| Gettyia Temporal range: Late Cretaceous, | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification  | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Clade: | Dinosauria |
| Clade: | Saurischia |
| Clade: | Theropoda |
| Clade: | Avialae |
| Clade: | † Enantiornithes |
| Family: | † Avisauridae |
| Genus: | † Gettyia Atterholt, Hutchinson, and O'Connor, 2018 |
| Type species | |
| †Gettyia gloriae Atterholtt, Hutchinson, and O'Connor, 2018 | |
| Synonyms | |
Gettyia is an extinct genus of avisaurid enantiornithean bird from the Late Cretaceous of North America. [1] [2]
Gettyia is known from a single right tarsometatarsus. This bone was similar to that of other North American avisaurids such as Avisaurus and Mirarce, but it was much smaller. The second metatarsal had a tubercule (knob-like structure) on its front edge, which likely connected to the tibialis cranialis muscle which flexes the ankle. Other avisaurids typically had this tubercule located midway on the shaft of the metatarsal, or closer to the ankle than the toes. Gettyia, on the other hand, had its tibialis cranialis tubercule located more than halfway down the shaft. [1] The third and fourth metatarsals are more extensively fused than in other avisaurids, as fusion occurs not only near the ankle, but also near the toes. [2]
The more distally placed tibialis cranialis tubercule of Gettyia suggests that it had a more specialized lifestyle compared to other avisaurids. Zeffer & Norberg (2003) have found that living birds with a distally placed tibialis cranialis tubercules were biomechanically inclined to emphasize force of flexion, rather than speed. Birds of prey in particular utilize forceful flexion during their hunting behavior. Arboreal parrots and other climbing birds also make use of forceful flexion to obtain stability while foraging or hanging from tree branches. More terrestrial birds typically need more speed and less force, to assist locomotion like walking and hopping. [3]
Gettyia is known from the humid low-lying swamps, lakes, and river basins of the western shore of the Western Interior Seaway, and from the much more arid uplands between that area and the Cordilleran Overthrust Belt which eventually formed the Rocky Mountains.
Gettyia was originally named Avisaurus gloriae by Varrichio and Chiappe (1995) for MOR 553E/6.19.91.64, a tarsometatarsus from the late Campanian Upper Two Medicine Formation of Glacier County, Montana, USA. The species name honors Gloria Siebrecht, a volunteer fossil collector at the Museum of the Rockies who discovered the specimen. [2] A new partial skeleton of an enantiornithean that would come to be known as Mirarce prompted Atterholt et al. (2018) to re-evaluate avisaurid taxonomy. They found that Mirarce was intermediate between "Avisaurus" gloriae and Avisaurus archibaldi, showing that the two "Avisaurus" species were not actually members of a single monophyletic genus. To solve this problem, they created the genus name Gettyia for Avisaurus gloriae, honoring the late Mike Getty. [1]
The foot is an anatomical structure found in many vertebrates. It is the terminal portion of a limb which bears weight and allows locomotion. In many animals with feet, the foot is a separate organ at the terminal part of the leg made up of one or more segments or bones, generally including claws and/or nails.
The Enantiornithes, also known as enantiornithines or enantiornitheans in literature, are a group of extinct avialans, the most abundant and diverse group known from the Mesozoic era. Almost all retained teeth and clawed fingers on each wing, but otherwise looked much like modern birds externally. Over eighty species of Enantiornithes have been named, but some names represent only single bones, so it is likely that not all are valid. The Enantiornithes became extinct at the Cretaceous–Paleogene boundary, along with Hesperornithes and all other non-avian dinosaurs.
Avisaurus is a genus of enantiornithine avialan from the Late Cretaceous of North America.
Yungavolucris is a genus of enantiornitheans. It contains the single species Yungavolucris brevipedalis, which lived in the Late Cretaceous. The fossil bones were found in the Lecho Formation at estancia El Brete, Argentina."Yungavolucris brevipedalis" means "Short-footed Yungas bird". The generic name, Yungavolucris is after the Yungas region + the Latin volucris, which translates to "bird". The specific name brevipedalis is from the Latin brevis, which means "short", + pedalis, from the Latin pes, meaning "foot".
Lectavis is a genus of enantiornithine avialan. Their fossil bones have been recovered from the Late Cretaceous Lecho Formation at estancia El Brete, Argentina. The genus contains a single species, Lectavis bretincola.
Eoalulavis is a monotypic genus of enantiornithean bird that lived during the Barremian, in the Lower Cretaceous around 125 million years ago. The only known species is Eoalulavis hoyasi.
