''Podiceps csarnotanus'' is an extinct species of Upper

Pliocene The Pliocene ( ; also Pleiocene) is the epoch (geology), epoch in the geologic time scale that extends from 5.33 to 2.58grebe Grebes () are aquatic diving birds in the order (biology), order Podicipediformes (). Grebes are widely distributed freshwater birds, with some species also found in sea, marine habitats during Bird migration, migration and winter. Most grebes f ...

from

Hungary Hungary is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning much of the Pannonian Basin, Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east and southeast, Serbia to the south, Croatia and ...

History

The species was described by Eugene Kessler in 2009 as part of a series of papers that described fossil material that have been retrieved form the

Carpathian Basin The Pannonian Basin, with the term Carpathian Basin being sometimes preferred in Hungarian literature, is a large sedimentary basin situated in southeastern Central Europe. After the Treaty of Trianon following World War I, the geomorphologic ...

. The species name "csarnotanus" is named after the site it was discovered Csarnóta.

Description

The holotype (MÁFI V. 09. 61. 1) is the distal fragment of the right

ulna The ulna or ulnar bone (: ulnae or ulnas) is a long bone in the forearm stretching from the elbow to the wrist. It is on the same side of the forearm as the little finger, running parallel to the Radius (bone), radius, the forearm's other long ...

, which the size of it falls in between the

horned grebe The horned grebe or Slavonian grebe (''Podiceps auritus'') is a relatively small and Threatened species, threatened species of waterbird in the family Podicipedidae. There are two subspecies, ''P. a. auritus'' (Slavonian grebe), which breed ...

(''P. auritus'') and the

red-necked grebe The red-necked grebe (''Podiceps grisegena'') is a migratory aquatic bird found in the temperate regions of the northern hemisphere. Its wintering habitat is largely restricted to calm waters just beyond the waves around ocean coasts, althoug ...

(''P. grisegena''). In comparison to the recent species of ''

Podiceps ''Podiceps'' is a genus of birds in the grebe family. The genus name comes from Latin , "rear-end" and ', "foot", and is a reference to the placement of a grebe's legs towards the rear of its body. It has representatives breeding in all contine ...

'' and the ''

Aechmophorus ''Aechmophorus'' is a genus of birds in the grebe family. Species It has two living representatives breeding in western North America. One prehistoric species has been described from fossil remains: *'' Aechmophorus elasson'' (Late Plio ...

'', the

condylus ventralis A condyle (;Entry "condyle"
in

is elongated and prominent. The

condylus dorsalis A condyle (;Entry "condyle"
in

is rounded, while in modern ''Podiceps'' and ''Aechmophorus'' it just emerges. The cranial surface of the

diaphysis The diaphysis (: diaphyses) is the main or midsection (shaft) of a long bone. It is made up of cortical bone and usually contains bone marrow and adipose tissue (fat). It is a middle tubular part composed of compact bone which surrounds a centr ...

is slightly convex, not flat unlike in modern ''Podiceps''.

Paleobiology

''P. csarnotanus'' comes from the Carpathian Basin which is located in South Hungary. The locality of which, Csarnóta–2, dates to the ages from the

Zanclean The Zanclean is the lowest stage or earliest age on the geologic time scale of the Pliocene. It spans the time between 5.332 ± 0.005 Ma (million years ago) and 3.6 ± 0.005 Ma. It is preceded by the Messinian Age of the Miocene Epoch, and f ...

to the

Piacenzian The Piacenzian is in the international geologic time scale the upper stage (stratigraphy), stage or latest age (geology), age of the Pliocene. It spans the time between 3.6 ± 0.005 year#SI prefix multipliers, Ma and 2.58 Ma (million years ago). T ...

. The species was part of an avifauna consisted of

Neogene The Neogene ( ,) is a geologic period and system that spans 20.45 million years from the end of the Paleogene Period million years ago ( Mya) to the beginning of the present Quaternary Period million years ago. It is the second period of th ...

genera as well as extant or modern genera of birds.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q115989410 csarnotanus Fossil taxa described in 2009 Piacenzian species Birds described in 2009