The carinate bird Ichthyornis from the Upper Cretaceous of Mexico

A well-preserved right humerus collected from the upper Austin Group at Ejido Piedritas in Coahuila, Mexico is referable to the carinate bird Ichthyornis. This occurrence extends the known distribution of Ichthyornis to the southwest, and is among a younger (Coniacian-Campanian) group of specimens, recovered generally to the south of older (Cenomanian-Turonian) Ichthyornis specimens. The southward shift in occurrence of Ichthyornis may accord with the withdrawal of subtropical marine biota from the Western Interior Seaway of North America during the Late Cretaceous.