Intiornis

{{Short description|Extinct genus of birds}}

{{Italic title}}

{{speciesbox

| name = Intiornis

| fossil_range = Campanian
~{{fossilrange|75}}

| image = Intiornis holotype left foot.png

| image_caption = The holotype partial hind limb of Intiornis

| genus = Intiornis

| parent_authority = Novas et al. 2010

| species = inexpectatus

| authority = Novas et al. 2010

}}

Intiornis (meaning "Inti bird", the binominal naming means "Unexpected Sun bird"{{cite book

| isbn = 9780988596504

| url = https://books.google.com/books?id=b5_DyhNk7FcC&dq=avisaurus+size&pg=PA142

| title = A Field Guide to Mesozoic Birds and Other Winged Dinosaurs

| publisher = Pan Aves

| date = 2012

| access-date = 29 August 2022

| pages = 142

| author = Matthew P. Martyniuk

}}) is an extinct genus of avisaurid enantiornithean birds which existed in what is now North-West Argentina during the late Cretaceous period (Campanian age).{{cite journal |author1=Fernando Emilio Novas |author2=Federico Lisandro Agnolín |author3=Carlos Agustín Scanferla |year=2010 |title=New enantiornithine bird (Aves, Ornithothoraces) from the Late Cretaceous of NW Argentina |url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/241120337 |journal=Comptes Rendus Palevol |volume=9 |issue=8 |pages=499–503 |doi=10.1016/j.crpv.2010.09.005|bibcode=2010CRPal...9..499N |hdl=11336/60953 |hdl-access=free }}

Description

The genus is known from a partial hind limb found in beds of the Upper Cretaceous Las Curtiembres Formation. Three primary toes on a limb of Intiornis are nearly the same length. It was named by Fernando Emilio Novas, Federico Lisandro Agnolín and Carlos Agustín Scanferla in 2010, and the type species is Intiornis inexpectatus. With the body length of around {{cvt|15|cm}} Intiornis was the size of a sparrow, thus representing the smallest enantiornithes known from South America. Its closest relative was Soroavisaurus from the Lecho Formation (Maastrichtian age) of northwestern Argentina.

Phylogeny

The cladogram below is from Wang et al., 2022:{{Cite journal |last1=Wang |first1=Xuri |last2=Cau |first2=Andrea |last3=Luo |first3=Xiaoling |last4=Kundrát |first4=Martin |last5=Wu |first5=Wensheng |last6=Ju |first6=Shubin |last7=Guo |first7=Zhen |last8=Liu |first8=Yichuan |last9=Ji |first9=Qiang |date=2022-02-11 |title=A new bohaiornithid-like bird from the Lower Cretaceous of China fills a gap in enantiornithine disparity |journal=Journal of Paleontology |volume=96 |issue=4 |language=en |pages=961–976 |doi=10.1017/jpa.2022.12 |s2cid=247432530 |issn=0022-3360|doi-access=free |bibcode=2022JPal...96..961W |url=https://zenodo.org/record/5819202 }}

{{clade| style=font-size:90%;line-height:90%

|label1=Enantiornithes

|sublabel1=l

|1={{clade

|1=Cruralispennia

|2={{clade

|1=Protopteryx

|2={{clade

|1={{clade

|1=Elsornis

|2=Flexomornis }}

|2={{clade

|label1=Longipterygidae

|1={{clade

|1=Iberomesornis

|label2=bh

|2={{clade

|label1=bh

|1=Longirostravis

|2=Rapaxavis }} }}

|label2=Euenantiornithes

|2={{clade

|label1=c

|1={{clade

|label1=e

|1=Sinornis

|label2=e

|2={{clade

|1=Enantiornis

|2={{clade

|1=Halimornis

|2={{clade

|1=Concornis

|2=Neuquenornis }} }} }}

|label3=c

|3={{clade

|label1=b

|1={{clade

|1=Eoalulavis

|2=Liaoningornis }}

|2={{clade

|1=Gobipteryx

|2=Hebeiornis }} }} }}

|2={{clade

|1=Eocathayornis

|2={{clade

|1={{clade

|1=Qiliania

|label2=Avisauridae

|sublabel2=e

|2={{clade

|1={{clade

|1=Intiornis

|2=Soroavisaurus }}

|2={{clade

|1=Avisaurus

|2={{clade

|1=Gettyia

|label2=n

|2=Mirarce }} }} }} }}

|2={{clade

|1=Feitianius

|2={{clade

|1={{clade

|label1=fn

|1=Longusunguis

|label2=fn

|2={{clade

|label1=n

|1=Dunhuangia

|label2=fn

|2=Musivavis }} }}

|2={{clade

|label1=Pengornithidae

|sublabel1=m

|1={{clade

|1=Pengornis

|label2=m

|2={{clade

|1=Yuanchuavis

|2={{clade

|1=Eopengornis

|2=Parapengornis }} }} }}

|2={{clade

|1={{clade

|1=Grabauornis

|2={{clade

|1=Parvavis

|2={{clade

|1=Cratoavis

|2=Gretcheniao }} }} }}

|2={{clade

|1={{clade

|1=Huoshanornis

|2=Shengjingornis }}

|2={{clade

|1=Zhouornis

|label2=Bohaiornithidae

|2={{clade

|1=Bohaiornis

|label2=ij

|2={{clade

|1=Eoenantiornis

|2={{clade

|1=Fortunguavis

|2={{clade

|1=Mystiornis

|2={{clade

|1=Shenqiornis

|2=Sulcavis

}} }} }} }} }} }} }} }} }} }} }} }} }} }} }} }} }} }} }}

Key to letters:

b = Boluochia

c = Cathayornis

e = Enantiophoenix

f = Houornis

h = Longipteryx

i = Parabohaiornis

j = Pterygornis

l = Vorona

m = Yuanjiawaornis

n = Yungavolucris

Paleobiology

Long toes of equal length and large curved claws suggest adaptability for perching.

References