Lectavis
Lectavis is a genus of enantiornithine avialan. Their fossil bones have been recovered from the Late Cretaceous Lecho Formation at estancia El Brete, Argentina. The genus contains a single species, Lectavis bretincola.
Etymology
Its naming means "Lecho Formation bird living at El Brete". Lectavis, after Latin lectus = Spanish lecho + Latin avis, "bird". bretincola, after the type locality estancia El Brete + Latin incola, "inhabitant".Description
The presently only known fossil bones are mostly of the left tibiotarsus and tarsometatarsus of a single individual. L. bretincola was a sizeable bird, with a tibiotarsus and a tarsometatarsus which if complete must have been nearly long. This remains indicate an animal with a length of, hip height of, and weight of.It possesses a hypotarsus, which it evolved autapomorphically from modern birds, as it covers the upper end of the second, not the third, toe's bones. This structure serves to attach and arrest the posterior cruciate ligament, which in turn prevents the lower and upper leg from shifting out of position during walking.