Ostrich-like eggshells from a 10.1 million-yr-old Miocene ape locality, Haritalyangar, Himachal Pradesh, India

Patnaik, Rajeev ; Sahni, Ashok ; Cameron, David ; Pillans, Brad ; Chatrath, Prithijit ; Simons, Elwyn ; Williams, Martin ; Bibi, Faysal (2009) Ostrich-like eggshells from a 10.1 million-yr-old Miocene ape locality, Haritalyangar, Himachal Pradesh, India Current Science, 96 (11). pp. 1485-1495. ISSN 0011-3891

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Abstract

We report fossil ratite eggshells from the site, Dharamsala of Dhok Pathan Formation (Middle Siwaliks), dated to 10.1 Ma. A comparative analysis reveals that in their combination of eggshell surface, pore, pore canal morphology and cross-sectional features, the Indian eggshells show closest affinity with the widely distributed Neogene fossil taxon Struthiolithus, and as such are assigned to cf. Struthiolithus. We have carried out a parsimony analysis of all relevant extinct and extant palaeognathous birds of the southern continents, as ingroup taxa. Genyornis, an extinct bird from Australia, and Gallus gallus (chicken) were also used in this analysis as ingroup (Neornithes) taxa. The result supports monophyly of Palaeognathae. The present cf. Struthiolithus eggshell and Aepyornis were found to be sister taxa and their forbearers had a common ancestry with Afro-Arabian Struthio and Diamantornis. The Indian subcontinent now has an extended fossil record of struthionid eggshells from the Late Miocene to the Late Pleistocene, implying dispersals through intercontinental migration corridors. Our stable carbon isotope (δ13CPDB) value of −10.4‰ of the present eggshells suggests that the ratite bird had a diet mainly of C3 plants.

Item Type:Article
Source:Copyright of this article belongs to Current Science Association.
Keywords:Eggshells; Miocene Ape Locality; Ostrich
ID Code:43660
Deposited On:14 Jun 2011 12:09
Last Modified:18 May 2016 00:34

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