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''Lutavis'' (meaning "clay bird") is an extinct genus of potentially afroavian bird from the
The holotype specimen, NMS.Z.2021.40.37, was discovered in 1995 by Michael Daniels in layers of the
Although the tarsometatarsus of ''Lutavis'' shares some similarities with those of the extinct '' Plesiocathartes'' and '' Paracrax'', the remainder of the skeleton is significantly different, with very few similarities. Preserved fossilized toe pad integument was observed on a piece of
Early Eocene
In the geologic timescale the Ypresian is the oldest age or lowest stratigraphic stage of the Eocene. It spans the time between , is preceded by the Thanetian Age (part of the Paleocene) and is followed by the Eocene Lutetian Age. The Ypresian i ...
London Clay Formation
The London Clay Formation is a marine geological formation of Ypresian (early Eocene Epoch, c. 56–49 million years ago) age which crops out in the southeast of England. The London Clay is well known for its fossil content. The fossils from th ...
of Essex, United Kingdom. The genus contains a single species, ''L. platypelvis'', known from a partial skeleton.
Discovery and naming
The holotype specimen, NMS.Z.2021.40.37, was discovered in 1995 by Michael Daniels in layers of the London Clay Formation
The London Clay Formation is a marine geological formation of Ypresian (early Eocene Epoch, c. 56–49 million years ago) age which crops out in the southeast of England. The London Clay is well known for its fossil content. The fossils from th ...
(Walton Member), dated to the early Ypresian, which is located near Walton-on-the-Naze in Essex, England. This specimen consists of some thoracic vertebrae, the pygostyle, the majority of the pectoral girdle, a partial right humerus
The humerus (; ) is a long bone in the arm that runs from the shoulder to the elbow. It connects the scapula and the two bones of the lower arm, the radius and ulna, and consists of three sections. The humeral upper extremity consists of a roun ...
, partial ulnae, partial carpometacarpi
The carpometacarpus is a bone found in the hands of birds. It results from the fusion of the carpal and metacarpal bone, and is essentially a single fused bone between the wrist and the knuckles. It is a smallish bone in most birds, generally flatt ...
, carpal bones
The carpal bones are the eight small bones that make up the wrist (or carpus) that connects the hand to the forearm. The term "carpus" is derived from the Latin carpus and the Greek καρπός (karpós), meaning "wrist". In human anatomy, th ...
, wing phalanges
The phalanges (singular: ''phalanx'' ) are digital bones in the hands and feet of most vertebrates. In primates, the thumbs and big toes have two phalanges while the other digits have three phalanges. The phalanges are classed as long bones.
...
, a partial pelvis
The pelvis (plural pelves or pelvises) is the lower part of the trunk, between the abdomen and the thighs (sometimes also called pelvic region), together with its embedded skeleton (sometimes also called bony pelvis, or pelvic skeleton).
The ...
, a right tarsometatarsus
The tarsometatarsus is a bone that is only found in the lower leg of birds and some non-avian dinosaurs. It is formed from the fusion of several bones found in other types of animals, and homologous to the mammalian tarsus (ankle bones) and meta ...
, and several pedal phalanges.
In 2022, German paleontologist Gerald Mayr and British zoologist Andrew C. Kitchener described ''Lutavis platypelvis'', a new genus and species of bird, based on these fossil remains. The generic name, "''Lutavis''", combines the Latin words "lutum", meaning "mud" or "clay", in reference to the discovery of the fossil in the London Clay Formation, and "avis", meaning "bird". The specific name Specific name may refer to:
* in Database management systems, a system-assigned name that is unique within a particular database
In taxonomy, either of these two meanings, each with its own set of rules:
* Specific name (botany), the two-part (bino ...
, "''platypelvis''", combines the Greek word "πλᾰτῠ́ς” (”platús”), meaning ”wide”, with “pelvis
The pelvis (plural pelves or pelvises) is the lower part of the trunk, between the abdomen and the thighs (sometimes also called pelvic region), together with its embedded skeleton (sometimes also called bony pelvis, or pelvic skeleton).
The ...
”, in reference to the taxon's wide, shallow pelvis.
Description
Although the tarsometatarsus of ''Lutavis'' shares some similarities with those of the extinct '' Plesiocathartes'' and '' Paracrax'', the remainder of the skeleton is significantly different, with very few similarities. Preserved fossilized toe pad integument was observed on a piece of matrix
Matrix most commonly refers to:
* ''The Matrix'' (franchise), an American media franchise
** '' The Matrix'', a 1999 science-fiction action film
** "The Matrix", a fictional setting, a virtual reality environment, within ''The Matrix'' (franchi ...
collected with a pedal phalanx. A similar instance was seen in the holotype of the contemporary ''Ypresiglaux michaeldanielsi
''Ypresiglaux'' (meaning " Ypresian owl") is an extinct genus of strigiform bird from the Early Eocene London Clay Formation of Essex, United Kingdom and Nanjemoy Formation of Virginia, United States. The genus contains two species: ''Y. mich ...
''.
''Lutavis'' had relatively short legs compared to other birds. Although the tuberculum dorsale of the humerus is small (while it is large in extant birds capable of sudden take-offs), the coracoid is especially large, suggesting that ''Lutavis'' was capable of well-developed flight.
Classification
Mayr and Kitchener (2022) could not confidently place ''Lutavis'' within any avian clade due to the lack of derived features in the holotype. They suggested that an assignment to the Leptosomiformes would be possible but highly speculative, and that future work should be done to establish a more confident placement.See also
*Paleobiota of the London Clay
A list of prehistoric and extant species whose fossils have been found in the London Clay, which underlies large areas of southeast England.
Plant fossils, especially seeds and fruits, are found in abundance and have been collected from the Lond ...
References
{{Taxonbar, from=Q115937090 Eocene birds of Europe Extinct birds of Europe Prehistoric bird genera Fossil taxa described in 2022 Birds described in 2022