Lithornithidae

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Lithornithidae
Temporal range: Paleocene-Eocene, 56–40 Ma
Possible Cretaceous reccord
Pseudocrypturus.jpg
Pseudocrypturus cercanaxius fossil cast, Zoologisk Museum, Copenhagen
Scientific classification e
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Lithornithiformes
Family: Lithornithidae
Houde, 1988
Genera

Lithornis
Paracathartes
Promusophaga Tom Harrisson & Walker, 1977
Pseudocrypturus ?Fissuravis

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Lithornithidae is an extinct, possibly paraphyletic[1] clade of early paleognath birds. They are known from fossils dating to the Upper Paleocene through the Middle Eocene of North America and Europe, with possible Late Cretaceous representatives.[1][2] All are extinct today.[3]

Woodcut of the Lithornis vulturinus holotype

Lithornithids had long, slender, bills for probing. They closely resembled modern tinamous. They possessed a rhynchokinetic skull with relatively unfused cranial bones, a weakly fused pygostyle and a splenial. They had a strongly developed keel on the sternum. The smaller members in genus Lithornis and Pseudocrypturus were good fliers, but the heavier Paracathartes was probably only a facultative flier. The unguals were more curved than in tinamous and probably allowed better perching in trees.

The order Lithornithiformes was erected by Dr. Peter Houde in 1988. Three genera are included; Lithornis, Paracathartes, and Pseudocrypturus. There are eight named species.[3] Promusophaga (Harrisson & Walker, 1977) may belong in Lithornithiformes too. Fissuravis may also belong to the clade,[4] and several unnamed remains are known.

Taxonomy

Lithornithiformes Houde 1988[5][6]

References

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  1. 1.0 1.1 Paleogene Fossil Birds
  2. A lithornithid (Aves: Palaeognathae) from the Paleocene (Tiffanian) of southern California
  3. 3.0 3.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  4. Gerald Mayr, Paleogene Fossil Birds
  5. Mikko's Phylogeny Archive [1] Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  6. Paleofile.com (net, info) [2]. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.