Cretaceous Rahonavis-like bird from Morocco and Hesperornis rossica

[Tim Williams <twilliams_alpha@hotmail.com>]

(Apologies for inundating this list with messages today - if I had my time 
again I would have put all 5 references in a single message.)

I haven't come across this journal before (I assume it's Brazilian).  Note 
that the authors still refer to _Rahonavis_ as _Rahona_.

Riff, D., Mader, B., Kellner, A.W.A., and Russell, D. (2004).  An avian 
vertebra from the continental Cretaceous of Morocco, Africa.  Arquivos do 
Museu Nacional Rio de Janeiro. 62(2): 217-223

ABSTRACT: We report the occurrence of an isolated avian dorsal vertebra in 
Cretaceous strata of Morocco. The specimen was found near Erfoud oasis in 
the Tafilalt region of southeastern Morocco preserved in a reddish 
sandstone. It has a large neural canal (ratio height neural canal/cranial 
articulation surface = 0.67), a feature regarded as a synapomorphy of Aves. 
Compared to dorsal vertebrae of other Mesozoic birds, the Moroccan specimen 
is most similar to Rahona ostromi from the Late Cretaceous of Madagascar. 
The absence of a developed pleurocoel, however, indicates that it belongs to 
a distinct taxon. Although the correct phylogenetic position of this 
specimen within Aves cannot be reliably determined, it most likely 
represents a basal group. This specimen is significant because it represents 
the second osteological evidence of a Cretaceous bird from northern 
Gondwana.


And more stuff has been found for _Hesperornis rossica_.  (By "inner 
fingers" the authors probably mean "inner toes".)

Panteleyev, A.V. Popov, E.V. and Averianov, A.O. (2004).  New record of 
Hesperornis rossicus (Ayes, Hesperornithiformes) in the Campanian of Saratov 
Province, Russia.  Paleontological Research.  8(2): 115-122

ABSTRACT: New materials of Hesperornis rossicus Nessov et Yarkov, 1993 (one 
complete and one fragmentary tarsometatarsus) from the lower Campanian 
Karyakino locality in Saratov Province, Russia, show for the first time 
distal tarsometatarsal morphology for this species and allow reconsideration 
of its diagnosis. H. rossicus is the most derived species of the genus, 
having the greatest size for the genus and strongly reduced inner fingers, 
with undivided trochlea on tarsometatarsus for digits II and III and condyle 
for digit II completely behind that of digit III. Previous records of 
Hesperornis sp. from Rychkovo and Hesperornithidae indet. from Bereslavka 
(both Volgograd Province, Russia) are referred here to H rossicus.



Tim