Soroavisaurus

Soroavisaurus Temporal range: Maastrichtian ~70–66  Ma PreꞒ Ꞓ O S D C P T J K Pg N ↓
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Reptilia
Clade:	Dinosauria
Clade:	Saurischia
Clade:	Theropoda
Clade:	Avialae
Clade:	† Enantiornithes
Family:	† Avisauridae
Genus:	† Soroavisaurus Chiappe 1993
Species:	†S. australis
Binomial name
†Soroavisaurus australis Chiappe 1993

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 (Maastrichtian age) of Estancia El Brete, in the southern tip of the province of Salta, Argentina. A binominal name of this animal means "Southern sister Avisaur". ^[1]

Description

The specimens are in the collection of the Fundación-Instituto Miguel Lillo, Tucumán. They are cataloged as PVL-4690, a 46.9 mm (1.85 in)-long left tarsometatarsus, and PVL-4048, which includes another left tarsometatarsus, 51.5 mm (2.03 in)-long and associated with the whole hallux, or digit I, and four intermediate phalanges. PVL-4048 was previously described as "Avisaurus sp." (see Avisaurus ). ^[2]

Phylogeny

The cladogram below is from Wang et al., 2022: ^[3]

Enantiornithes

Cruralispennia Protopteryx Elsornis Flexomornis Longipterygidae Iberomesornis bh bh Longirostravis Rapaxavis Euenantiornithes c e Sinornis e Enantiornis Halimornis Concornis Neuquenornis c b Eoalulavis Liaoningornis Gobipteryx Hebeiornis Eocathayornis Qiliania Avisauridae Intiornis Soroavisaurus Avisaurus Gettyia n Mirarce e Feitianius fn Longusunguis fn n Dunhuangia fn Musivavis Pengornithidae Pengornis m Yuanchuavis Eopengornis Parapengornis m Grabauornis Parvavis Cratoavis Gretcheniao Huoshanornis Shengjingornis Zhouornis Bohaiornithidae Bohaiornis ij Eoenantiornis Fortunguavis Mystiornis Shenqiornis Sulcavis

l

Key to letters:

b = Boluochia
c = Cathayornis
e = Enantiophoenix
f = Houornis
h = Longipteryx
i = Parabohaiornis
j = Pterygornis
l = Vorona
m = Yuanjiawaornis
n = Yungavolucris

Paleobiology

Due to their large size and strong talons, Soroavisaurus could occupy the same ecological niche as extanct birds of prey, noticing prey from afar on the plains or in water. ^[1]

References

1. Matthew P. Martyniuk (2012). A Field Guide to Mesozoic Birds and Other Winged Dinosaurs. Pan Aves. p. 142. ISBN   9780988596504 . Retrieved 29 August 2022.
2. Chiappe, Luis M. (1993) "Enantiornithine (Aves) Tarsometatarsi from the Cretaceous Lecho Formation of Northwestern Argentina." "American Museum Novitates" December 27, 1993 Number 3083, 27pp.
3. Wang, Xuri; Cau, Andrea; Luo, Xiaoling; Kundrát, Martin; Wu, Wensheng; Ju, Shubin; Guo, Zhen; Liu, Yichuan; Ji, Qiang (2022-02-11). "A new bohaiornithid-like bird from the Lower Cretaceous of China fills a gap in enantiornithine disparity". Journal of Paleontology. 96 (4): 961–976. Bibcode:2022JPal...96..961W. doi: 10.1017/jpa.2022.12 . ISSN   0022-3360. S2CID   247432530.