Rhynchaeites messelensis Wittich 1898

Taxonomy

Ibis

Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata Haeckel 1874
Class: Aves Linnaeus 1758
Order: Pelecaniformes Sharpe 1891
Family: Threskiornithidae Richmond 1917
Genus: Rhynchaeites
Species: Rhynchaeites messelensis
Author Citation Wittich 1898

Geological Time Scale

Eon: Phanerozoic
Era: Cenozoic
Period: Paleogene
Sub Period: None
Epoch: Eocene
International Age: Lutetian

Stratigraphy

Messel Formation

Provenance

Collector: T. Bastelberger
Date Collected: 06/01/1970
Acquired by: Field Collection

Dimensions

Height: 25 cm

Location

Grube Messel
Messel near Darmstadt
Hessia
Germany

• eocene
• ibis
• lutetian
• messel
• rhynchaeites
• threskiornithidae

Comments

Prepped by transfer method (Toombs, Harry & Rixon, A.E. (1950). "The use of plastics in the "transfer method" of preparing fossils". The museums journal. 50: 105–107.)

Taxonomy from Fossilworks.org.
Since the holotype is apparently lost, a neotype was established by PETERS in 1983. This specimen is a paratype in the publication by PETERS 1983.

Mayr 2002, p. 502: "In the original description, WITTICH (1898) considered R. messelensis to be morphologically closest to the painted snipes (Rostratulidae, Charadriiformes), and HOCH (1980) also erroneously redescribed the species as a charadriiform bird, ‘With columboid features”. PETERS (1983) first recognized Rhynchaeites messelensis as an early representative of the Threskiornithidae (ibises), and synonymized Plumumida lutetialis HOCH 1980 with Rhynchaeites messelensis WITTICH 1898. HOCH (1980) and PETERS (1983) gave detailed accounts of the osteology of R. messelensis."

Diagnosis from Mayr 2002, p. 502: “The Rhynchaeitinae nov. subfam. are characterized by the following characters: (l) beak long, slender, and schizorhinal, tip slightly decurved, and proximal part of maxilla below narial openings dorso-ventrally high; (2) at least three thoracic vertebrae fused to a notarium; (3) coracoid with deeply excavated, cup-like facies articularis scapularis (fig. 1); (4) sternum with deep incisura lateralis and wide trabecula mediana; (5) carpometacarpus with wide symphysis metacarpalis distalis; (6) cristae iliacae dorsales of pelvis not fused with crista spinosa synsacri; (7) tarso-metatarsus shorter than femur.”

Identified by Prof. Dr. D. St. Peters, Senckenberg Research Institute Frankfurt/M, Germany.

In 1978, the Senckenberg Museum in Frankfurt organized a special exhibition "Fossils from the Messel Pit". The same fossil was in many exhibits that the museum had which included fossils borrowed from other amateur collectors.

References:

Wittich, E. (1898). Beiträge zur Kenntnis der Messeler Braunkohle und ihrer Fauna. Abhandlungen der großherzoglich Hessischen geologischen Landesanstalt zu Darmstadt 3(3):79-147.
Hoch, E. (1980). A new Middle Eocene shorebird (Aves: Charadriiformes, Charadrii) with columboid features. — Natur. Hist. Mus. Los Angeles County, Contrib. in Sci., 330: 33—49.
Peters, D. St. (1983). Die "Schnepfenralle" Rhynchaeites messelensis Wittich 1898 ist ein Ibis (The "snipe rail" Rhynchaeites messelensis Wittich 1898 is an ibis). Journal für Ornithologie 124(1):1-27.
Mayr, G. (2002). A contribution to the osteology of the Middle Eocene ibis Rhynchaeites messelensis (Aves: Threskiornithidae: Rhynchaeitinae nov. subfam.). Neues Jahrbuch fur Geologie und Paläontologie Monatshefte 2002(8):501-512. DOI:10.1127/njgpm/2002/2002/501.
Mayr, G. & Bertelli, S. (2011). A record of Rhynchaeites (Aves, Threskiornithidae) from the early Eocene Fur Formation of Denmark, and the affinities of the alleged parrot Mopsitta. Palaeobiodiversity and Palaeoenvironments 91(3):229-236. DOI:10.1007/s12549-011-0050-8.
SMITH, N. D., GRANDE, L., & CLARKE, J. A. (2013). A NEW SPECIES OF THRESKIORNITHIDAE-LIKE BIRD (AVES, CICONIIFORMES) FROM THE GREEN RIVER FORMATION (EOCENE) OF WYOMING. Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology, 33(2), 363–381. http://www.jstor.org/stable/42568675.

Unglaublich! Wunderbar! The prep process for Messel material is arduous...