A new genus of crane (Aves: Gruiformes) from the Late Tertiary of the Balearic Islands, Western Mediterranean

A new genus and species of crane is described from Late Tertiary karstic deposits in Punta Nati-Cala's Pous, in the north-west of Menorca. The coracoid, the ends of the distal and proximal tibiotarsus, the proximal and distal ends of the tarsometatarsus (the latter is not well preserved) and the femur have been recovered, in what is one of the best osteological series of a crane pre-dating the Pleistocene. The morphology of the fossil is mainly coincident with the Gruinae, especially with recent Grus . However, its size and some symplesiomorphic features of the distal end of the tibiotarsus and of the coracoid are coincident with Balearica , and automorphic characters are also found mainly in the proximal end of the tibiotarsus. The combination of characters justifies the creation of a new genus that is considered basal in the Gruinae.