The fossil bunting Emberiza shaamarica (1 Viewer)

[Fred Ruhe]

E. S. Palastrova & Nikita V. Zelenkov, 2020

The fossil bunting Emberiza shaamarica (Aves, Emberizidae) from the Upper Pliocene of Central Asia

Paleontological Journal. 54 (6).
DOI: 10.31857/S0031031X20060070

ИСКОПАЕМАЯ ОВСЯНКА EMBERIZA SHAAMARICA (AVES, EMBERIZIDAE) ИЗ ВЕРХНЕГО ПЛИОЦЕНА ЦЕНТРАЛЬНОЙ АЗИИ

ПАЛАСТРОВА Е.С., ЗЕЛЕНКОВ Н.В.
Палеонтологический институт им. А.А. Борисяка РАН, Москва, Россия

Abstract: https://elibrary.ru/item.asp?id=43961980

Описаны новые материалы по “Rhodospiza” shaamarica Zelenkov et Kurochkin, 2012 из верхнего плиоцена местонахождений Шамар (Северная Монголия) и Береговая (Южное Забайкалье; Россия). Показано, что R. shaamarica следует относить к роду Emberiza семейства овсянковых (Emberizidae) – таким образом, это первый ископаемый вид овсянок для территории Азии. Отмечено морфологическое сходство Emberiza shaamarica comb. nov. и современных тростниковых овсянок E. schoeniclus. В статье анализируются палеонтологическая летопись и эволюционная история Emberiza. Проведена таксономическая ревизия ранее описанных ископаемых видов Emberiza.

New fossil bones of Rhodospiza shaamarica Zelenkov et Kurochkin, 2012 from the Upper Pliocene localities of Shaamar (Northern Mongolia) and Beregovaya (South Transbaikalia; Russia) are described. It is revealed that R. shaamarica indeed belongs to Emberiza of the family Emberizidae—it is the first fossil species of buntings known for Asia. Morphological similarity of E. shaamarica with modern Common Reed bunting E. schoeniclus is noted. The fossil record and evolutionary history of Emberiza is reviewed and analyzed. A taxonomical revision of the previously described fossil species of Emberiza is conducted.

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Fred

 

[Fred Ruhe]

The paper is now published in English:

E. S. Palastrova & Nikita V. Zelenkov, 2020

The fossil bunting Emberiza shaamarica (Aves, Emberizidae) from the Upper Pliocene of Central Asia

Paleontological Journal. 54 (6): 652-661

A Fossil Bunting Emberiza shaamarica (Aves, Emberizidae) from the Upper Pliocene of Central Asia

New materials on “Rhodospiza” shaamarica Zelenkov et Kurochkin, 2012 from the Upper Pliocene of Shaamar (Northern Mongolia) and Beregovaya (Southern Transbaikalia; Russia) localities are described. It is shown that R. shaamarica should be assigned to the genus Emberiza (Emberizidae): thus, this...

link.springer.com

doi:10.1134/S0031030120060076

Unfortunately there is no free pdf yet.

Fred

 

[Fred Ruhe]

SYSTEMATIC PALEONTOLOGY

Order Passeriformes
Family Emberizidae Vigors, 1825
Genus Emberiza Linnaeus, 1758
Typespecies. Emberiza citrinella L., 1758.
Diagnosis. Modern genus.

Species composition. 44 modern species (del Hoyo and Collar, 2016); E. polgardiensis Kessler, 2013 from the Upper Miocene of Hungary; E. parva Kessler, 2013, E. gaspariki Kessler, 2013, and E. media Kessler, 2013 from the Pliocene of Hungary; and E. shaamarica (Zelenkov et Kurochkin, 2012) from the Upper Pliocene of Northern Mongolia and Southern Transbaikalia.

Comparison. The family Emberizidae includes one genus, Emberiza.

