Eoconfuciusornis
Encyclopedia
Eoconfuciusornis a genus
of extinct bird
that lived 131 Ma ago, in the Early Cretaceous
of China
.
The type species
of Eoconfuciusornis, Eoconfuciusornis zhengi, was named and described by Zhang Fucheng, Zhou Zhonghe
and Michael Benton
in 2008. The generic name combines a Greek ἠώς, eos, "dawn", with the name of the related genus Confuciusornis
. The specific name honours Zheng Guangmei.
The holotype
, specimen IVPP V11977, was found near Sichakou in Fengning in Hebei
province. Its provenance the Sichakou Beds are part of the Dabeigou Formation
which was seen by the describers as dating to the Hauterivian
, and were thought to be about 131 million years old. The specimen consists of a compressed skeleton that is relatively complete and shows well conserved remains of most of the feathering.
Eoconfuciusornis was somewhat smaller than Confuciusornis, but otherwise very similar with a pointed toothless beak. Compared to the latter it had longer legs and lacked a pierced deltopectoral crest on the humerus
.
Eoconfuciusornis was assigned to the Confuciusornithidae
. It would have been the most basal species known of that group, as reflected by the generic name and in conformation to the age ascribed to it, about six million years older than the specimens of Confuciusornis.
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 extinct bird
Bird
Birds are feathered, winged, bipedal, endothermic , egg-laying, vertebrate animals. Around 10,000 living species and 188 families makes them the most speciose class of tetrapod vertebrates. They inhabit ecosystems across the globe, from the Arctic to the Antarctic. Extant birds range in size from...
that lived 131 Ma ago, in 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...
of China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
.
The type species
Type species
In biological nomenclature, a type species is both a concept and a practical system which is used in the classification and nomenclature of animals and plants. The value of a "type species" lies in the fact that it makes clear what is meant by a particular genus name. A type species is the species...
of Eoconfuciusornis, Eoconfuciusornis zhengi, was named and described by Zhang Fucheng, Zhou Zhonghe
Zhou Zhonghe
Zhou Zhonghe is a Chinese palaeontologist. He described the ancient bird Confuciusornis.Zhou studied at the University of Nanjing and then worked at the Institute of Vertebrate Palaeontology and Palaeoanthropology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences in Beijing.- External links :* - Chinese* - Chinese...
and Michael Benton
Michael Benton
Michael J. Benton is a British paleontologist, a Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh, and professor of vertebrate palaeontology in the Department of Earth Sciences at the University of Bristol....
in 2008. The generic name combines a Greek ἠώς, eos, "dawn", with the name of the related genus Confuciusornis
Confuciusornis
Confuciusornis is a genus of primitive crow-sized birds from the Early Cretaceous Yixian and Jiufotang Formations of China, dating from 125 to 120 million years ago...
. The specific name honours Zheng Guangmei.
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...
, specimen IVPP V11977, was found near Sichakou in Fengning in Hebei
Hebei
' is a province of the People's Republic of China in the North China region. Its one-character abbreviation is "" , named after Ji Province, a Han Dynasty province that included what is now southern Hebei...
province. Its provenance the Sichakou Beds are part of the Dabeigou Formation
Dabeigou Formation
The Dabeigou Formation is a palaeontological formation located in China. It dates to the Cretaceous period....
which was seen by the describers as dating to the Hauterivian
Hauterivian
The Hauterivian is, in the geologic timescale, an age in the Early Cretaceous epoch or a stage in the Lower Cretaceous series. It spans the time between 136.4 ± 2 Ma and 130 ± 1.5 Ma...
, and were thought to be about 131 million years old. The specimen consists of a compressed skeleton that is relatively complete and shows well conserved remains of most of the feathering.
Eoconfuciusornis was somewhat smaller than Confuciusornis, but otherwise very similar with a pointed toothless beak. Compared to the latter it had longer legs and lacked a pierced deltopectoral crest on the humerus
Humerus
The humerus is a long bone in the arm or forelimb that runs from the shoulder to the elbow....
.
Eoconfuciusornis was assigned to the Confuciusornithidae
Confuciusornithidae
Confuciusornithidae is a family of primitive birds from the early Cretaceous Period of China. It consists of four genera. About half of all the confuciusornithid specimens, including reprersentatives of all species, that have preserved feathers possess a pair of distinctive ribbon-like tail...
. It would have been the most basal species known of that group, as reflected by the generic name and in conformation to the age ascribed to it, about six million years older than the specimens of Confuciusornis.