Elsornis is a genus of enantiornithine bird. Only one species is known, Elsornis keni. It lived during the Late Cretaceous. It is known from a partially articulated fossil skeleton found in the Gobi Desert in Mongolia.
Neuquenornis volans is a species of enantiornithean birds which lived during the late Cretaceous period in today's Patagonia, Argentina. It is the only known species of the genus Neuquenornis. Its fossils were found in the Santonian Bajo de la Carpa Formation, dating from about 85-83 million years ago. This was a sizeable bird for its time, with a tarsometatarsus 46.8mm long. Informal estimates suggest that it measured nearly 30 cm (12 in) in length excluding the tail.
Avisauridae is a family of extinct enantiornithine dinosaurs from the Cretaceous period, distinguished by several features of their ankle bones. Depending on the definition used, Avisauridae is either a broad and widespread group of advanced enantiornithines, or a small family within that group, restricted to species from the Late Cretaceous of North and South America.
Shanweiniao is a genus of long-snouted enantiornithean birds from Early Cretaceous China. One species is known, Shanweiniao cooperorum. There is one known fossil, a slab and counterslab. The fossil is in the collection of the Dalian Natural History Museum, and has accession number DNHM D1878/1 and DNHM1878/2. It was collected from the Lower Cretaceous Dawangzhengzi Beds, middle Yixian Formation, from Lingyuan in the Liaoning Province, China.
Soroavisaurus is a genus of enantiornithean birds related to Avisaurus. It lived during the Late Cretaceous of Argentina. The only known species, S. australis, is known from fossils collected from the Lecho Formation of Estancia El Brete, in the southern tip of the province of Salta, Argentina. A binominal name of this animal means "Southern sister Avisaur".
Bauxitornis is an extinct genus of avisaurid enantiornithean birds which lived in what is now Hungary during the late Cretaceous period. Although first mentioned in a 2008 review of Hungarian Cretaceous bird fossils, it was named in a more comprehensive review by Gareth J. Dyke and Attila Ősi in 2010. The type species is Bauxitornis mindszentyae. The generic name "Bauxitornis" refers to the locality at which it was discovered, a Bauxite mine. The specific name "mindszentyae" honors Andrea Mindszenty, Ősi's advisor.
Dalingheornis is a genus of enantiornithean birds which lived during the early Cretaceous period, about 122 Ma ago, and are known from a single juvenile fossil found in the upper part of the Yixian Formation at Dawangzhangzi, Liaoning province, People's Republic of China. It is the first known Mesozoic bird with heterodactyl feet specifically adapted for climbing, and was probably among the most arboreal of the enantiornithines. Unlike its relatives, it had an unusually long (17mm) skeletal tail made up of 20 vertebrae, similar to the tails of dromaeosaurids. However, this may have been a juvenile feature. The fossil was named after Yang Liwei, the first Chinese astronaut in space.
Parabohaiornis is an extinct genus of bohaiornithid enantiornithean dinosaur known from the Early Cretaceous of Liaoning Province, northeastern China. It contains a single species, Parabohaiornis martini.
Bohaiornithidae is a group of early predatory enantiornithean dinosaurs from the early Cretaceous Period of China. All known specimens come from the Jiufotang Formation and Yixian Formation, dating to the early Aptian age, 125–120 million years ago. Bohaiornithidae was first coined by Wang and colleagues in 2014. They defined it as the natural group formed by all descendants of the common ancestor of the type species, Bohaiornis guoi, and Shenqiornis mengi.
Cruralispennia is an extinct genus of enantiornithean bird. The only known specimen of Cruralispennia was discovered in the Early Cretaceous Huajiying Formation of China and formally described in 2017. The type species of Cruralispennia is Cruralispennia multidonta. The generic name is Latin for "shin feather", while the specific name means "many-toothed". The holotype of Cruralispennia is IVPP 21711, a semi-articulated partial skeleton surrounded by the remains of carbonized feathers.
Feitianius is a bird genus, belonging to the Enantiornithes, that during the Early Cretaceous lived in the area of modern China. A single species has been named in the genus, Feitianius paradisi.
Mirarce is a genus of enantornithe bird from the Late Cretaceous of Utah. It contains a single species, M. eatoni. It was similar in size to modern turkeys.
Yuanjiawaornis is an extinct genus of large enantiornithean bird known from the early Cretaceous of present-day China. It is monotypic, with only type species Y. virisosus known.
Magnusavis is an extinct genus of large enantiornithine birds from the Late Cretaceous (Maastrichtian-aged) Hell Creek Formation of Montana, United States. The genus contains a single species, M. ekalakaensis, known from an incomplete right tarsometatarsus and toe bone.
