Gurilynia
Encyclopedia
Gurilynia was a Genus
of enantiornithine birds. One species is known, G. nessovi. It lived during the Maastrichtian
stage of the Late Cretaceous
period, between 70 and 65 mya. Gurilynia is known from fragmentary fossil
s found at the Gurilyn Tsav locality of the Nemegt Formation
in south Gobi, Mongolia
.
The fossil material includes three partial bones. The holotype
is the proximal end of a right humerus
, catalog number PIN 4499-12. A paratype
is the distal end of a left humerus, catalog number PIN 4499-14. The last paratype is the shoulder end of a left coracoid, catalog number PIN 4499-13. All three fossils are in the collection of the Paleontological Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences. The material is depicted in the journal with both photographs and illustrations. The humeral head is around 29mm wide. The largest Enantiornithine from the Early Cretaceous
is Pengornis
, with a humeral head width of (17mm). This may make Gurilnyia the largest enantiornithine of the entire Cretaceous.
Kurochkin also mentions that "The additional distal portions of the ulna, radius, and carpometacarpus from the same beds also very probably belong to the Enantiornithes." This passage may describe PIN 4499-1, which was later assigned to Teviornis
. Kurochkin also adds that G. nessovi demonstrates that there were large Enantiornithids in Central Asia as well as the Americas at the end of the Cretaceous.
Genus
In biology, a genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, which is an example of definition by genus and differentia...
of enantiornithine birds. One species is known, G. nessovi. It lived during the Maastrichtian
Maastrichtian
The Maastrichtian is, in the ICS' geologic timescale, the latest age or upper stage of the Late Cretaceous epoch or Upper Cretaceous series, the Cretaceous period or system, and of the Mesozoic era or erathem. It spanned from 70.6 ± 0.6 Ma to 65.5 ± 0.3 Ma...
stage of the Late Cretaceous
Late Cretaceous
The Late Cretaceous is the younger of two epochs into which the Cretaceous period is divided in the geologic timescale. Rock strata from this epoch form the Upper Cretaceous series...
period, between 70 and 65 mya. Gurilynia is known from fragmentary fossil
Fossil
Fossils are the preserved remains or traces of animals , plants, and other organisms from the remote past...
s found at the Gurilyn Tsav locality of the Nemegt Formation
Nemegt Formation
The Nemegt Formation is a geological formation dating from the Late Cretaceous sedimentary from the Gobi Desert of Mongolia. It overlies and sometimes forms folds with the Barun Goyot Formation. It consists of river channel sediments and contains fossils of fish, turtles, crocodilians, birds and a...
in south Gobi, Mongolia
Mongolia
Mongolia is a landlocked country in East and Central Asia. It is bordered by Russia to the north and China to the south, east and west. Although Mongolia does not share a border with Kazakhstan, its western-most point is only from Kazakhstan's eastern tip. Ulan Bator, the capital and largest...
.
The fossil material includes three partial bones. The holotype
Holotype
A holotype is a single physical example of an organism, known to have been used when the species was formally described. It is either the single such physical example or one of several such, but explicitly designated as the holotype...
is the proximal end of a right humerus
Humerus
The humerus is a long bone in the arm or forelimb that runs from the shoulder to the elbow....
, catalog number PIN 4499-12. A paratype
Paratype
Paratype is a technical term used in the scientific naming of species and other taxa of organisms. The exact meaning of the term paratype when it is used in zoology is not the same as the meaning when it is used in botany...
is the distal end of a left humerus, catalog number PIN 4499-14. The last paratype is the shoulder end of a left coracoid, catalog number PIN 4499-13. All three fossils are in the collection of the Paleontological Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences. The material is depicted in the journal with both photographs and illustrations. The humeral head is around 29mm wide. The largest Enantiornithine from the Early Cretaceous
Early Cretaceous
The Early Cretaceous or the Lower Cretaceous , is the earlier or lower of the two major divisions of the Cretaceous...
is Pengornis
Pengornis
Pengornis is the largest known enantiornithine bird from the Early Cretaceous of northeast China.the name Pengornis derives from "Peng", which refers to a mythological bird from Chinese folklore, and "-ornis", which means bird in Greek....
, with a humeral head width of (17mm). This may make Gurilnyia the largest enantiornithine of the entire Cretaceous.
Kurochkin also mentions that "The additional distal portions of the ulna, radius, and carpometacarpus from the same beds also very probably belong to the Enantiornithes." This passage may describe PIN 4499-1, which was later assigned to Teviornis
Teviornis
Teviornis is a genus of extinct birds. One species has been described, T. gobiensis. It lived in the Maastrichtian stage at the end of the Late Cretaceous period, some 70 million years ago. It is known from fossils collected from the Nemegt Formation of Gobi, south Mongolia.The fossils include only...
. Kurochkin also adds that G. nessovi demonstrates that there were large Enantiornithids in Central Asia as well as the Americas at the end of the Cretaceous.