Plotopteridae
| Plotopterids | |
|---|---|
 | |
| A fossil sternum of Copepteryx from the Oligocene epoch of Japan. | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Suliformes |
| Family: | †Plotopteridae Howard, 1969 |
| Genera | |
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Plotopteridae[1] is an extinct family of flightless seabirds that lived in the Northern Pacific from the Eocene to Miocene epoch.
Plotopterids ranged in size from that of a large cormorant, such as a Brandt's cormorant (Urile penicillatus), to very large sizes. Some species had femur lengths two times longer than the emperor penguin (Aptenodytes forsteri).[2] They had shortened wings that were optimised for underwater wing-propelled pursuit diving similar to penguins or the now extinct great auk (Pinguinus impennis). They had a body skeleton similar to that of the darter.
Taxonomy
[edit]They have uncertain placement, generally considered as member of order Suliformes which includes sulids such as gannets and boobies, frigatebirds, cormorants and darters.[2] Plotopterids are regarded as closely related to Anhingidae (darters) and Phalacrocoracidae (cormorants). On the other hand, there is a theory that this group may have a common ancestor with penguins due to the similarity of forelimb and brain morphology. [2][3][4] However, the endocast morphology of stem group Sphenisciformes differs from both Plotopteridae and modern penguins.[5]
Plotopterids were not closely related to penguins annd instead exhibited remarkable convergent evolution with penguins and in particular with the now extinct giant penguins.[6][7] They differ from modern penguins in that they lived in the Northern Pacific Ocean which is located on the other side of the world from where penguins lives. This has led Plotopterids to them being described at times as the Northern Hemisphere's penguins, More recent studies have shown that the shoulder-girdle, forelimb and sternum of plotopterids differ significantly from those of penguins. This means that comparisons in terms of function may not be entirely accurate.[8]
Evolution
[edit]They seem to have evolved in the arctic islands during the mid-Eocene. From there, they would spread southwards with the formation of kelp forests.[9] The earliest known member of the family, Phocavis maritimus lived during the late Eocene, but most of the known species lived during Oligocene. Plotopterids would become extinct in the early to mid-Miocene. That they became extinct at the same time as the giant penguins of the Southern Hemisphere, which also coincided with the radiation of the seals and dolphins, has led to speculation that the expansion of marine mammals was responsible for the extinction of the Plotopteridae, though this has not been formally tested.
Distribution
[edit]Plotopterids lived throughout much of the Northern Pacific. Their fossils have been found in California, Oregon,[10] Washington,[11][12] British Columbia,[13] Hokkaido, Tōhoku, Chūbu and Kyushu.[14]
References
[edit]- ↑ Howard, H. (1969). "A new avian fossil from Kern County, California" (PDF). Condor. 71 (1): 68–69. doi:10.2307/1366050. JSTOR 1366050.
- 1 2 3 Mori, Hirotsugu; Miyata, Kazunori (2021). "Early Plotopteridae Specimens (Aves) from the Itanoura and Kakinoura Formations (Latest Eocene to Early Oligocene), Saikai, Nagasaki Prefecture, Western Japan". Paleontological Research. 25 (2): 145–159. Bibcode:2021PalRe..25.R018M. doi:10.2517/2020PR018. ISSN 1342-8144. S2CID 233029559.
- ↑ Kawabe, Soichiro; Ando, Tatsuro; Endo, Hideki (2014). "Enigmatic affinity in the brain morphology between plotopterids and penguins, with a comprehensive comparison among water birds". Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society. 170 (3): 467–493. doi:10.1111/zoj.12072. ISSN 1096-3642.
- ↑ Mayr, Gerald; Goedert, James L.; Vogel, Olaf (2015-07-04). "Oligocene plotopterid skulls from western North America and their bearing on the phylogenetic affinities of these penguin-like seabirds". Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology. 35 (4) e943764. Bibcode:2015JVPal..35E3764M. doi:10.1080/02724634.2014.943764. ISSN 0272-4634. S2CID 83729696.
- ↑ Mayr, Gerald; Goedert, James L.; Pietri, Vanesa L. De; Scofield, R. Paul (2021). "Comparative osteology of the penguin-like mid-Cenozoic Plotopteridae and the earliest true fossil penguins, with comments on the origins of wing-propelled diving". Journal of Zoological Systematics and Evolutionary Research. 59 (1): 264–276. doi:10.1111/jzs.12400. ISSN 1439-0469.
