Paleoenvironment of the Earliest Hominoids: New Evidence from the Oligocene Avifauna of Egypt

Olson, Storrs L.; Rasmussén, D. Tab

doi:10.1126/science.233.4769.1202

Cited by 30 publications

(23 citation statements)

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“…This coincides with the information from the teleost ®shes. Olson and Rasmussen (1986) noted that a modern avifauna comparable to that of the Jebel Qatrani is present today only in a limited area north and west of Lake Victoria. Similarly, the living African channids and Tylochromis spp.…”

Section: A S S O C I a T E D N O N -T E L E O S T F I S H E Smentioning

confidence: 99%

Late Eocene and early Oligocene teleost and associated ichthyofauna of the Jebel Qatrani Formation, Fayum, Egypt

Murray

2004

Palaeontology

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ABSTRACT. Fishes from the late Eocene and Oligocene Jebel Qatrani Formation of the Fayum, Egypt, have been collected for many years, but have not been extensively studied. Collections from various sites in the formation, predominantly representing riverine and shallow lake deposits, include remains of several ®shes not known previously. The teleost ®shes from these collections [representing Characiformes, Siluriformes, Cichlidae, Latidae ( Centropomidae), and Channidae] include species that are similar to those found in the older, underlying, Qasr el Sagha Formation (cat®shes), as well as species of ®shes previously unrecorded from the Fayum (cichlids and latids), or even from the Tertiary of Africa (channids). It has been suggested that the Jebel Qatrani Formation represents an area of swampy rivers with overgrown banks and¯oating vegetation and at least one small lake. The ®sh remains support this reconstruction of the palaeoenvironment, and further indicate that open riverine habitat was also probably available.KEY WORDS: Channidae, Characiformes, Cichlidae, Egypt, Fayum, Latidae, Siluriformes. Priem 1905;Weiler 1929). Overlying the Qasr el Sagha Formation is the Jebel Qatrani Formation, which contains deposits ranging from late Eocene through Oligocene in age. The only ®sh remains previously reported from this formation are bones of cat®shes and lung®shes (Stromer 1916;Peyer 1928; Greenwood 1974) and characiform teeth (Roberts 1975). Teleost material collected from several localities in the Jebel Qatrani Formation by the team of Dr Elwyn Simons of Duke University in cooperation with the Egyptian Geological Survey, includes previously unreported or new species belonging to Cichlidae, Channidae and Latidae, in addition to cat®sh and characiform remains.The Jebel Qatrani Formation was once considered to represent¯uvio-marine conditions (e.g. Peyer 1928); however, Bown and Kraus (1988) found that the formation documents almost exclusively¯uvial conditions. It was probably laid down in alluvial conditions during the retreat of the Tethys Sea (Kappelman et al. 1992). Rasmussen et al. (2001) noted that the formation consists mainly of sandstones and mudstones deposited as river bars and overbank sediment, and suggested that the formation accumulated as part of an aggrading system of river channels, which¯owed primarily westward into a basin south of the Tethys Sea shoreline. Their studies led to the reconstruction of the depositional environment as a lowland area of tropical swamp forests, marshes and meandering rivers that probably had a monsoonal climate (Rasmussen et al. 2001).The ®sh material discussed in this paper comes from several different sites (Text-®g. 1) in the formation, which is separated by the Barite Sandstone into upper and lower parts. The three sites below the Barite Sandstone, locality 41 (L-41) and quarries B and E, along with quarries G and V above the sandstone are [Palaeontology, Vol. 47, Part 3, 2004, pp. 711±724] q The Palaeontological Association dated as late Eocene. The other ®ve s...

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Section: A S S O C I a T E D N O N -T E L E O S T F I S H E Smentioning

confidence: 99%

Late Eocene and early Oligocene teleost and associated ichthyofauna of the Jebel Qatrani Formation, Fayum, Egypt

Murray

2004

Palaeontology

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“…Previously described avian diversity from the Jebel Qatrani Formation includes many birds that are common in fluvially-dominated terrains today. These birds include cuckoos (Cuculiformes), falcons (Falconiformes), cranes and relatives (Gruiformes), shorebirds (Charadriiformes), flamingos (Phoenicopteriformes), cormorants (Pelecaniformes), herons, and storks (Ciconiiformes; Olson and Rasmussen 1986). Along with systematically enigmatic taxa such as Eremopezus eocaenus, the potential addition of Ameghinornithidae to the avifauna of the Jebel Qatrani Formation complements our knowledge of how the Oligocene aviafauna of northern Africa differs from that of similarly aged and better known avifaunas from Europe.…”

Section: Geologic Contextmentioning

confidence: 99%

An ameghinornithid-like bird (Aves, Cariamae, ?Ameghinornithidae) from the early Oligocene of Egypt

