Largirostrornis
Encyclopedia
Largirostrornis is a Genus
of enantiornithine bird. One species is known, Largirostornis sexdentoris. It lived during the Early Cretaceous and is known from fossil
s found in the Jiufotang Formation
in Liaoning
province, People's Republic of China
.
It is known from one fossil
, slab and counterslab, found in the Jiufotang Formation
in Liaoning
province, People's Republic of China
. The Jiufotang Formation
is dated to the Early Cretaceous
period, Aptian
age, 120.3 +/-0.7 million years ago.
The holotype
fossil is in the collection of the Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology
in Beijing, China. It is given catalog number IVPP 10531.
L. sexdentornis has a torso longer than all other known enantiornithines. It is slightly larger than Cuspirostrisornis
, with a skull about 32 millimeters long. The dentary and premaxilla
each hold six pairs of teeth. There are tall neural spines on the cervical
and dorsal
vertebrae.
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 bird. One species is known, Largirostornis sexdentoris. It lived during the Early Cretaceous and is known from fossil
Fossil
Fossils are the preserved remains or traces of animals , plants, and other organisms from the remote past...
s found in the Jiufotang Formation
Jiufotang Formation
The Jiufotang Formation is an Early Cretaceous geological formation in Chaoyang, Liaoning which has yielded fossils of feathered dinosaurs, primitive birds, pterosaurs, and other organisms. . It is a member of the Jehol group. The exact age of the Jiufotang has been debated for years, with...
in Liaoning
Liaoning
' is a province of the People's Republic of China, located in the northeast of the country. Its one-character abbreviation is "辽" , a name taken from the Liao River that flows through the province. "Níng" means "peace"...
province, People's Republic of China
People's Republic of China
China , officially the People's Republic of China , is the most populous country in the world, with over 1.3 billion citizens. Located in East Asia, the country covers approximately 9.6 million square kilometres...
.
It is known from one fossil
Fossil
Fossils are the preserved remains or traces of animals , plants, and other organisms from the remote past...
, slab and counterslab, found in the Jiufotang Formation
Jiufotang Formation
The Jiufotang Formation is an Early Cretaceous geological formation in Chaoyang, Liaoning which has yielded fossils of feathered dinosaurs, primitive birds, pterosaurs, and other organisms. . It is a member of the Jehol group. The exact age of the Jiufotang has been debated for years, with...
in Liaoning
Liaoning
' is a province of the People's Republic of China, located in the northeast of the country. Its one-character abbreviation is "辽" , a name taken from the Liao River that flows through the province. "Níng" means "peace"...
province, People's Republic of China
People's Republic of China
China , officially the People's Republic of China , is the most populous country in the world, with over 1.3 billion citizens. Located in East Asia, the country covers approximately 9.6 million square kilometres...
. The Jiufotang Formation
Jiufotang Formation
The Jiufotang Formation is an Early Cretaceous geological formation in Chaoyang, Liaoning which has yielded fossils of feathered dinosaurs, primitive birds, pterosaurs, and other organisms. . It is a member of the Jehol group. The exact age of the Jiufotang has been debated for years, with...
is dated to 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...
period, Aptian
Aptian
The Aptian is an age in the geologic timescale or a stage in the stratigraphic column. It is a subdivision of the Early or Lower Cretaceous epoch or series and encompasses the time from 125.0 ± 1.0 Ma to 112.0 ± 1.0 Ma , approximately...
age, 120.3 +/-0.7 million years ago.
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...
fossil is in the collection of the Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology
Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology
The Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology of China is a prominent research institution and collections repository for fossils, including many dinosaur and pterosaurand cat poo specimens...
in Beijing, China. It is given catalog number IVPP 10531.
L. sexdentornis has a torso longer than all other known enantiornithines. It is slightly larger than Cuspirostrisornis
Cuspirostrisornis
Cuspirostrisornis is a Genus of enantiornithine bird. Only one species is known, Cuspirostrisornis houi. It is known from one fossil found in the Jiufotang Formation in Liaoning province, People's Republic of China. The Jiufotang Formation is dated to the Early Cretaceous period, Aptian age, 120.3...
, with a skull about 32 millimeters long. The dentary and premaxilla
Premaxilla
The incisive bone is the portion of the maxilla adjacent to the incisors. It is a pair of small cranial bones at the very tip of the jaws of many animals, usually bearing teeth, but not always. They are connected to the maxilla and the nasals....
each hold six pairs of teeth. There are tall neural spines on the cervical
Cervical vertebrae
In vertebrates, cervical vertebrae are those vertebrae immediately inferior to the skull.Thoracic vertebrae in all mammalian species are defined as those vertebrae that also carry a pair of ribs, and lie caudal to the cervical vertebrae. Further caudally follow the lumbar vertebrae, which also...
and dorsal
Dorsum (biology)
In anatomy, the dorsum is the upper side of animals that typically run, fly, or swim in a horizontal position, and the back side of animals that walk upright. In vertebrates the dorsum contains the backbone. The term dorsal refers to anatomical structures that are either situated toward or grow...
vertebrae.