- ↑ Olson, Storrs L.; Hasegawa, Yoshikazu (1979). "Fossil Counterparts of Giant Penguins from the North Pacific". Science. 206 (4419): 688–689. Bibcode:1979Sci...206..688O. doi:10.1126/science.206.4419.688. PMID 17796934. S2CID 12404154.
- ↑ Olson, Storrs L. & Hasegawa, Yoshikazu (1996). "A new genus and two new species of gigantic Plotopteridae from Japan (Aves: Pelecaniformes)". J. Vertebr. Paleontol. 16 (4): 742–751. Bibcode:1996JVPal..16..742O. doi:10.1080/02724634.1996.10011362.
- ↑ Tatsuro et al., New Skeletal Remains of Plotopterids from Japan, SVP 2015
- ↑ Mayr, G.; Goedert, J. (2021). "New late Eocene and Oligocene plotopterid fossils from Washington State (USA), with a revision of "Tonsala" buchanani (Aves, Plotopteridae)". Journal of Paleontology. (e1163573) online preview: 224–236. doi:10.1017/jpa.2021.81. S2CID 240582610.
- ↑ Goedert, James L. (1988). "A new late Eocene species of Plototpteridae (Aves: Pelecaniformes) from northwestern Oregon". Proceedings of the California Academy of Sciences. 45: 97–102.
- ↑ Gerald Mayr & James L. Goedert (2016). "New late Eocene and Oligocene remains of the flightless, penguin-like plotopterids (Aves, Plotopteridae) from western Washington State, U.S.A.". Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology. 36 (4) e1163573. Bibcode:2016JVPal..36E3573M. doi:10.1080/02724634.2016.1163573. S2CID 88129671.
- ↑ Mayr, Gerald; Goedert, James L. (2018). "First record of a tarsometatarsus of Tonsala hildegardae (Plotopteridae) and other avian remains from the late Eocene/early Oligocene of Washington State (USA)". Geobios. 51 (1): 51–59. Bibcode:2018Geobi..51...51M. doi:10.1016/j.geobios.2017.12.006.
- ↑ Gary Kaiser; Junya Watanabe & Marji Johns (2015). "A new member of the family Plotopteridae (Aves) from the late Oligocene of British Columbia, Canada". Palaeontologia Electronica. 18 (3): Article number 18.3.52A.
- ↑ "西海市から発見された世界最古級のペンギンモドキの化石について" (PDF) (Press release). 西海市教育委員会、蒲郡市教育委員会、福井県立恐竜博物館. 2020-08-18. Retrieved 2022-02-26.
- Howard, H. (1969). "A new avian fossil from Kern County, California" (PDF). Condor. 71 (1): 68–69. doi:10.2307/1366050. JSTOR 1366050.
- Olson, Storrs L.; Hasegawa, Yoshikazu (1979). "Fossil Counterparts of Giant Penguins from the North Pacific". Science. 206 (4419): 688–689. Bibcode:1979Sci...206..688O. doi:10.1126/science.206.4419.688. PMID 17796934. S2CID 12404154.
- Olson, Storrs L. & Hasegawa, Yoshikazu (1996). "A new genus and two new species of gigantic Plotopteridae from Japan (Aves: Pelecaniformes)". J. Vertebr. Paleontol. 16 (4): 742–751. Bibcode:1996JVPal..16..742O. doi:10.1080/02724634.1996.10011362.
- Schreiber, E.A. & Burger, J. (2001). Biology of Marine Birds. Taylor & Francis. ISBN 0-8493-9882-7.
- Mayr, Gerald (2005). "Tertiary plotopterids (Aves, Plotopteridae) and a novel hypothesis on the phylogenetic relationships of penguins (Spheniscidae)" (PDF). Journal of Zoological Systematics and Evolutionary Research. 43 (1): 67–71. doi:10.1111/j.1439-0469.2004.00291.x.
- Gary Kaiser; Junya Watanabe & Marji Johns (2015). "A new member of the family Plotopteridae (Aves) from the late Oligocene of British Columbia, Canada". Palaeontologia Electronica. 18 (3): Article number 18.3.52A.
- Gerald Mayr & James L. Goedert (2016). "New late Eocene and Oligocene remains of the flightless, penguin-like plotopterids (Aves, Plotopteridae) from western Washington State, U.S.A.". Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology. 36 (4) e1163573. Bibcode:2016JVPal..36E3573M. doi:10.1080/02724634.2016.1163573. S2CID 88129671.
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