Paper No. 187-17
Presentation Time: 8:00 AM-12:00 PM
A NEW PELECANIFORM BIRD FROM THE GREEN RIVER FORMATION (EOCENE) OF WYOMING
GULAS-WROBLEWSKI, Bonnie Electra, Department of Organismal Biology and Anatomy, Univ of Chicago, 5801 South Ellis, Chicago, IL 60637, bonnie.gulas@yale.edu and UIBREASLAIN, Seaghan, Geology Dept, Univ of Wyonimg, Larimie, WY 82071, seaghan@uwyo.edu

A new pelicaniform bird (Aves, Pelicaniformes) from the Green River Formation (Eocene) of Wyoming sheds new light on the internal phylogenetic relationships of this avian order. The specimen closely resembles the extant members of Fregata and the extinct Limnofregata, and consists of a fairly complete cranium, vertebral column, pelvic region, and hind limbs. Although the pectoral girdle is missing from the specimen, the excellent preservation exhibited by this fossil provides additional characters that enable a more extensive cladistic analysis of pelicaniform relationships.

2002 Denver Annual Meeting (October 27-30, 2002)
Session No. 187--Booth# 50
Paleontology/Paleobotany (Posters) II
Colorado Convention Center: Exhibit Hall
8:00 AM-12:00 PM, Wednesday, October 30, 2002
 

© Copyright 2002 The Geological Society of America (GSA), all rights reserved. Permission is hereby granted to the author(s) of this abstract to reproduce and distribute it freely, for noncommercial purposes. Permission is hereby granted to any individual scientist to download a single copy of this electronic file and reproduce up to 20 paper copies for noncommercial purposes advancing science and education, including classroom use, providing all reproductions include the complete content shown here, including the author information. All other forms of reproduction and/or transmittal are prohibited without written permission from GSA Copyright Permissions.