A RALLIDAE (AVES, GRUIFORMES) FROM THE PLEISTOCENE LA ESPERANZA FORMATION OF OLAVARRÍA (ARGENTINA)
Un Rallidae (Aves, Gruiformes) del Pleistoceno de la Formación La Esperanza de Olavarría (Argentina)
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.5710/PEAPA.24.10.2025.554Keywords:
Neognathae, Neoaves, Aramides, Cenozoic, Pampean Region, QuaternaryAbstract
A tarsometatarsus recovered from the lower Pleistocene levels of the La Esperanza Formation in Olavarría, Argentina, represents the first avian remains reported from this locality. Its morphology and size allow its assignment to Aramides cajaneus (Aves, Gruiformes), a species that still occurs in or near the area. Members of the genus Aramides are terrestrial birds closely associated with wetland environments, providing valuable paleoenvironmental insight into the conditions that prevailed in the region during the Pleistocene.
References
Agnolín, F. L., Álvarez Herrera, G., Rozadilla, S., & Contreras, V. (2025). First late Miocene bird assemblage from central Argentina, with the description of new taxa. Historical Biology, 1-17.
Baumel, J. J. (1993). Handbook of avian anatomy: Nomina anatomica avium (No. 23). Publications of the Nuttall Ornithological Club.
Bridge, J. S. (2003). Rivers and floodplains. Blackwells.
Cenizo, M. M., Agnolín, F. L., & Pomi, L. H. (2015). A new Pleistocene bird assemblage from the Southern Pampas (Buenos Aires, Argentina). Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology, 420, 65-81. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.palaeo.2014.12.009
Cracraft, J. (1973a). Systematics and evolution of the Gruiformes (Class Aves). 3. Phylogeny of the suborder Grues. Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History, 151, 1-127.
Cracraft, J. (1973b). Continental drift, paleoclimatology, and the evolution and biogeography of birds. Journal of Zoology, 169, 455-545.
De Mendoza, R. S., Carril, J., Degrange, F. J., & Tambussi, C. P. (2024). Specialized diving traits in the generalist morphology of Fulica (Aves, Rallidae). Scientific Reports, 14, 13966. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-024-13966
De Pietri, V. L., & Mayr, G. (2014). Reappraisal of early Miocene rails (Aves, Rallidae) from central France: Diversity and character evolution. Journal of Zoological Systematics and Evolutionary Research, 52(4), 312-322.
Degrange, F. J., Noriega, J. I., & Areta, J. (2012). Diversity and paleobiology of the Santacrucian birds. In S. F. Vizcaíno, R. F. Kay, & M. S. Bargo (Eds.), Early Miocene paleobiology in Patagonia: High-latitude paleocommunities of the Santa Cruz Formation (pp. 138-154). Cambridge University Press.
Deschamps, C., & Tomassini, R. (2016). Late Cenozoic vertebrates from the southern Pampean Region: Systematic and biochronostratigraphic update. In M. Martínez & D. Olivera (Eds.), Palinología del Meso-Cenozoico de Argentina (Publicación Electrónica de la Asociación Paleontológica Argentina, 16, pp. 202-225). https://doi.org/10.5710/PEAPA.16.05.2016.113
Ericson, P. G. P., Anderson, C. L., Britton, T., Elżanowski, A., Johansson, U. S., Källersjö, M., Ohlson, J. I., Parsons, T. J., Zuccon, D., & Mayr, G. (2006). Diversification of Neoaves: Integration of molecular sequence data and fossils. Biology Letters, 2, 543-547. https://doi.org/10.1098/rsbl.2006.0523
Fain, M. G., Krajewski, C., & Houde, P. (2007). Phylogeny of “core Gruiformes” (Aves: Grues) and resolution of the Limpkin–Sungrebe problem. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution, 43, 515-529. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ympev.2007.02.015
Garcia-R, J. C., Gibb, G. C., & Trewick, S. A. (2014). Deep global evolutionary radiation in birds: Diversification and trait evolution in the cosmopolitan bird family Rallidae. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution, 81, 96-108. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ympev.2014.09.008
Hackett, S. J., Kimball, R. T., Reddy, S., Bowie, R. C. K., Braun, E. L., Braun, M. J., Chojnowski, J. L., Cox, W. A., Han, K.-L., Harshman, J., Huddleston, C. J., Marks, B. D., Miglia, K. J., Moore, W. S., Sheldon, F. H., Steadman, D. W., Witt, C. C., & Yuri, T. (2008). A phylogenomic study of birds reveals their evolutionary history. Science, 320(5884), 1763-1768. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.1157704
Harrison, C. J. O. (1976). Birds of the British Upper Eocene. Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society, 59, 323-351.
