''Miobaptus'' is a fossil genus of grebe that is known from several specimens collected from Czechia and Lake Baikal dating from the

Early Miocene The Early Miocene (also known as Lower Miocene) is a sub-epoch of the Miocene Epoch made up of two stages: the Aquitanian and Burdigalian stages. The sub-epoch lasted from 23.03 ± 0.05 Ma to 15.97 ± 0.05 Ma (million years ago). It was p ...

to Middle Miocene. Considered to be one of the most primitive genus of grebes, the anatomy of ''Miobaptus'' suggests it was less adapted for the aquatic mode of life than modern grebes, but had better flight maneuverablity.

History

The holotype species ''M. walteri'' was collected from Dolnice and described by Švec (1982). He would later described more specimens of the species from Bohemia in 1984. A second species ''M. huzhiricus'' was described by Zelenkov (2015) from specimens collected from Olkhon Island.

Description

The distal part in the humeri of ''Miobaptus'' is different from extant grebes as the surface is flat and overall the wingbones more elongated. In contrast the distal ends in the humeri of extant grebes the surfaces is more concave, and overall they have much shorter wingbones.

Classification

''Miobaptus'' is placed basally in the phylogenetic tree of grebes where similarities have been made between this genus and Palaelodidae. The palaelodids is an extinct family of Phoenicopteriformes where they have been suggested to be the transitional form between

flamingo Flamingos or flamingoes are a type of wading bird in the family Phoenicopteridae, which is the only extant family in the order Phoenicopteriformes. There are four flamingo species distributed throughout the Americas (including the Caribbean) ...

s and grebes. Both ''Miobaptus'' and the palaelodids share several features in the

humerus The humerus (; ) is a long bone in the arm that runs from the shoulder to the elbow. It connects the scapula and the two bones of the lower arm, the radius and ulna, and consists of three sections. The humeral upper extremity consists of a roun ...

and coracoid. Therefore while ''Miobaptus'' is similar to ''Tachybaptus'' there are some differences and any similarity between the two is likely due to plesiomorphic features.

Paleobiology

''M. walteri'' is known from the Aquitanian stage of the

Miocene The Miocene ( ) is the first geological epoch of the Neogene Period and extends from about (Ma). The Miocene was named by Scottish geologist Charles Lyell; the name comes from the Greek words (', "less") and (', "new") and means "less recent" ...

while ''M. huzhiricus'' is from the boundary line between the

Burdigalian The Burdigalian is, in the geologic timescale, an age or stage in the early Miocene. It spans the time between 20.43 ± 0.05 Ma and 15.97 ± 0.05 Ma (million years ago). Preceded by the Aquitanian, the Burdigalian was the first and longest war ...

and Langhian stages. The presence of this genus in both Europe and Asia at this time is significant as it shows at this time grebes were already spreading across the globe, as well as how the avifaunas were being established to their present in Eurasia. Based on their anatomy it shows that ''Miobaptus'' was much better capable at flying than modern grebes (though it was not as specialized in being aquatic).

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q107342026 Podicipediformes Prehistoric bird genera