Anteavis

Discovery and naming

The holotype specimen, PVSJ 1085, was found in the Cancha de Bochas Member of the Ischigualasto Formation within Ischigualasto Provincial Park in San Juan Province, northwestern Argentina. It is housed at the Institute and Museum of Natural Sciences of the National University of San Juan. The partial skeleton includes skull bones such as the left and right upper and lower tooth-bearing bones, the left bone near the upper margin of the orbit, and parts of both palate bones. Vertebrae from the neck, back, and tail are preserved, along with limb and girdle elements. The forelimb remains include parts of the right upper and lower forelimb bones, a possible bone of digit III, and a claw of digit I. The hindlimb and pelvis preserve a complete articulated pelvis, the left and right upper and lower hindlimb bones, left foot bones, and phalanges. In 2025, Ricardo N. Martínez and colleagues named the new genus and species Anteavis crurilongus. The generic name combines Latin words meaning 'before' and 'bird', alluding to its ancestral anatomy. The specific name combines Latin for 'leg' and 'long', referencing the proportionally elongate lower hindlimb.