Harrison, C. J. O., & Walker, C. A. (1979). Birds of the British Middle Eocene. In Studies in Tertiary avian paleontology (Tertiary Research Special Paper, 5, pp. 19-27).
Harrison, C. J. O. (1984). Further additions to the fossil birds of Sheppey: A new falconid and three small rails. Tertiary Research, 5, 179-187.
Mather, E. K., Tennyson, A. J., Scofield, R. P., De Pietri, V. L., Hand, S. J., Archer, M., … Worthy, T. H. (2019). Flightless rails (Aves: Rallidae) from the early Miocene St Bathans Fauna, Otago, New Zealand. Journal of Systematic Palaeontology, 17(5), 423-449.
Marcondes, R. S. (2013). Taxonomia e filogenia do gênero Aramides Pucheran, 1845 (Aves: Gruiformes: Rallidae) [Doctoral dissertation, Universidade de São Paulo].
Marcondes, R. S., & Silveira, L. F. (2015). A taxonomic review of Aramides cajaneus (Aves, Gruiformes, Rallidae) with notes on morphological variation in other species of the genus. ZooKeys, 500, 111.
Mayr, G. (2005). The Paleogene fossil record of birds in Europe. Biological Reviews, 80, 515-542. https://doi.org/10.1017/S1464793105006779
Mayr, G. (2006a). A rail (Aves, Rallidae) from the early Oligocene of Germany. Ardea, 94, 23-31.
Mayr, G. (2006b). A new raptorial bird from the Middle Eocene of Messel, Germany. Historical Biology, 18, 95-102. https://doi.org/10.1080/08912960600640762
Mayr, G. (2009). Paleogene fossil birds (2nd ed.). Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-87645-6
Mayr, G. (2011). Metaves, Mirandornithes, Strisores and other novelties: A critical review of the higher-level phylogeny of neornithine birds. Journal of Zoological Systematics and Evolutionary Research, 18, 95-102. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1439-0469.2010.00586.x
Mayr, G. (2016). Variations in the hypotarsus morphology of birds and their evolutionary significance. Acta Zoologica, 97(2), 196-210. https://doi.org/10.1111/azo.12117
Mayr, G., & Smith, R. (2001). Ducks, rails, and limicoline waders (Aves: Anseriformes, Gruiformes, Charadriiformes) from the lowermost Oligocene of Belgium. Géobios, 34, 547-559. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0016-6995(01)80069-3
Mlíkovský, J. (2002). Cenozoic birds of the world. Part 1: Europe. Ninox Press.
Mourer-Chauviré, C. (1992). The Galliformes (Aves) from the Phosphorites du Quercy (France): Systematics and biostratigraphy. Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County, Science Series, 36, 67-95.
Noriega, J. I., & Agnolín, F. L. (2008). El registro paleontológico de las aves del “Mesopotamiense” (Formación Ituzaingó; Mioceno tardío–Plioceno) de la provincia de Entre Ríos, Argentina. INSUGEO, 17, 271-290.
Olson, S. L. (1977a). A synopsis of the fossil Rallidae. In D. S. Ripley (Ed.), Rails of the world: A monograph of the family Rallidae (pp. 339-379). Godine.
Olson, S. L. (1985). The fossil record of birds. In D. S. Farner, J. R. King, & K. C. Parkes (Eds.), Avian Biology, 3, 79-238. Academic Press.
