The cretaceous birds of New JerseyOlson, Storrs L.
Science
The cretaceous birds of New Jersey
Olson, Storrs L.
Birds, Fossil; Paleontology -- Cretaceous; Paleontology -- New Jersey
Comparisons.--This specimen comes from a very small bird. The only
modern pelagic birds in this size range are the storm-petrels of
the family Oceanitidae and the fossil resembles this family in the
extremely straight shaft of the ulna, the shape and depth of the
tendinal grooves, and the relatively well-developed scars for the
attachment of the secondaries. It differs from the Oceanitidae in
having the ventral lip of the external condyle much more rounded and
protrudent past the plane of the shaft, whereas the carpal tubercle in
dorsal view is markedly smaller. On this basis, the fossil certainly
could not be referred to the Oceanitidae and that it should be
associated with the Procellariiformes may be doubted as well.
[Illustration: Figure 10.--_Tytthostonyx glauconiticus_, new genus
and species (holotype, NJSM 11341), right humerus: _a,b_, anconal and
palmar views of uncoated specimen to show reconstructed areas, × 0.8;
_c,d_, stereophotographs of coated specimen in anconal and palmar
views, × 1.3.]
[Illustration: Figure 11.--_Tytthostonyx glauconiticus_, new genus and
species (holotype, NJSM 11341), stereophotographs of distal end of
right humerus: _a_, anconal view; _b_, palmar view; _c_, ventral view;
_d_, dorsal view; _e_, distal view. (All figures × 2; specimens coated
with ammonium chloride to enhance detail.)]
=Aves, incertae sedis=
Figure 9_g_
Referred Material.--Distal end of left femur, NJSM 12119.
Locality and Horizon.--Inversand Company marl pit, Sewell, Gloucester
County, New Jersey; from processed spoil piles, precise stratum
unknown; collected 12 December 1981 by Cynthia Miller. Presumably
from the Hornerstown Formation but could be either Late Cretaceous or
Paleocene.
Measurements (in mm).--Distal width 4.3, distal depth 3.8.
Comparisons.--This is also from a very small bird, possibly the same
size as the species represented by the preceding ulna (ANSP 15713;
Figure 9_e,f_) but probably somewhat larger. It is characterized
by an extremely well-developed tubercle for the attachment of M.
gastrocnemius lateralis. A perfunctory perusal of modern taxa revealed
nothing similar.
=Discussion=
Because the specimens treated here are avian and of Mesozoic age, it is
almost certain that too much importance will be made of them by some
future authors. Indeed, it will probably be years before the literature
can be expunged of the records of presumed occurrences that arose from
previous misidentifications of these fossils. Therefore, in an effort
to forestall overenthusiasm for these fragments we shall present our
own brief assessment of their significance.
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