NO. 9 A NEW PLIOCENE STORK SHORT 7 



the inner side, while that of Sphenorhynchus resembles Ciconia in 

 being shallower and located more centrally. Sphenorhynchus exhibits 

 a groove lacking in Dissourodes, between the internal ligamental 

 prominence and the anterior face of the internal condyle of its 

 tibiotarsi. Finally the shape of the interior intercondylar fossa of 

 the fossil tibiotarsus is quite different from that of Sphenorhynchus. 

 This is chiefly due to the raised area, including the supratendinal 

 bridge and intercondylar tubercle, angling toward the inside of the 

 shaft and distally in the fossil tibiotarsus, and toward the inside 

 and proximally in Sphenorhynchus. These differences are sufficient 

 to preclude very close relationship between Dissourodes milleri and 

 Sphenorhynchus abdimii. 



Euxenura galatea approximates the fossil in size of the distal 

 end of its tibiotarsus. The fossil is much more massive than 

 Euxenura; indeed the fossil tibiotarsus may be described as having 

 its shaft about the size of Jabiru, with a condylar head the size of 

 Euxenura. Howard (1942, p. 200) pointed out the ridgelike nature 

 of the external ligamental process in Euxenura and Ciconia (includ- 

 ing the fossil C. maltha), in contrast to the papilla found in Jabiru. 

 The fossil tibiotarsus resembles that of Jabiru (and also Dissoura 

 episcopus) in this respect. The fossil tibiotarsus further differs from 

 Euxenura in its relatively narrower condyles (both anteriorly and 

 posteriorly), its narrower intercondylar groove (Euxenura 3 s is broad, 

 as in Ciconia), in having its intercondylar tubercle connected by an 

 unnotched ridge with the external condyle, and in its longer supra- 

 tendinal bridge. The distal opening of the tendinal groove is similarly 

 placed in both, although shaped more elliptically in the fossil 

 tibiotarsus. Finally, Euxenura agrees with Jabiru and Ciconia (in- 

 cluding C. maltha) in having the anterior end of the external trochlea 

 broad and barely indented by the intercondylar depression, rather 

 than narrower and indented as in Dissoura and Dissourodes. 



The fossil tibiotarsus is larger than those of living Ciconia species 

 but is approached in size by the fossil Ciconia maltha (Miller, 1910). 

 Dissourodes milleri differs significantly from Ciconia in a number 

 of ways, chief among which are : its narrower intercondylar groove ; 

 indentation and narrowing of its anterior external condylar head; 

 its distal tendinal groove opening is oval, not round; the inter- 

 condylar tubercle of the fossil tibiotarsus is connected by an un- 

 notched, rather than a deeply notched ridge with the external 

 trochlea; its internal ligamental process is papilla-like, not a long 

 ridge as in Ciconia; its condylar head is relatively deeper ; its more 



