Boluochia
Encyclopedia
Boluochia zhengi was an enantiornithine bird. It lived during the Early Cretaceous in the time span 121.6-110.6 mya (late Aptian
-early Albian
) and is known from fossil
s found in the Jiufotang Formation
of Liaoning
province, People's Republic of China
. Boluochia was first described by Zhou in 1995. A re-analysis of the specimen by Jingmai O'Connor and colleagues found that it was closely related to Longipteryx
and could be assigned to the family Longipterygidae
.
While it was originally described as having a hooked, raptorial beak, the specimen is badly preserved, and further research suggested that it instead had a normal, toothed, and probably elongated snout like other longipterygids. Though the only known specimen is very poorly preserved, in nearly all features that can be compared between the two, Boluochia is indistinguishable from a juvenile specimen of Longipteryx. Jingmai O'Connor and colleagues, in a 2010 re-study of the specimen, could find only one concrete feature to distinguish them: in Boluochia, the fourth metatarsal diverges significantly from the the others, causing the outer toe to be separated from the rest when perched. The researchers who noted this characteristic argued that it was not likely to be a deformity because it was present on both feet, and that it was not a juvenile characteristic, as it is not seen in known juvenile specimens of Longipteryx.
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...
-early Albian
Albian
The Albian is both an age of the geologic timescale and a stage in the stratigraphic column. It is the youngest or uppermost subdivision of the Early/Lower Cretaceous epoch/series. Its approximate time range is 112.0 ± 1.0 Ma to 99.6 ± 0.9 Ma...
) 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...
of 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...
. Boluochia was first described by Zhou in 1995. A re-analysis of the specimen by Jingmai O'Connor and colleagues found that it was closely related to Longipteryx
Longipteryx
Longipteryx is a genus of prehistoric bird which lived during the Early Cretaceous . It contains a single species, Longipteryx chaoyangensis. Its remains have been recovered from the Jiufotang Formation at Chaoyang in Liaoning Province, People's Republic of China...
and could be assigned to the family Longipterygidae
Longipterygidae
Longipterygidae is a family of early enantiornithine birds from the early Cretaceous Period of China. All known specimens come from the Jiufotang Formation and Yixian Formation, dating to the early Aptian age, 122-120 million years ago.-Description:...
.
While it was originally described as having a hooked, raptorial beak, the specimen is badly preserved, and further research suggested that it instead had a normal, toothed, and probably elongated snout like other longipterygids. Though the only known specimen is very poorly preserved, in nearly all features that can be compared between the two, Boluochia is indistinguishable from a juvenile specimen of Longipteryx. Jingmai O'Connor and colleagues, in a 2010 re-study of the specimen, could find only one concrete feature to distinguish them: in Boluochia, the fourth metatarsal diverges significantly from the the others, causing the outer toe to be separated from the rest when perched. The researchers who noted this characteristic argued that it was not likely to be a deformity because it was present on both feet, and that it was not a juvenile characteristic, as it is not seen in known juvenile specimens of Longipteryx.