Re: NEORNITHINE PHYLOGENY etc / Gondwanan groups

["João S. Lopes Filho" <jodan99@uol.com.br>]

----- Original Message -----
From: David Marjanovic <david.marjanovic@gmx.at>
To: The Dinosaur Mailing List <dinosaur@usc.edu>
Sent: Wednesday, July 25, 2001 10:26 AM
Subject: Re: NEORNITHINE PHYLOGENY etc / Gondwanan groups


> > So, if Neornithes came from Southern Hemisphere, we must expect:
> > 1) a Gondwanan basal group, with a first splite between an African and a
> > Neogondwanan branch (S.America+Antarctica+Australia+Indomadagascar)
>
> If Neornithes did already exist in the Early Cretaceous.

If not, they originated in Neogondwana and there was no basal African
branch. Africa must be reached via India-West Asia in Paleocene or Eocene,
or via North America-Europe in Cretaceous. Remember there was the big
Gargantuavis in Late Cretaceous France. Such an old European group could
have cousins in Africa. (cf. Abelisaurid-like dinos in France).
Question 1: was the Cretaceous link between North and South America (way of
marsupials, duckbills, ungulates, mononykines, titanosaurs) to Eastern or
Western North America?
Question 2: is the paleogeography of Indonesia well-known? Is it possible
that some piece of Indonesia came from Australasia in Cretaceous? So, this
could be a explanation for Gondwanan elements in Asia (titanosaurs).



> > 2) From South America, a Late Cretaceous branch reaching North America
(in
> > Ratites, this can be the wasy of Palaeotis group; in Galloanserae, the
> > oldest North American galliformes and perhaps the Diatryma); from India,
a
> > Late Cretaceous/Paleocene branch reaching Asia (in Ratites, the ostrich
> > group - unless they came from Africa).
>
> >From India to Asia? Interesting idea (ranid frogs did it). AFAIK
ostriches
> were in Asia first... Am I wrong?

The problem is the ausence of fossil sites in India and Madagascar between
Paleocene-Miocene. But I have a guess that Gondwanan stock in India played
an important role in Eurasia biogeography.

Sorry, but what is BTW, IMHO and AFAIK?

> > 3) Australian groups could reach Asia through Indonesia in
> the...Oligocene?
> > Eocene?
>
> The oldest European ( = non-Australian) known songbird is Oligocene, IIRC.

Yes, and I think that Anseriformes and Columbiformes have similar patterns.
>

Joao S.Lopes
Rio de Janeiro