Titanoperdix
| Titanoperdix | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification
| |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Galliformes |
| Family: | Phasianidae |
| Genus: | †Titanoperdix Zelenkovet al.,2023 |
| Type species | |
| Titanoperdix felixi Zelenkovet al.,2023
| |
Titanoperdixis anextinctmonospecificgenusoflandfowl,belonging to thePhasianidaefamily. It was related to the moderngrey partridge,although it was substantially larger, reaching the size of the modernblack grouse.Its fossilized remains were discovered in EarlyPleistocenedeposits, near Malye Goly, inIrkutsk Oblast,in EasternSiberia.[1]
History and naming
[edit]Titanoperdixwas described byZelenkov,Palastrova,MartynovichandVolkovain 2023, based on a single fragmentarycoracoidbone, labelledPIN, N° 2614/313.Itstype,and only knownspecies,isT. felixi.[1]
The genus nameTitanoperdixis derived from the prefixtitano-, referring to theTitansofGreek mythology,and the suffix -perdix,referring to the modern genus ofpartridgesPerdix.The type species,felixi,was given to honour the latezoologistFelix Yanovich Dzerzhinsky.[1]
Description
[edit]Titanoperdixis only known from a single holotype fragment of acoracoid,that appeared similar to that of modern "true"partridgesandpheasants.Substantial differences in its anatomy allowed however to erect the animal into a distinct genus. The 20 cm long coracoid was substantially larger than that of modern species of partridges, indicating thatTitanoperdixreached the size of a maleblack grouse.[1]
Paleobiology
[edit]The environment preserved in the Malye Goly locality preserves an important and rare view of the paleoenvironment of EasternSiberia.The local avifauna is predominantly composed of waterbirds, including a moderncommon shelduck,an indeterminatesea duckpotentially related to the moderngoldeneye,the diminutivetealSibirionetta formozovi,two other indeterminate genera ofducks,agrebe,the extinctcrakePorzana payevskyiand asandpiper,although terrestrial birds, such asTitanoperdix,a specimen associated to the modernDaurian partridgeand acorvidwere also present. Based on this fauna, the environment appears to be the ancient shoreline of a lake, along with a riverine ecosystem and open steppe-like environments in the hinterland.[1]
References
[edit]- ^abcdeZelenkov, N.; Palastrova, E.; Martynovich, N.; Klementlev, A.; Sizov, A.; Volkova, N. (2023)."A tiny duck (Sibirionetta formozovi sp. nov.), a giant grey partridge (Titanoperdix felixi gen. et sp. nov.), a new rail (Porzana payevskyi sp. nov.), and other birds from the Early Pleistocene of Baikalian Siberia".Biological Communications.68(4): 261–272.doi:10.21638/spbu03.2023.406.
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