Mesozoic birds in Africa

[Fabio Marco Dalla Vecchia <fabdalla@tin.it>]

<<RIFF, DOUGLAS RIFF, ALEXANDER W.A. KELLNER, BRYN MADER & DALE RUSSELL
2002. ON THE OCCURRENCE OF AN AVIAN VERTEBRA IN CRETACEOUS STRATA OF
MOROCCO, AFRICA. Anais da Academia Brasileira de Ciências 74 (2): 367-368.

So far, osteological remains of Mesozoic birds in Gondwana are very
limited, with some occurrences in South America (around 10 non-neornithine
records), Australia (one), Antarctica (one), and Africa. In the latter,
this record is restricted to incomplete limb elements and a partial
skeleton from Madagascar, and footprints from Late Cretaceous strata of
Morocco....>>

Actually, Madagascar was not Africa at that time. It separated at least in
Early Cretaceous times. You cannot consider Madagascar "African" more than
"Indian".

I published about an enanthiornite bird in the Cenomanian of Lebanon in
1999 and this year. Lebanon WAS part of the African-Arabian Plate during
Cenomanian times. Arabian peninsula was part of Africa before the Tertiary
opening of the Red Sea.
A paper about that enanthiornite bird (skeletal remains with feathers and
amber inside the body) was submitted to JVP by me and Luis Chiappe in
november 2000. To date I have no news about that paper. Luis Chiappe (the
corresponding author)told me that it has been accepted, but I know nothing
about the actual fate of the paper and I do not want to comment further
this very bad situation.


DALLA VECCHIA F.M. & VENTURINI S., 1999 - The Middle Cenomanian
Lagerstaette of Al Nammoura (Kesrouâne Caza, N. Lebanon). III International
Symposium on Lithographic Limestones, Bergamo (Italy), September 1-5, 1999,
Rivista del Museo Civico di Scienze Naturali ?E. Caffi?, suppl. n. 20: 75-78.

DALLA VECCHIA F.M., VENTURINI S. & TENTOR M, 2002 - The Cenomanian (Late
Cretaceous) Konservat-Lagerstätte of en Nammoura (Kesrouane Province),
northern Lebanon. Bollettino della Società Paleontologica Italiana, 41/1:
51-68, Modena.


Conclusion: it must be clear that an enanthiornite bird has been reported
from the Cenomanian (early Late Cretaceous) of Lebanon (Cretaceous
African-Arabian Plate).


Fabio M. Dalla Vecchia
----------------------------------

Fabio M. Dalla Vecchia, PhD
Museo Paleontologico Cittadino
Via Valentinis 134
I-34074 Monfalcone
ITALY
http://www.fante.speleo.it