Oraristrix, Campbell & Bocheński, 2010

Campbell, Kenneth E. & Bocheński, Zbigniew M., 2010, A New Genus for the Extinct Late Pleistocene Owl Strix brea Howard (Aves: Strigiformes) from Rancho La Brea, California, Records of the Australian Museum 62 (1), pp. 123-144 : 125

Oraristrix new genus

Type and only included species. Strix brea Howard, 1933 .

Diagnosis. The tarsometatarsus of Oraristrix ( Fig. 1 ) is diagnosed by having (1) Crista medialis hypotarsi with posterior surface long and relatively narrow (posterior surface broad, narrow, or egg-shaped, but moderately long to short in Strix ; posterior surface either egg-shaped or broad, moderately long to short in Bubo ); (2) Crista medialis hypotarsi with medial edge of posterior surface concave, in posterior view (posterior surface with variable medial edge in Strix ; posterior surface rarely with slightly concave medial edge in Bubo ); (3) Crista medialis hypotarsi extending posteriad and laterad such that posterior lateral edge of hypotarsus lies farther laterally than anterior base (extends less laterad in Strix ; extends posteriad closer to perpendicular to transverse plane of bone in Bubo ); (4) Crista medialis hypotarsi with internal side deeply concave (internal side moderately to deeply concave in Strix and moderately concave in Bubo ); (5) Crista medialis hypotarsi bordered medially by prominent angular ridge (a moderate to strongly angular ridge present in Strix and only a weak, rounded ridge present in Bubo ); (6) Cotyla lateralis with posterolateral process, in lateral view, joining posterolateral edge of shaft rather abruptly (process joins posterolateral edge of shaft abruptly to gradually in Strix ; process joins posterolateral edge of shaft gradually in Bubo ); (7) Trochlea metatarsi II, in medial view, with “wing” directed posteriad, or plantarad, and with only a slight trend distad (more rounded, in medial view, with posterodistal corner with significant turn distad in Strix and Bubo ); (8) Trochlea metatarsi III, in distal view, with external rim bulging laterad sufficiently to hide distal foramen (similar, but not as extreme, in Strix ; does not bulge laterad sufficiently to hide distal foramen in Bubo ); (9) Trochlea metatarsi III with lateral rim straight posteriorly, in lateral view (similar in Strix ; lateral rim anteroposteriorly rounded and projecting much farther posteriad than medial rim, in lateral view, in Bubo ); (10) Trochlea metatarsi IV extends farther distad relative to Trochlea metatarsi III than that of Strix and much farther distad relative to Trochlea metatarsi III of Bubo .

Etymology. Oraristrix , from orarius, Latin, of the coast, and strix, Latin, owl. In reference to the species’ known late Pleistocene distribution in coastal southwestern California.

Figures

Figure 1. Holotypic tarsometatarsus of Oraristrix brea (LACM RLB E9379) in (A) anterior, (B) lateral, (C) posterior, (D) medial, (E) proximal, and (F) distal views. Lateral view (G) of distal tarsometatarsus of O. brea (LACM RLB K9623) illustrates the straight posterior edge of the lateral condyle of Trochlea III. Scale bar = 20 mm.