Storrs L. Olson

“ Presbyornis combines a long-legged shorebird-like body with the head of a duck. The fragmentary Cretaceous fossils from New Jersey, all of which are postcranial, usually show more similarity to Presbyornis than to any modern group of birds except the Burhinidae. Therefore, our comparisons have been made chiefly with these two groups.
With the fragmentary material at hand it is difficult, well nigh impossible, to make hard and fast taxonomic judgments concerning the number of species, genera, or families represented. ”

“ Anatalavis is proposed as a new genus for Telmatornis rex Shufeldt, 1915. A new family, genus, and species (Tytthostonychidae, Tytthostonyx glauconiticus) is proposed for a humerus showing similarities to the Pelecaniformes and Procellariiformes and tentatively referred to the latter, along with an ulna of a much smaller species. The species in this fauna appear to be part of the modern radiation of neognathous birds, but none can be referred to modern families. ”

“ Unlike most other Cretaceous birds, such as the Hesperornithiformes, Ichthyornithiformes, and Enantiornithiformes, which represent totally extinct lineages (Olson, 1985) , the Cretaceous birds of New Jersey are of essentially modern aspect. However, there are no modern families of birds represented in the fauna. The differences among the fossils suggest that at least two orders are represented, but whether any or all of the species can be placed in modern orders is more difficult to say. ”

“ In New Jersey, the latest Cretaceous deposits are remarkably rich in glauconite, especially the Navesink and Hornerstown formations. Besides providing a local industry in agricultural fertilizers, the glauconite greensands, locally called "marl," yielded many specimens to the fiercely competitive vertebrate paleontologists of the nineteenth century. ”

“ The very fragmentary distal end of carpometacarpus associated with the type of G. pumilis (Figure 5i) is slightly larger and more robust than in Burhinus vermiculatus, but not - 11 - so much as to be incompatible with T. priscus. Compared to Burhinus (1) the symphysial area is deeper and (2) the articular surface for the major digit is proportionately larger, the specimen being somewhat more similar to the carpometacarpus in Presbyornis. ”

“ After preliminary comparisons, Olson (1974) ventured that Laornis belonged in the suborder Lari of the Charadriiformes. Brodkorb (1978:214) listed Laornis under Aves incertae sedis and guessed that it might be related to the Pelecaniformes.
Except for the extreme difference in size, the tibiotarsus of Laornis is in many respects similar to that of Presbyornis (Figure 8) , especially in (1) the shape and position of the tubercle proximal to the external condyle; (2) the transverse pit in the intercondylar sulcus; and (3) the broad, shallow intercondylar sulcus as seen in distal view. ”

“ Cretaceous birds have been recovered from three geographically distinct localities in New Jersey (Figure 2) . With the exception of Laornis, all of the specimens described by Marsh (1870, 1872) came from Upper Freehold Township, Monmouth - 3 - County, in the area including the settlements of Hornerstown, Arneytown, and Cream Ridge. The Meirs family operated a number of pits in this area and it is no longer possible to ascertain the exact provenance of specimens labelled only as being from Hornerstown. ”

“ In spite of the relative diversity of the New Jersey Cretaceous avifauna, the total number of specimens is still small. The decline of the glauconite greensand industry and the difficulty of recovering small fossils have contributed to this paucity of specimens. The glauconite industry is now confined to a single operation, the Inversand Company in Sewell, Mantua Township, Gloucester County, New Jersey. ”

“ If this fossil came from an individual of Telmatornis priscus, as we assume, T. priscus being the smallest and most abundant "graculavid" in the New Jersey Cretaceous deposits, then it is a very instructive specimen, for it differs much more from Burhinus than does the humerus of Telmatornis. NJSM 11853 differs from the Burhinidae and agrees with Presbyornis in having (1) the distal foramen proportionately large and oval, not very small and circular; (2) a large, well-developed scar for the hallux (hallux absent in Burhinidae) ; (3) external trochlea proximodistally more elongate. ”

