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Alca ausonia

Reptilia - Charadriiformes - Alcidae

Taxonomy
Uria ausonia was named by Portis (1887). It is a 3D body fossil. Its type locality is Orciano Pisano, which is in a Piacenzian open shallow subtidal mudstone in Italy.

It was considered an invalid subgroup of Alcidae by Mlikovsky (2002); it was recombined as Alca ausonia by Olson and Rasmussen (2001), Dyke and Walker (2005) and Smith and Clarke (2011).

Synonymy list
YearName and author
1887Uria ausonia Portis p. 195
1891Uria ausonia Portis
1933Uria ausonia Lambrecht p. 563
2001Alca ausonia Olson and Rasmussen p. 272
2005Alca ausonia Dyke and Walker p. 238
2011Alca ausonia Smith and Clarke p. 21

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RankNameAuthor
kingdomAnimalia()
Bilateria
EubilateriaAx 1987
Deuterostomia
phylumChordataHaeckel 1874
subphylumVertebrata
superclassGnathostomata
Osteichthyes()
subclassSarcopterygii()
subclassDipnotetrapodomorpha(Nelson 2006)
subclassTetrapodomorpha()
Tetrapoda
Reptiliomorpha
Anthracosauria
subclassAmphibiosauriaKuhn 1967
Cotylosauria()
Amniota
Sauropsida
classReptilia
subclassEureptilia()
Romeriida
Diapsida()
RankNameAuthor
Archosauromorpha(Huene 1946)
Crocopoda
ArchosauriformesGauthier 1986
Eucrocopoda
Archosauria()
informalAvemetatarsalia
Ornithodira
Dinosauromorpha
Dinosauriformes
Dinosauria()
Theropoda()
Tetanurae
Coelurosauria()
Maniraptora
Paraves
classAves
orderCharadriiformesHuxley 1867
superfamilyAlcoidae(Stejneger 1885)
familyAlcidaeLeach 1820
genusAlca
speciesausonia()

If no rank is listed, the taxon is considered an unranked clade in modern classifications. Ranks may be repeated or presented in the wrong order because authors working on different parts of the classification may disagree about how to rank taxa.

Alca ausonia Portis 1887
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Diagnosis
ReferenceDiagnosis
N. A. Smith and J. A. Clarke 2011Although no autapomorphic characters are present in the humerus of A. ausonia, this species is differentiated from other Alca by the presence of a unique combination of characteristics. Owing to lack of associated specimens referable to A. ausonia, only humeri can be confidently referred to this species. The humeral shaft of A. ausonia is relatively more gracile than that of other Alca (ratio of greatest width at midshaft to greatest distal width = 1.65 A. ausonia; 1.69 A. torda fossils; 1.70 A. grandis). The coracobrachial sulcus forms the dorsal and lateral margin of the bicipital surface, and the point at which the sulcus curves ventrally is variable in Alca. This area of curvature of the coracobrachial sulcus is located more dorsally in A. ausonia and A. grandis (62:0; positioned ventrally in other Alca). The shape of the distal edge of the primary pneumotricipital fossa is concave (70:0) in A. minor and A. ausonia (straight in other Alca). As in A. carolinensis, A. grandis, and A. olsoni, the posteriorly overturned portion of the humeral head is distally pointed (53:1; i.e., roughly triangular) in A. ausonia, whereas the profile of this feature is more rounded in A. stewarti, A. minor, and A. torda. The size of A. ausonia falls between the smaller A. torda and the larger A. grandis (Table 4 and Fig. 2).
Measurements
No measurements are available
Composition: hydroxyapatiteo
Entire body: yeso
Adult length: 10 to < 100o
Adult width: 1.0 to < 10o
Adult height: 1.0 to < 10o
Architecture: compact or denseo
Ontogeny: accretion, modification of partso
Grouping: solitaryo
Environment: marineo
Locomotion: actively mobileo
Life habit: ground dwellingo
Diet: carnivoresubo
Reproduction: oviparouso
Dispersal: direct/internalo
Dispersal 2: mobileo
Created: 2017-04-17 10:41:05
Modified: 2017-04-17 10:41:05
Source: subo = suborder, o = order
References: Bush and Bambach 2015, Marsh 1875, Benton 1983

Age range: base of the Zanclean to the top of the Piacenzian or 5.33300 to 2.58800 Ma

Collections (3 total)


Time interval Ma Country or state Original ID and collection number
Zanclean5.333 - 3.6Belgium (Beveren) Alca ausonia (57912)
Zanclean5.333 - 3.6USA (North Carolina) Alca ausonia (52582)
Piacenzian3.6 - 2.588Italy Uria ausonia (type locality: 47428)