Parvavis chuxiongensis, gen. et sp. nov. (2 Viewers)

[Fred Ruhe]

A paper I missed ten years ago:

MIN WANG, ZHONGHE ZHOU, and GUANGHUI XU, 2014

THE FIRST ENANTIORNITHINE BIRD FROM THE UPPER CRETACEOUS OF CHINA

Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology 34(1):135–145, January 2014

Abstract and free pdf: https://www.researchgate.net/public...thine_Bird_from_the_Upper_Cretaceous_of_China

A new Late Cretaceous avian taxon, Parvavis chuxiongensis, gen. et sp. nov., is reported here based on an incomplete skeleton from Upper Cretaceous lake deposits in Yunnan Province, southern China. A phylogenetic analysis of 32 taxa and 242 morphological characters resulted in three most parsimonious trees, the strict consensus tree of which places Parvavis chuxiongensis within Enantiornithes. Histological study shows that the bones of Parvavis were composed of parallelfibered
bone tissue without lines of arrested growth, and indicated that growth rate had slowed but had not stopped at any stage prior to death. The bones also lack the rough surface texture seen in juvenile birds. Therefore, the new bird was probably
close to adult body size at the time of death. However, the specimen is surprisingly small, highlighting the wide range of body sizes in Upper Cretaceous enantiornithines. The new specimen also represents both the first known bird from the Upper Cretaceous of China and the first Mesozoic bird from the south of China, and thus extends the temporal and geographic range of Mesozoic birds in China.

Enjoy,

Fred

 

[Fred Ruhe]

SYSTEMATIC PALEONTOLOGY

AVES Linnaeus, 1758
ENANTIORNITHES Walker, 1981
PARVAVIS, gen. nov.

Type Species—Parvavis chuxiongensis, gen. et sp. nov.

Etymology—The genus name is from ‘parv’ Latin prefix for ‘small,’ and ‘avis,’ Latin for ‘bird.’

Diagnosis—As for the type and only species.

Distribution—As for the type and only species.

PARVAVIS CHUXIONGENSIS, gen. et sp. nov.

Holotype—An articulated partial skeleton preserved in a slab (IVPP V18586/1) and counter slab (IVPP V18586/2) with feather impressions covering the body cranial to the pygostyle.

Locality and Horizon—Luojumei Village, Chuxiong City, Yunnan Province, China. Jiangdihe Formation, Upper Cretaceous (Turonian–Santonian)

Etymology—The species name refers to the city of Chuxiong, where the fossil was collected.

Differential Diagnosis—An enantiornithine because it has autapomorphies of this clade, as follows: proximal profile of humerus concave, cranial facies immediately distal to head concave, deltopectoral crest narrower than shaft width, and ventral
side of distal humerus extending more distally than dorsal side. A small species, with humerus less than half as long as that of Longipteryx, distinguished from other known enantiornithine birds by the following combination of characters: metatarsals II and IV terminate proximal to the entire trochlea of metatarsal III; the trochlea of metatarsal II broader than those of other metatarsals (widely distributed in enantiornithines, e.g., Eoenantiornis, Vescornis); and ungual of digit IV reduced (among other enantiornithines, found only in Vescornis and Qiliania).

Fred


FIGURE 1. Photograph and line drawing, where shaded parts indicate missing bone, of IVPP V18586/1 (part), holotype of Parvavis chuxiongensis, gen. et sp. nov. Abbreviations: bc, bicipital crest; cv, cervical vertebrae; dc, deltopectoral crest; doc, dorsal condyle; dta, distal tarsals; ex, exoccipital; fcv, free caudal vertebrae; fe, feather impression; fo, foramen magnum; fu, femur; hu, merus; l, left side; lco, lateral condyle; mt I–IV, metatarsals I–IV; pd, pedal digit; py, pygostyle; r, right side; ra, radius; su, supraoccipital; ti, tibiotarsus; u, ulna. Dashed lines indicate locations histological sections.
Scale bar equals 10 mm.


FIGURE 2. Photograph and line drawing, where shaded parts indicate missing bone, of IVPP V18586/2 (counterpart), holotype of Parvavis chuxiongensis, gen. et sp. nov. Abbreviations: fcv, free caudal vertebrae; fe, feather impression; fu, femur; hu, humerus; l, left side; mt I–IV, metatarsals I–IV; olf, olecranon fossa; pd, pedal digit; py, pygostyle; r, right side; ra, radius; ti, tibiotarsus; u, ulna. Scale bar equals 10 mm.

 

[Fred Ruhe]

I mentioned this species already in 2014:

The first new species and genus for 2014

Hi all, Here is the first new species and genus for 2014: Min Wangab, Zhonghe Zhoua & Guanghui Xua, 2014 The first enantiornithine bird from the Upper Cretaceous of China Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology 34: 135-145 Abstract: A new Late Cretaceous avian taxon, Parvavis chuxiongensis, gen...

www.birdforum.net

Fred