Concornis
| Concornis | |
|---|---|
| |
| Fossil cast | |
Scientific classification 
| |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Clade: | Dinosauria |
| Clade: | Saurischia |
| Clade: | Theropoda |
| Clade: | Avialae |
| Clade: | †Enantiornithes |
| Family: | †Avisauridae |
| Genus: | †Concornis Sanz & Buscalioni, 1992 |
| Species: | †C. lacustris
|
| Binomial name | |
| †Concornis lacustris Sanz & Buscalioni, 1992
| |
Concornis is a
was described from the remains of one fairly complete individual skeleton.Description
The holotype of Concornis, MCCM-LH-1184 (also known as LH-2814) was initially described in 1992, while the specimen was still partially covered in sandstone. This preliminary description was published to record an aspect of the specimen which would be erased upon further preparation: faint traces of wing feathers visible under ultraviolet light.[2] Once the specimen was prepared, most of these traces were destroyed but in return the skeleton was able to be studied in closer detail. A large redescription was published in 1995 once further preparation concluded. The specimen is almost complete, only missing a few elements such as the skull, neck, and pygostyle.[3]
Concornis was an averaged sized enantiornithean, with an estimated wingspan of 34 centimeters (13 inches) and an estimated weight of about 70 g (2.5 oz). This would have made it proportionally similar to a
Classification
Upon its initial description it was believed to be more primitive than
A relationship with Sinornis and
A 2008 analysis placed Concornis in the family Avisauridae due to several features of the tibiotarsus (shinbone and upper ankle bones). Under this classification, Concornis is the oldest (and the most complete) member of the family.[6]
Paleoecology
The
A 2018 study analyzed the proportions of Concornis and Eoalulavis (a contemporary enantiornithean) to determine the optimal flight pattern for those genera. The study found that they likely engaged in bounding flight, a form of flight popular among modern small and short-winged birds. A bird engaging in bounding flight alternates between upward-thrusting flaps and short dives with folded wings. The study also found that they were capable of continuous flapping flight, but were likely unable to glide due to having a high body mass to wingspan ratio. The study concluded that Eolalulavis, Concornis, and likely many other enantiornitheans alternated between the fast bounding flight and the slower but more efficient flapping flight depending on the circumstances, similar to modern songbirds and woodpeckers.[4]
References
- ^ Etymology: "Lacustrine bird from Cuenca province". Concornis, from Latin Conca (the Roman name of the Cuenca region) + Ancient Greek ornis (όρνις) "bird". lacustris, Latin for "lacustrine", "of the lake".
- ^ a b c d Sanz, J.L.; Buscalioni, A.D. (November 1992). "A new bird from the Early Cretaceous of Las Hoyas, Spain, and the early radiation of birds" (PDF). Palaeontology. 35 (4): 829–845.
- ^ hdl:2246/3667.
- ^ ISSN 1475-4983.
- S2CID 83603202.
- ^ Cau, A. & Arduini, P. (2008). "Enantiophoenix electrophyla gen. et sp. nov. (Aves, Enantiornithes) from the Upper Cretaceous (Cenomanian) of Lebanon and its phylogenetic relationships". Atti della Societa Italiana di Scienze Naturali e del Museo Ivico di Storia Naturale in Milano. 149 (2): 293–324.