Stidham

Smith

2015

Palaeontologia Electronica

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The Ameghinornithidae are an enigmatic group of potentially flightless Paleogene birds currently known from three European species. Herein, we report a new fossil that represents the first record of an ameghinornithid-like bird from Africa. The new specimen was collected from the early Oligocene Jebel Qatrani Formation exposed in the Fayum Depression of northern Egypt, and may represent the youngest record of the clade. The new specimen exhibits many similarities with European ameghinornithids, including the absence of an ossified supratendinal bridge on the tibiotarsus, a circular lateral condyle of the tibiotarsus, and a large medial epicondyle. The Fayum specimen is intermediate in size compared to the European ameghinornithids and is characterized by the absence of a projection of the medial condyle cranial to the lateral condyle and the presence of paired ridges (and associated grooves) proximal to the lateral condyle. The occurrence of Ameghinornithidae in the early Oligocene of Africa would have implications regarding the timing and pattern of biogeographic interchanges across the Tethys seaway.

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“…T H E presence of a large, ratite-sized bird in the lower Tertiary of Africa has been known for nearly a century (Andrews 1904(Andrews , 1906, but its precise relationships, age, and palaeobiology have remained unknown because of the few, relatively uninformative fossil fragments that were found and the lack of detailed information about stratigraphy and the age of the deposits (Andrews 1906;Lambrecht 1929Lambrecht , 1933Rasmussen et al 1987). Based on the three available non-diagnostic materials, it was hypothesized that two genera of large Fayum birds were present, and that they might be related to the extinct elephant birds of Madagascar (Aepyornithidae).…”

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“…Whether or not these diverse birds represent a ratite clade, or several convergent developments of large size and¯ightlessness, remains a perennial debate in avian evolution (e.g. de Beer 1956;Bock 1963;Gingerich 1967;Cracraft 1974;Feduccia 1980Feduccia , 1996Olson 1985). An early fossil record of any of these ratite groups would be a valuable contribution to understanding their evolutionary histories, but to date, only a few fragments of apparent ratites are known as fossils as old as the Paleogene (Olson 1985;Patterson and Rich 1987;Martin 1992;Feduccia 1996).…”

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“…de Beer 1956;Bock 1963;Gingerich 1967;Cracraft 1974;Feduccia 1980Feduccia , 1996Olson 1985). An early fossil record of any of these ratite groups would be a valuable contribution to understanding their evolutionary histories, but to date, only a few fragments of apparent ratites are known as fossils as old as the Paleogene (Olson 1985;Patterson and Rich 1987;Martin 1992;Feduccia 1996). Most of the few possible ratites that are known are impossible to tie con®dently to speci®c modern ratite lineages.…”

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Hindlimb of a giant terrestrial bird from the upper Eocene, Fayum, Egypt

et al. 2001

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ABSTRACT. Eremopezus eocaenus Andrews, 1904 is a giant groundbird from upper Eocene deposits of the Fayum, Egypt, which has hitherto been known from non-diagnostic fragmentary material. New fossils collected from quarry L-41 of the Jebel Qatrani Formation include two well-preserved distal tarsometatarsi and an associated whole tarsometatarsus and distal tibiotarsus that allow a more precise evaluation of the phylogenetic position and tarsal function of Eremopezus. Unlike most ratites, the distal tarsometatarsus has a patent distal foramen and a slight hallucal digit. The trochlea for digits II and IV are only slightly reduced in size, are splayed to the right, and the heads lack deep grooving. These features resemble the condition seen in Balaeniceps and Sagittarius, suggesting active use of the toes in grasping or manipulation, rather than the condition in graviports and cursors, which have reduced medial and lateral trochleae often with distinct grooving of the heads. The limb is relatively long and gracile, another difference from graviports. There is no compelling evidence to link Eremopezus to any known ratite lineage, to the Phorusrhacoidea, or to the extinct predatory birds of the Eocene (e.g. Diatryma, Gastornis). We suggest that Eremopezus represents an endemic African group that independently attained large size and¯ightlessness.

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Paleoenvironment of the Earliest Hominoids: New Evidence from the Oligocene Avifauna of Egypt

Cited by 30 publications

References 11 publications

Late Eocene and early Oligocene teleost and associated ichthyofauna of the Jebel Qatrani Formation, Fayum, Egypt

Late Eocene and early Oligocene teleost and associated ichthyofauna of the Jebel Qatrani Formation, Fayum, Egypt

An ameghinornithid-like bird (Aves, Cariamae, ?Ameghinornithidae) from the early Oligocene of Egypt

Hindlimb of a giant terrestrial bird from the upper Eocene, Fayum, Egypt

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