and Company. ISBN 0-7167-1822-7
- Harrison, C. J. O. (1979): The Pliocene Siwalik cormorant. Tertiary Research 2(2): 57-58.
- Olson, Storrs L. (1985): Section X.G.5.d. Phalacrocoracidae. In: Farner, D.S.; King, J.R. & Parkes, Kenneth C. (eds.): Avian Biology 8: 207-208. Academic Press, New York.