“ Graculavus differs from Burhinus mainly in having (8) the head not as deep and bulbous; (9) distance from head to tuberculum dorsale greater; (10) tuberculum dorsale smaller, much less projecting; (11) tuberculum ventrale in ventral view more elongate; and (12) scar on tuberculum ventrale for M. coracobrachialis caudalis much larger and more distinct.
Graculavus is very similar to Presbyornis, agreeing with that genus in characters 8 and 10 but differing in characters 11 and 12 and in (13) having the head more deeply undercut. ”

“ Material of previously named taxa, described over a century ago, is augmented by more recently collected specimens from a new locality at the Inversand Company marl pits near Sewell, Gloucester County. With about 8 genera and 9 species, this is the most diverse Cretaceous avifauna yet known. Most species belong to a group of primitive Charadriiformes resembling in limb morphology the fossil family Presbyornithidae and the living family Burhinidae. ”

“ Late Cretaceous fossil birds of modern aspect have been described in a variety of genera, most of which have been used as the basis for family-group names. Taxa from New Jersey that appear to belong with the "transitional Charadriiformes" for which family-group names are available include: Graculavinae Fürbringer, 1888; Palaeotringinae Wetmore, 1940; Telmatornithidae Cracraft, 1972; and Laornithidae Cracraft, 1973.
Taxa from Upper Cretaceous deposits in western North America that appear to fall in the same category (Olson and Feduccia, 1980a) include: Apatornithidae Fürbringer, 1888 ”

“ Preservation of vertebrate fossils in a glauconite deposit may be excellent, apparently due to autochthonous formation of the mineral and the probable quiescence of the depositional environment. The Hornerstown Formation, for example, contains few grains of terrigenous origin and little evidence of disturbance by water currents. ”

“ M. scapulohumeralis caudalis and (5) M. scapulohumeralis cranialis very large and distinct; (6) attachment of M. latissimus dorsi cranialis a well-defined, raised protuberance situated dorsal to the median ridge of the shaft; (7) tuberculum dorsale well defined, distinctly pointed. In most of the preceding characters that it preserves, the single proximal end of humerus referred to Telmatornis (the holotype of G. pumilis) agrees with Graculavus and Presbyornis.
Among living families, the Burhinidae are the most similar to Graculavus ”

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“ Included Genera.—Graculavus Marsh, 1872; Telmatornis Marsh, 1870; Anatalavis, new genus; Laornis Marsh, 1870; Palaeotringa Marsh, 1870; and an additional unnamed genus.
Remarks.—Most of the birds from the New Jersey deposits belong with what Olson (1985) has termed the "transitional Charadriiformes," a group that seemingly tends to connect the Gruiformes and the more typical Charadriiformes. The only living family in this group that has traditionally been considered charadriiform is the Burhinidae, the thick-knees or stone curlews. ”

“ Description of the Fossil Shells Which Characterize the Atlantic Secondary Formation of New Jersey and Delaware, Including Four New Species. Journal of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia, series 1, 6:72-100.
1834. Synopsis of the Organic Remains of the Cretaceous Group of the United States. 96 pages, 19 plates. Philadelphia: Key and Biddle. ”

“ Figure 6.—Humeri of Anatalavis, new genus, and Telmatornis. a, Anatalavis rex (holotype, YPM 902) , right humerus, palmar view; × 1.5. b,d,f, A. rex, (YPM 948) , left humerus (b, palmar view, × 1.5; d, enlarged, anconal view, × 2; f, enlarged, palmar view, × 2) . c,e,g, Telmatornis priscus, (ANSP 15360) , left humerus (c, palmar view, × 1.5; e, enlarged, anconal view, × 2; g, enlarged, palmar view, × 2) ; h, Burhinus vermiculatus (USNM 430630) , left humerus, palmar view, × 2. (Specimens coated with ammonium chloride to enhance detail.)
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