| Piscivorenantiornis | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification  | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Clade: | Dinosauria |
| Clade: | Saurischia |
| Clade: | Theropoda |
| Clade: | Avialae |
| Clade: | † Enantiornithes |
| Genus: | † Piscivorenantiornis Wang, Zhou & Sullivan, 2016 |
| Type species | |
| Piscivorenantiornis inusitatus Wang, Zhou & Sullivan, 2016 | |
Piscivorenantiornis is a genus of enantiornithine bird from the Jiufotang Formation of Liaoning, China. It is known from a single species, P. insusitatus. [1]
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]
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]
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]
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]