Patagornis marshi Moreno & Mercerat, 1891

Alvarenga, Herculano M. F. & Höfling, Elizabeth, 2003, Systematic Revision Of The Phorusrhacidae (Aves: Ralliformes), Papéis Avulsos de Zoologia 43 (4), pp. 55-91 : 77-78

Patagornis marshi Moreno & Mercerat, 1891

revalid. name

Patagornis marshi Moreno & Mercerat, 1891 (May) .

Tolmodus inflatus Ameghino, 1891 (June) ; Brodkorb, 1967 (syn. of Paleociconia cristata ).

Phororhacos inflatus ; Ameghino, 1891 (August); Andrews, 1899; Brodkorb, 1967 (syn. of Paleociconia cristata ).

Paleociconia cristata ; Brodkorb, 1967.

Lectotype – (by present designation): A mandibular symphysis lacking the rostral extremity (MLP-143), described and portrayed by Moreno & Mercerat as a premaxilla.

Hypodigm – One of the best represented Phorusrhacidae by the amount of fossils. Together with the lectotype, several segments of the skeleton, amongst which various bone segments from the hind-limbs, are described and well portrayed by Moreno & Mercerat (1891), of which at least the majority could belong to the same individual. (MLP-144 to 158). An almost complete and well-preserved skeleton (BMNH-A516), is described in details by Andrews (1899). Another almost complete, although badly deformed skeleton is at the Museo de La Plata (MLP-84-III-9-21), and includes the skull ( Fig. 27 ). A parcial skeleton (AMNH-9264) was wellportrayed by Sinclair & Farr (1910: PL. XXXII), although the authors did not identify it. A complete and isolated tarsometatarsus (FM-P13213) was the only long bone of a young Phorusrhacidae examined in the present work, the proximal epiphysis being completely unfused to the diaphysis, and the total length (243 mm) almost 90% of that of an adult. A fragmment of the rostral portion of the mandibular symphysis of a Phorusrhacidae (BMNH-586) is described and portrayed by Ameghino (1891b) as belonging to the extremity of the premaxilla of Opisthodactilus patagonicus , when in fact it should be assigned to a mandibular symphysis of Patagornis marshi .

Horizon and Locality – Lower to Middle Miocene (Santacrucian) of Argentina, Province of Santa Cruz, the Santa Cruz Formation: Monte Observación, Tagua Quemada, La Cueva .

Measurements – Tables 1 and 7; Andrews (1899).

Illustrations – Moreno & Mercerat (1891: PL. XIV and XV), Andrews (1899), Ameghino (1899), and Sinclair & Farr (1932: PL. XXXII).

Figures

FIGURE 27. Skull of Patagornis marshi (MLP-84-III-9-21) from the Province of Santa Cruz, Argentina, which was associated to a large part of the skeleton, still in the preparation phase. A - right lateral view; B - dorsal view; C - ventral view, and D - dorsocaudal view; approximate length of the skull, 35 cm.