New enantiornithinebird(Aves,Ornithothoraces)fromtheLate Cretaceous ofNWArgentina

NOVAS, FERNANDO; AGNOLIN, FEDERICO; SCANFERLA, AGUSTIN

COMPTES RENDUS PALEVOL

ELSEVIER FRANCE-EDITIONS SCIENTIFIQUES MEDICALES ELSEVIER

Lugar: Paris; Año: 2010 p. 1 - 5

1631-0683

A new enantiornithine bird, Intiornis inexpectatus gen. etsp.nov, is described here. It is basedon a partial hindlimb found in beds of the Upper Cretaceous Las Curtiembres Formation(Campanian), North-West Argentina. The new taxon is referred to the family Avisauridaeon the basis of its cranially convex third metatarsal. Several features suggest close rela-tionships between Intiornis and the avisaurid Soroavisaurus, from the Lecho Formation(Maastrichtian; North-WestArgentina). Intiornis was the size of a sparrow, thus repre-senting the smallest Enantiornithes known from SouthAmerica. The new species showsadaptations for a perching mode of life.