Remarks. Several fossil species were assigned to the genus, but the revision we performed showed that some of them cannot be assigned to Emberiza. The holotype of E. pannonica Kessler, 2013 from the upper Miocene of Hungary is not a representative of Emberizidae; it is apparently a member of Muscicapidae (see below). E. bartkoi Kessler et Hír, 2012 from the middle Miocene of Hungary is represented by non-diagnostic material, and therefore this taxon can only be regarded as a nomen dubium.

Emberiza shaamarica (Zelenkov et Kurochkin, 2012), comb. nov.
Rhodospiza shaamarica: Zelenkov and Kurochkin, 2012, p. 329, text-figs. 3: 24, 25; 5; Zelenkov and Kurochkin, 2015, p. 256, text-fig. 88, pl. 36, figs. 24 and 25.

Holotype. Specimen PIN, no 3381/475, distal fragment of the right tarsometatarsus; Northern Mongolia, Shaamar locality; Upper Pliocene.

Material. Beregovaya locality: cranial half of the right coracoid (specimen PIN, no. 2614/270). Shaamar locality: left (specimen PIN, no. 2614/273) and right (specimen PIN, no. 2614/274) humeri without proximal ends; distal fragment of the left ulna (specimen PIN, no. 2614/271); and two distal fragments of the left (specimen PIN, no. 3381/476, 2614/272) and right (holotype PIN, no. 3381/475) tarsometatarsi.

Fred

Plate: Emberiza shaamarica (Zelenkov et Kurochkin, 2012), comb. nov. bone remains compared to the bones of the extant representatives of the genera Emberiza and Rhodospiza.

Fig. 1. Emberiza aureola, modern: (a) coracoid, ventral view; (b) coracoid, dorsal view; (d) humerus, caudal view; (f) ulna, ventrocaudal view; (g) tarsometatarsus, dorsal view; (h) tarsometatarsus, distal view.

Fig. 2. Emberiza sterwarti, modern: (a) coracoid, ventral view; (b) coracoid, dorsal view; (d) humerus, caudal view; (g) tarsometatarsus, dorsal view.

Fig. 3. Emberiza cirlus, modern: (c) coracoid, lateral view; (f) ulna, ventrocaudal view; (h) tarsometatarsus, distal view.

Fig. 4. Emberiza schoeniclus, modern: (a) coracoid, ventral view; (b) coracoid, dorsal view; (d) humerus, caudal view; (g) tarsometatarsus, dorsal view; (h) tarsometatarsus, distal view.

Fig. 5. Emberiza citrinella, modern: (a) coracoid, ventral view; (b) coracoid, dorsal view; (c) coracoid, lateral view; (d) humerus, caudal view; (f) ulna, ventrocaudal view; (g) tarsometatarsus, dorsal view; (h) tarsometatarsus, distal view.

Fig. 6. Emberiza shaamarica, upper Pliocene of Northern Mongolia (specimens PIN, Nos. 2614/271–274, 3381/475, 476) and Transbaikalia (specimen PIN, No. 2614/270): (a–c) coracoid, specimen PIN, No. 2614/270: (a) ventral view, (b) dorsal view, (c) lateral view; (d, e) humerus, specimen PIN, No. 2614/274: (d) caudal view, (e) cranial view; (f) specimen PIN, No. 2614/271, ulna, ventrocaudal view; (5g, 5h) tarsometatarsus, holotype PIN No. 3381/47: (5g) dorsal view, (5h) distal view.

Fig. 7. Emberiza leucocephala, modern: (a) coracoid, ventral view; (b) coracoid, dorsal view; (c) coracoid, lateral view; (d) humerus, caudal view; (f) ulna, ventrocaudal view; (g) tarsometatarsus, dorsal view; (h) tarsometatarsus, distal view.

Fig. 8. Rhodospiza obsoleta, modern: (g) tarsometatarsus, dorsal view; (h) tarsometatarsus, distal view.

Designations: cap—head of acrocoracoid process; col—neck of acrocoracoid process.