| Paraprefica | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Fossil fromMessel, Germany | |
Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Clade: | Strisores |
| Order: | Nyctibiiformes |
| Family: | Nyctibiidae |
| Subfamily: | †Parapreficinae Costa, Silviera, James, Posso & Donatelli, 2021 |
| Genus: | †Paraprefica G. Mayr, 2005 |
| Type species | |
| Paraprefica major | |
| Species | |
| |
Paraprefica is an extinct genus ofpotoo (familyNyctibiidae) from the middleEocene (c. 48 million years ago). Its fossil remains have been found in theMessel pit atMessel,Germany.
It is the only known member of the extinctsubfamilyParapreficinae, erected in 2021 to distinguishParaprefica from the extant potoos of the genusNyctibius andPhyllaemulor, which have a slightly different anatomy and are known only from theAmericas.[1]
Described for the first time in 1999 by G. Mayr, this bird was at first placed in the genusPrefica, a North American fossil closely related to modern oilbirds (Steatornis caripensis). Later research showed however thatParaprefica had characteristics found only in the familyNyctibiidae, orderCaprimulgiformes (the nightjars).[2]
It is possible that the similarities between the bones ofPrefica andParaprefica are due to primitive characters found in all Cypselomorphs, the group that also includes the Caprimulgiformes. There are two species in the genus:Paraprefica kelleri, the best known, andParaprefica major.[3][2]
This bird is known from fossil remains which include askeleton and many well-preservedskulls, and is one of the best preserved Eocene birds.Paraprefica, a medium-sized bird, has skull and legs somewhat resembling today'spotoos, in the generaNyctibius andPhyllaemulor. The head has a thinbeak and a very wide mouth, while the wings are relatively large, though smaller than those of extant potoos.[3][2]
The existing finds from Germany present a puzzle on the birds' distribution, as modern potoos are found only in the New World, fromMexico to the north ofArgentina and the Caribbean islands ofJamaica,Hispaniola andTobago, making themNeotropical. Either the group was once cosmopolitan, and has become limited to the Americas, or it was Eurasian and has at some time shifted its distribution.[4]
