Masillatrogon incertus

Masillatrogon incertus

Mayr & Kitchener, 2024

Common name Trogon like bird
Fossil group Birds
Order Trogoniformes
Family Trogonidae
Genus Masillatrogon
Taxonomic status Taxonomically Uncertain
Geological age Ypresian

Summary

Masillatrogon incertus is a London Clay trogon whose generic assignment was deliberately made tentative. Several fossils previously associated with Eotrogon show a different combination of hindlimb and skeletal features and were referred to ?Masillatrogon incertus, extending a genus otherwise best known from the Eocene of continental Europe.

It was probably an arboreal bird with a grasping trogon foot. Insects and small fruits are reasonable dietary possibilities by comparison with trogons, but the exact ecology is not directly demonstrated. The uncertainty concerns its generic placement rather than whether the London Clay material represents a distinctive trogon species.

Quick Identification

Look for: trogon hindlimb or associated skeletal material that differs from Eotrogon and matches the ?Masillatrogon combination. Because the generic referral is tentative, identification should be based on well preserved comparative material rather than a single toe or shaft.

Diagnostic Features

  • The material has a trogoniform hindlimb construction rather than a generalised perching bird foot.
  • The species differs from Eotrogon stenorhynchus in the character combination of the referred skeletal elements.
  • The generic assignment to Masillatrogon is explicitly tentative in the original description.
  • Several specimens formerly considered Eotrogon were separated after detailed osteological comparison.
  • Species level use should preserve the taxonomic uncertainty rather than implying a secure generic relationship with the Messel species.

Fossil Details

Preservation
Fragmentary preservation is the main reason for taxonomic caution. Do not erase the question surrounding generic placement when cataloguing isolated elements.

Similar Species

Recorded Fossil Sites

No fossil-site occurrences have yet been recorded for this species.

Last Reviewed
25 August 2026 Reviewed by Sam Harris