Cuspirostrisornis
Encyclopedia
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 +/-0.7 million years ago.
C. houi is known from a nearly complete fossil. The Holotype
fossil is in the collection of the Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology
in Beijing, China. The fossil is given catalog number IVPP V 10897. It was collected in 1993 by Dr. Hou Lianhai and Hou Jinfeng, the illustrator at IVPP. It was collected from light gray mudstones approximately 2 kilometers west of Boluochi Village, Chaoyang County, Liaoning Province.
The holotype fossil is that of a small perching form, with a skull about 27 millimeters long. There are five pairs of tiny teeth in the premaxilla, and another five pairs in the anterior dentary. Hou states that the beak resembles that of the extant Genus
Motacilla, the Wagtail
s. The Ulna is large and derived, with the s-shape of modern flying birds. The sternum is large, carinate
, and broad.
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. Only one species is known, Cuspirostrisornis houi. It is known from one fossil
Fossil
Fossils are the preserved remains or traces of animals , plants, and other organisms from the remote past...
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.
C. houi is known from a nearly complete fossil. 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. The fossil is given catalog number IVPP V 10897. It was collected in 1993 by Dr. Hou Lianhai and Hou Jinfeng, the illustrator at IVPP. It was collected from light gray mudstones approximately 2 kilometers west of Boluochi Village, Chaoyang County, Liaoning Province.
The holotype fossil is that of a small perching form, with a skull about 27 millimeters long. There are five pairs of tiny teeth in the premaxilla, and another five pairs in the anterior dentary. Hou states that the beak resembles that of the extant Genus
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...
Motacilla, the Wagtail
Wagtail
The wagtails form the passerine bird genus Motacilla. They are small birds with long tails which they wag frequently. Motacilla, the root of the family and genus name, means moving tail...
s. The Ulna is large and derived, with the s-shape of modern flying birds. The sternum is large, carinate
Carinate
This article is about a topic in pottery design. For the article about birds, see Carinatae.Carinate is a shape in pottery, glassware and artistic design usually applied to amphora or vases...
, and broad.