Parahongshanornis
Encyclopedia
Parahongshanornis is an extinct genus
of early bird
from the lower Cretaceous
(Aptian
stage) of what is now Liaoning Province, north-eastern China
.
Parahongshanornis was first named by Li Li
, Wang Jingqi and Hou Shilin in 2011
and the type species
is Parahongshanornis chaoyangensis. The generic name refers to an assumed close relationship with Hongshanornis
. The specific name refers to Chaoyang.
Parahongshanornis is known from the holotype
PMOL-AB00161, which was found near Yuanjiawa, Chaoyang, in the middle Aptian Jiufotang Formation
of the Jehol Biota
, about 120 million years old. It consists of a nearly complete and articulated skeleton
missing the skull
but showing remains of the soft parts of the body, including some feathering. Most of the vertebral column is obscured by the sternum and pelvis.
Parahongshanornis is a small species with a femur
length of twenty-four millimetres. The furcula
is U-shaped. The coracoid is elongated but with a broad end touching the sternum. The sternum has a keel over its entire length and two pairs of deep indentations at its back edge. The pubis is narrow and long with a distinctive pubic foot. The upper arm is somewhat longer than the lower arm. The sub-equal second and third metacarpals are fused to each other and the wrist, but the first is not. The first phalanx of the second finger is stout and short; the second phalanx is long and narrow.
Parahongshanornis was assigned to the Hongshanornithidae
, based on comparative anatomy
rather than a cladistic analysis. It would be the youngest hongshanornithid known.
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 early 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...
from the lower Cretaceous
Cretaceous
The Cretaceous , derived from the Latin "creta" , usually abbreviated K for its German translation Kreide , is a geologic period and system from circa to million years ago. In the geologic timescale, the Cretaceous follows the Jurassic period and is followed by the Paleogene period of the...
(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...
stage) of what is now Liaoning Province, north-eastern 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...
.
Parahongshanornis was first named by Li Li
Li Li
Li Li may refer to:*Li Li , Chinese badminton player*Li Li , fictional character in the Water Margin*Muzi Mei , real name Li Li, Chinese blogger*Li Li , Chinese artistic gymnast...
, Wang Jingqi and Hou Shilin in 2011
2011 in paleontology
-Lobopods:-Arachnids:-Insects:-Newly named jawless vertebrates:-Newly named acanthodian:-Newly named cartilaginous fishes:-Newly named bony fishes:-Newly named lepospondyls:-Newly named temnospondyls:-Newly named lissamphibians:...
and 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...
is Parahongshanornis chaoyangensis. The generic name refers to an assumed close relationship with Hongshanornis
Hongshanornis
Hongshanornis is a genus of ornithurine bird known from the early Cretaceous lake deposits of the Yixian Formation, Inner Mongolia, China. The only known specimen was recovered in 2005. It was likely a strong flier and due to its long legs, Hongshanornis appears to have been a wader, feeding in...
. The specific name refers to Chaoyang.
Parahongshanornis is known from 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...
PMOL-AB00161, which was found near Yuanjiawa, Chaoyang, in the middle Aptian 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 the Jehol Biota
Jehol Biota
The Jehol Biota includes all the living organisms - the ecosystem - of northeastern China between 133 to 120 million years ago. This is the Lower Cretaceous ecosystem which left fossils in the Yixian Formation and Jiufotang Formation. It is also believed to have left fossils in the Sinuiju series...
, about 120 million years old. It consists of a nearly complete and articulated skeleton
Skeleton
The skeleton is the body part that forms the supporting structure of an organism. There are two different skeletal types: the exoskeleton, which is the stable outer shell of an organism, and the endoskeleton, which forms the support structure inside the body.In a figurative sense, skeleton can...
missing the skull
Skull
The skull is a bony structure in the head of many animals that supports the structures of the face and forms a cavity for the brain.The skull is composed of two parts: the cranium and the mandible. A skull without a mandible is only a cranium. Animals that have skulls are called craniates...
but showing remains of the soft parts of the body, including some feathering. Most of the vertebral column is obscured by the sternum and pelvis.
Parahongshanornis is a small species with a femur
Femur
The femur , or thigh bone, is the most proximal bone of the leg in tetrapod vertebrates capable of walking or jumping, such as most land mammals, birds, many reptiles such as lizards, and amphibians such as frogs. In vertebrates with four legs such as dogs and horses, the femur is found only in...
length of twenty-four millimetres. The furcula
Furcula
The ' is a forked bone found in birds, formed by the fusion of the two clavicles. In birds, its function is the strengthening of the thoracic skeleton to withstand the rigors of flight....
is U-shaped. The coracoid is elongated but with a broad end touching the sternum. The sternum has a keel over its entire length and two pairs of deep indentations at its back edge. The pubis is narrow and long with a distinctive pubic foot. The upper arm is somewhat longer than the lower arm. The sub-equal second and third metacarpals are fused to each other and the wrist, but the first is not. The first phalanx of the second finger is stout and short; the second phalanx is long and narrow.
Parahongshanornis was assigned to the Hongshanornithidae
Hongshanornithidae
Hongshanornithidae is an extinct family of basal ornithuromorph birds from the Early Cretaceous of China. The family includes the genera Hongshanornis and Longicrusavis, from the Yixian Formation, in Inner Mongolia and Liaoning Province, respectively, and possibly Parahongshanornis from the...
, based on comparative anatomy
Comparative anatomy
Comparative anatomy is the study of similarities and differences in the anatomy of organisms. It is closely related to evolutionary biology and phylogeny .-Description:...
rather than a cladistic analysis. It would be the youngest hongshanornithid known.