Estimating the Ontogenetic Status of an Enantiornithine Bird from the Lower Barremian of El Montsec, Central Pyrenees, Spain

An Enantiornithes specimen from El Montsec was initially described as an immature individual based upon qualitative traits such as its relatively large orbit and overall proportions of the skull and the postcranium. In this study we re-evaluate the precise determination of the ontogenetic stage of t...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published inEstudios geológicos (Madrid)
Main Authors Cambra Moo, Óscar, Chamero Macho, Beatriz, Marugán Lobón, Jesús, Delclòs Martínez, Xavier, Poyato Ariza, Francisco José, Delgado Buscalioni, Ángela
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Spanish
Published Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC) 2006
Subjects
Animals extints
Birds
Extinct animals
Montsec (Catalunya)
Montsec Mountains (Catalonia)
Ocells
Ontogeny
Ontogènesi
Tafonomia
Taphonomy
Online AccessGet full text

Cover

More Information
Summary:An Enantiornithes specimen from El Montsec was initially described as an immature individual based upon qualitative traits such as its relatively large orbit and overall proportions of the skull and the postcranium. In this study we re-evaluate the precise determination of the ontogenetic stage of this individual, establishing a cross-talk among taphonomic, anatomic, and morphometric data. The exceptional preservation of the specimen has allowed pondering ontogenetic influence versus preservational bias in features like the external patterns of bone surfaces, instead of being aprioristically considered due to taphonomic alterations only. The rough texture of the periosteal bone associated with pores in the distal, proximal and mid-shaft areas of the humeral shaft, indicates a subadult stage when compared with long bones of modern birds. Forelimb proportions of embryo and juvenile Enanthiornithes are equivalent to those of adult individuals of other taxa within this clade, though this is not a reliable criterion for establishing a precise ontogenetic stage. The El Montsec specimen may be attributed a close adulthood, yet only if growth regimes in Enantiornithes are considered equivalent to those in Neornithes birds.
ISSN:0367-0449