Proardea

Taxobox
name = "Proardea"
status = fossil
fossil_range = Late Eocene? - Late Oligocene
regnum = Animalia
phylum = Chordata
classis = Aves
ordo = Ciconiiformes
familia = Ardeidae
genus = "Proardea"
genus_authority = Lambrecht, 1933
species = "P. amissa"
binomial= "Proardea amissa"
binomial_authority = (Milne-Edwards, 1892)
synonyms = "Ardea amissa" Milne-Edwards, 1892Verify source|date=November 2007 "Egretta amissa" Mlíkovský & Švec 1989 and see article text

"Proardea" is an extinct genus of heron, containing a single species, "Proardea amissa" ("Lost Proto-heron"). It stood about 70 cm (2 ft 4 in) tall and was very similar to a modern heron in shape. The species is known from rather fragmentary fossils in the area of Quercy, France; dated remains are from Pech Desse, a Late Oligocene locality, but the original fossil, a single right tarsometatarsus (MNHN QU-15720), may have come from deposits as early as Late Eocene in age.

"Proardea" was apparently closely related to the true herons and egrets (Ardeinae). As these genera are only known from the Miocene onwards, "Proardea" possibly was a direct ancestor of today's herons and/or egrets. However, the Miocene genus "Proardeola" is closely related, or perhaps even synonymous, with "Proardea"; the former's single species "Proardeola walkeri" may thus be "Proardea walkeri" or even identical with "P. amissa". The bird described as "Ardea aurelianensis" may also be identical with "P. amissa", which would in that case become known as "Proardeola aurelianensis". Supposed other species of "Proardea", "P. similis" and "P. perplexa", are synonyms of the ibis "Geronticus perplexus" and the phasianid "Miogallus altus", respectively. [Mlíkovský (2002)]

Footnotes

References

* (1933): [Genus "Proardea"] "In: Handbuch der Palaeornithologie": 311. Gebrüder Bornträger, Berlin.
* (1892)Verify source|date=November 2007 : Sur les oiseaux fossiles des dépots éocènes de phosphate de chaux du Sud de la France. "In": Sclater, P.L. (ed.), "Comptes Rendus du Second Congrès Ornithologique International": 60-80. Budapest.
* (2002): "Cenozoic Birds of the World, Part 1: Europe". Ninox Press, Prague. ISBN 80-901105-3-8 [http://www.nm.cz/download/JML-18-2002-CBE.pdf PDF fulltext]