Pagano, L. G., & Salvador, S. A. (2017). Datos de pesos de aves argentinas. Parte 4. Historia Natural, 7, 21-43.
Poiré, D. G. (2012). Secuencias sedimentarias Neoproterozoico–Paleozoico inferior del Sistema de Tandilia y su cobertura del Terciario superior–Cuaternario en la zona de Olavarría: Guía de campo. Centro de Investigaciones Geológicas.
Poiré, D. G., Gaucher, C., & collaborators (2009). Lithostratigraphy: Neoproterozoic–Cambrian evolution of the Río de la Plata Palaeocontinent. In C. Gaucher, A. N. Sial, G. P. Halverson, & H. E. Frimmel (Eds.), Neoproterozoic–Cambrian tectonics, global change and evolution: A focus on southwestern Gondwana (Developments in Precambrian Geology, 16, pp. 87-101).
Poiré, D. G., Canessa, N. D., Scillato-Yané, G. J., Carlini, A. A., Canalicchio, J. M., & Tonni, E. P. (2005). La Formación El Polvorín: Una nueva unidad del Neógeno de Sierras Bayas, Sistema de Tandilia, Argentina. Actas del XVI Congreso Geológico Argentino, 1, 315-322.
Prum, R. O., Berv, J. S., Dornburg, A., Field, D. J., Townsend, J. P., Lemmon, E. M., & Lemmon, A. R. (2015). A comprehensive phylogeny of birds (Aves) using targeted next-generation DNA sequencing. Nature, 526(7574), 569-573. https://doi.org/10.1038/nature15697
Rasmussen, D. T., Olson, S. L., & Simons, E. L. (1987). Fossil birds from the Oligocene Jebel Qatrani Formation, Fayum Province, Egypt. Smithsonian Contributions to Paleobiology, 62, 1-20.
Steadman, D. W. (1995). Prehistoric extinctions of Pacific Island birds: Biodiversity meets zooarchaeology. Science, 267(5201), 1123-1131.
Steadman, D. W. (2006). Extinction and biogeography of tropical Pacific birds. University of Chicago Press.
Taylor, B. (2020). Gray-cowled Wood-Rail (Aramides cajaneus) [Version 1.0]. In S. M. Billerman, B. K. Keeney, P. G. Rodewald, & T. S. Schulenberg (Eds.), Birds of the World. Cornell Lab of Ornithology. https://doi.org/10.2173/bow.gycwor1.01
Winkler, D. W., Billerman, S. M., & Lovette, I. J. (2020). Rails, gallinules, and coots (Rallidae) [Version 1.0]. In S. M. Billerman, B. K. Keeney, P. G. Rodewald, & T. S. Schulenberg (Eds.), Birds of the World. Cornell Lab of Ornithology. https://doi.org/10.2173/bow.rallid1.01
Worthy, T. H., Boles, W. E. (2011). Australlus, a new genus for Gallinula disneyi (Aves: Rallidae) and a description of a new species from Oligo-Miocene deposits at Riversleigh, northwestern Queensland, Australia. Records of the Australian Museum, 63(1), 61-77. https://doi.org/10.3853/j.0067-1975.63.2011.1563
Worthy, T. H., Tennyson, A. J., Jones, C., McNamara, J. A., & Douglas, B. J. (2007). Miocene waterfowl and other birds from central Otago, New Zealand. Journal of Systematic Palaeontology, 5(1), 1-39.
Zelenkov, N. V., Panteleyev, A. V., & De Pietri, V. L. (2017). Late Miocene rails (Aves: Rallidae) from southwestern Russia. Palaeobiodiversity and Palaeoenvironments, 97(4), 791-805. https://doi.org/10.1080/14772019.2018.1432710
Additional Files
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026 Martín De Los Reyes, Carolina Acosta Hospitaleche, María Alejandra Sosa
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
Authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Atribución/Reconocimiento 4.0 Internacional that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgement of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal.
0.443 Q2 | H Index 11
CiteScore 1.7
