Messelasturidae

Messelasturidae is an extinct family of carnivorous birds, strongly convergent with modern hawks and falcons. Initially interpreted as stem-owls,[2] more recent studies have shown that they are actually closely related to modern parrots and are in the same order, Psittaciformes.[3][4]

Messelasturidae
Temporal range: Eocene Eocene (possible Paleocene representative)[1]
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Psittaciformes
Family: †Messelasturidae
Mayr 2005
Genera
  • †Messelastur
  • †Tynskya

The known Messelasturid species are Messelastur gratulator and Tynskya eocaena.[5]

Description

On the skull, Messelasturidae possessed a raptorial beak and a large supraorbital process.[3]

On the feet, Messelasturids lacked an ossified supratendineal bridge on the distal tibiotarsus.[5] They also featured raptorlike ungual phalanges.[6]

They were likely ground dwelling carnivores. They existed at an age range of 61.7 to 40.4 Ma.[7]

Discovery and classification

The taxon was originally known from only two skulls with associated vertebrae. In 1994, a more complete skeleton was discovered from Messel, Germany, and cautiously assigned to Accipitridae (hawks).[5] Other suggested affinities were Strigiformes and Falconiformes.[3]

Another nearly uncrushed skeleton was discovered in Messel, Germany in 2010 from a stratigraphic layer suggesting it was from the Middle Eocene. This was identified as Messelastur gratulator. While previously known from lower quality fossils, the preserved feet of the fossil supported a previously suggested close relationship between Messelastur and Tynskya, the known genii of Messelasturidae. The preserved feet also showed that Messelasturids are a sister taxon of the Halcyornithidae of the early Eocene, making them a stem group representative of the parrot order Psittaciformes.[3] Tynskya is characterized by a distinctive morphology of the tarsometatarsus.[8]

Distribution

Fossils of Messelastur are known from Germany (Messel) and France (Menat).[1] Tynskya remains have been found in the US (Green River Formation), and in the UK (London Clay), illustrating the resemblance between the early Eocene birds of North America and Europe.[8]

References
  1. Mayr, Gerald; Hervet, Sophie; Buffetaut, Eric (2019). "On the diverse and widely ignored Paleocene avifauna of Menat (Puy-de-Dôme, France): new taxonomic records and unusual soft tissue preservation". Geological Magazine. 156 (3): 572–584. doi:10.1017/S0016756818000080. ISSN 0016-7568.
  2. D. S. Peters. 1994. Messelastur gratulator n. gen. n. spec., ein Greifvogel as der Grube Messel (Aves: Accipitridae). Courier Forschungsinstitut Senckenberg 170:3-9
  3. G. Mayr. 2011. Well-preserved new skeleton of the Middle Eocene Messelastur substantiates sister group relationship between Messelasturidae and Halcyornithidae (Aves, ? Pan-Psittaciformes). Journal of Systematic Palaeontology 9(1):159-171 [J. Alroy/J. Alroy]
  4. Gerald Mayr, Paleogene Fossil Birds
  5. Mayr, Gerald (2005-09-30). "The postcranial osteology and phylogenetic position of the Middle Eocene Messelastur gratulator Peters, 1994—a morphological link between owls (Strigiformes) and falconiform birds?". Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology. 25 (3): 635–645. doi:10.1671/0272-4634(2005)025[0635:TPOAPP]2.0.CO;2. ISSN 0272-4634.
  6. "The origins of crown group birds: Molecules and fossils". ResearchGate. Retrieved 2021-02-04.
  7. "Fossilworks: Messelasturidae". fossilworks.org. Retrieved 2021-02-04.
  8. Mayr, Gerald (2000-05-01). "A new raptor-like bird from the Lower Eocene of North America and Europe". Senckenbergiana lethaea. 80 (1): 59–65. doi:10.1007/BF03043664. ISSN 0037-2110.
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