Pengornis
Encyclopedia
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.
Pengornis is known from a single fossil, described by Zhou et al. in 2008. This holotype
is in the collection of the Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology
in Beijing China. Its accession number is IVPP V15336. It was collected from the Jiufotang Formation
, at Dapingfang, Chaoyang, Liaoning China.
Pengornis shows characters of the humeral head, acromion, and anterior cervical vertebrae, that were previously known only in members of the Ornithurae
. A phylogenetic analysis by Zhou et al. reduces to just three the number of characters that support enantiornithine monophyly . Thus, Pengornis supports the possibility that enantiornithines and Ornithurines
may not be distinct clades.
(see Apsaravis
)
Early Cretaceous
The Early Cretaceous or the Lower Cretaceous , is the earlier or lower of the two major divisions of the Cretaceous...
of northeast China.
the name Pengornis derives from "Peng"
Peng (mythology)
Peng or Dapeng is a giant bird that transforms from a Kun giant fish in Chinese mythology. In comparative mythology of giant creatures, Peng is likened to the Roc or Garuda and Kun to the Leviathan.-Names:...
, which refers to a mythological bird from Chinese folklore, and "-ornis", which means bird in Greek.
Pengornis is known from a single fossil, described by Zhou et al. in 2008. This 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 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. Its accession number is IVPP V15336. It was collected from 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...
, at Dapingfang, Chaoyang, Liaoning China.
Pengornis shows characters of the humeral head, acromion, and anterior cervical vertebrae, that were previously known only in members of the Ornithurae
Ornithurae
Ornithurae is the name of a natural group which includes all modern birds as well as their extinct relatives with plough-shaped pygostyles, a bone at the end of the tail which allows the tail feathers to fan and retract....
. A phylogenetic analysis by Zhou et al. reduces to just three the number of characters that support enantiornithine monophyly . Thus, Pengornis supports the possibility that enantiornithines and Ornithurines
Ornithurae
Ornithurae is the name of a natural group which includes all modern birds as well as their extinct relatives with plough-shaped pygostyles, a bone at the end of the tail which allows the tail feathers to fan and retract....
may not be distinct clades.
(see Apsaravis
Apsaravis
Apsaravis is a Mesozoic bird genus from the Late Cretaceous. The single known species, Apsaravis ukhaana, lived about 78 million years ago, in the Campanian age of the Cretaceous period. Its fossilized remains were found in the Camel's Humps sublocality of the Djadokhta Formation, at Ukhaa...
)