Soroavisaurus
{{Short description|Extinct genus of birds}}
{{Italic title}}
{{speciesbox
| name = Soroavisaurus
| fossil_range = Maastrichtian
~{{fossilrange|70|66}}
| genus = Soroavisaurus
| parent_authority = Chiappe 1993
| species = australis
| authority = 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".{{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
}}
Description
The specimens are in the collection of the Fundación-Instituto Miguel Lillo, Tucumán. They are cataloged as PVL-4690, a {{cvt|46.9|mm}}-long left tarsometatarsus, and PVL-4048, which includes another left tarsometatarsus, {{cvt|51.5|mm}}-long and associated with the whole hallux, or digit I, and four intermediate phalanges. PVL-4048 was previously described as "Avisaurus sp." (see Avisaurus).Chiappe, Luis M. (1993) "Enantiornithine (Aves) Tarsometatarsi from the Cretaceous Lecho Formation of Northwestern Argentina." "American Museum Novitates" December 27, 1993 Number 3083, 27pp. PVL-4048, the largest undoubted individual of Soroavisaurus, indicates an animal with a length of {{cvt|48.6|cm}}, hip height of {{cvt|21.1|cm}}, and weight of {{cvt|1.55|kg|lb}}.{{cite book
| isbn = 9780691190594
| url = https://books.google.com/books?id=WnZyDwAAQBAJ&dq=avisaurus+size&pg=PA281
| title = Dinosaur Facts and Figures: The Theropods and Other Dinosauriformes
| publisher = Princeton University Press
| date = June 25, 2019
| access-date = 29 August 2022
| pages = 281
| author = Rubén Molina-Pérez, Asier Larramendi, David Connolly, Gonzalo Ángel Ramírez Cruz, Andrey Atuchin
}} PVL-4033, a tibiotarsus, probably belongs to a S. australis is also known, book published in 2019 estimated its length of {{cvt|80|cm}}, hip height of {{cvt|35|cm}}, and weight of {{cvt|7.25|kg|lb}}, making it the largest enantiornithean. However according to Walker and Dyke (2009) which considered PVL-4033 as Martinavis sp., its tibiotarsus length is {{cvt|85.6|mm}},{{Cite journal |last1=Walker |first1=Cyril A. |last2=Dyke |first2=Gareth J. |date=2009 |title=Euenantiornithine Birds from the Late Cretaceous of El Brete (argentina) |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/25780698 |journal=Irish Journal of Earth Sciences |volume=27 |pages=15–62 |doi=10.3318/IJES.2010.27.15 |jstor=25780698 |issn=0790-1763|url-access=subscription }} much shorter than that of Lectavis ({{cvt|156|mm}} tibiotarsus){{Cite web |last=Chiappe |first=Luis M. |title=Enantiornithine (Aves) tarsometatarsi from the Cretaceous Lecho Formation of northwestern Argentina. American Museum novitates ; no. 3083 |url=https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/bibliography/93275 |access-date=2023-12-20 |website=Biodiversity Heritage Library}} which the same book estimated a length of {{cvt|41|cm}}, hip height of {{cvt|30|cm}}, and weight of {{cvt|1.15|kg|lb}}.
Phylogeny
{{clade| style=font-size:90%;line-height:90%
|label1=Enantiornithes
|sublabel1=l
|1={{clade
|2={{clade
|1=Protopteryx
|2={{clade
|1={{clade
|1=Elsornis
|2=Flexomornis }}
|2={{clade
|label1=Longipterygidae
|1={{clade
|label2=bh
|2={{clade
|label1=bh
|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
|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
|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
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.
References
{{reflist}}
{{Enantiornithes}}
{{Taxonbar|from=Q10943169}}
Category:Monotypic prehistoric bird genera
Category:Cretaceous birds of South America
Category:Late Cretaceous dinosaurs of South America
Category:Fossil taxa described in 1993
Category:Taxa named by Luis M. Chiappe
Category:Late Cretaceous birds
{{paleo-bird-stub}}