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Piscivorenantiornis
Extinct genus of birds From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Piscivorenantiornis is a genus of enantiornithine bird from the Jiufotang Formation of Liaoning, China. It is known from a single species, P. insusitatus.[1]
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History of discovery
The holotype of Piscivorenantiornis (IVPP V22582), was discovered near Dapingfang in Chaoyang County, Liaoning, China, in sediments identified as belonging to the Jiufotang Formation.[1][2] Piscivoreantiornis' genus name is derived from the Latin piscis ("fish") and vorare ("to eat"), denoting it as the first known piscivorous enantiornithine; the specific name derives from the Latin inusitatus ("extraordinary").[1] A second specimen of P. inusitatus (IVPP V23362) was described in 2020.[3]
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Description
Piscivorenantiornis was a small enantiornithine.[1] The sternum resembles bohaiornithids in some regards, though its lateral trabecula lacks the strong lateral deflection that characterises them. It preserves a pair of craniolateral processes absent in most other enantiornithines. The articular sulci of the coracoid are widely spaced. The pubic boot is large and its tip is strongly recurved.[1][4]
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Taxonomy
In the paper describing Piscivorenantiornis, it nested either alongside Pterygornis, or outside of a clade comprising Pterygornis and Dunhuangia.[1] In a paper published four years later, it was recovered in outside of a clade comprising Mirusavis and Shangyang.[3]
Paleobiology
The holotype of Piscivorenantiornis was found alongside a spindle-shaped arrangement of fish bones, likely belonging to the genus Lycoptera. Due to its shape and proximity, and a lack of fish bones elsewhere on the slab, it is believed that this structure represents a gastric pellet that was regurgitated shortly prior to its death.[2]
References
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