A new species of Opisthodactylus (1 Viewer)

Jorge I. Noriega, Emilio A. Jordan, Raúl I. Vezzosi & Juan I. Areta, 2017

A new species of Opisthodactylus Ameghino, 1891 (Aves, Rheidae), from the late Miocene of northwestern Argentina, with implications for the paleobiogeography and phylogeny of rheas.

Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology. Online edition: e1278005. doi:10.1080/02724634.2017.1278005

Abstract:

A new species of rheid, Opisthodactylus kirchneri, sp. nov., is erected on the basis of associated elements of both hind limbs from the late Miocene in northwestern Argentina. The new species extends the biochron of Opisthodactylus from early Miocene to late Miocene and its distribution from Patagonia to northwest Argentina. Cladistic analysis recovered an Opisthodactylus-Pterocnemia clade as sister to a Rhea americana clade. The Opisthodactylus-Pterocnemia clade would have inhabited the most southern, central, and western regions of southern South America throughout the early-middle Neogene, whereas the Rhea stock would have had a north-northeastern or Brazilian ancestral distribution in the lowlands of the continent. The similar biogeographic patterns of living and fossil rheids, cariamids, and tinamids seem to roughly reflect the environmental shift from closed to open habitats that took place at the southern end of South America during the Neogene and Pleistocene, and at least in the former two families the effects of isolation produced by the ‘Paranaense’ sea. Closed-habitat taxa of these three families are recorded at early Miocene localities in Patagonia (O. horacioperezi, O. patagonicus, Noriegavis santacrucensis, and Crypturellus reai), whereas open-habitat taxa come from late Miocene–early Pliocene sites at central (Pterocnemia sp. and Eudromia sp.), northwestern (O. kirchneri and Pterocnemia cf. mesopotamica), and northeastern (Pterocnemia mesopotamica) regions in Argentina.

http://zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:0BAD0813-31F8-4101-8742-93BDBCABE807

I do not have the paper yet, so more information will be provided when I have it.

Enjoy,

Fred

Opisthodactylus kirchneri, sp. nov. the holotype is MUFYCA-647 is housed at the Museo Florentino
y Carlos Ameghino and includes the following associated elements of both hind limbs: the right femur, both tibiotarsi and tarsometatarsi, and six pedal phalanges (first phalanx of left digit II; first and second phalanges of left digit III; and first, second, and third phalanges of left digit IV).

The locus typicus is northnorthwest of Agua del Cha~nar in the Santa Mar
ıa (or Yocavil) valley, Taf
ı del Valle Department, Tucum
an Province, Argentina, late Miocene

Etymology—In honor of the late N
estor Kirchner (1950–2010), past president of Argentina, for his achievements in promoting human rights and freedom of speech and his long-lasting contributions to the development of science in his home country. The walking habits of Opisthodactylus kirchneri represent a metaphor of the hard task that N
estor undertook of putting Argentina on the trail towards economic independence.

Just as the recently described Opisthodactylus horacioperezi Agnolin et Chafrat, 2015 (see http://www.birdforum.net/showthread.php?t=300918&highlight=Chafrat) it is described in Rheiformes Forbes, 1884, Rheidae Bonaparte, 1849, not in the Rheiformes Forbes, 1884, Opisthodactylidae Ameghino, 1895.

Enjoy,

Fred