A new species of extinct fossil scops owl (Aves: Strigiformes: Strigidae: Otus) from the Archipelago of Madeira (North Atlantic Ocean)
Author
Rando, Juan Carlos
Author
Pieper, Harald
Author
Alcover, Josep Antoni
Author
Olson, Storrs L.
text
Zootaxa
2012
3182
29
42
journal article
45508
10.5281/zenodo.209430
a052a993-3606-4cbf-b881-f58de263940c
1175-5326
209430
Otus
cf.
O. mauli
The Porto Santo
Scops
Owl (
Fig. 7
)
Due to fragmentation and poor preservation, it is impossible to refer the bones of
Otus
from Porto Santo to
O. mauli
with any degree of confidence. Nevertheless, as in the Madeiran
Otus mauli
, the wing bones are similar in size to
O. scops
, whereas the hindlimb bones are longer, roughly similar in size or slightly smaller than those of the Madeiran species. Thus, they clearly represent either
Otus mauli
or a close relative, and thus are listed here as
Otus
cf.
mauli
. The material from Porto Santo consists of (localities and collection dates indicated;
Fig. 1
): MMF 41646, damaged left ulna with the proximal end broken and the distal end slightly broken (Porto dos Frades,
21 Sep 1985
); MMF 41647, left humerus with the proximal end broken and epicondylus dorsalis and condylus ventralis humeri slightly damaged (Fonte da Areia,
20 Sep 1985
); DZUL 3056, fragment of diaphysis of a right tibiotarsus (Fonte da Areia,
20 Sep 1985
); MMF 41648, left tarsometatarsus with distal articulation broken and
crista medialis hypotarsi
and
crista hypotarsi
broken (Porto dos Frades,
14 Apr 1984
); MMF 41649, small proximal fragment of a left radius (Porto dos Frades,
21 Sep 1986
); MMF 41650, right scapula with the acromion slightly eroded and the
extremitas caudalis
broken (Porto dos Frades,
22 Sep 1989
); MMF 41651, fragment of diaphysis of a right humerus (Porto dos Frades,
18 May 1992
).