Zhongjianornis
Encyclopedia
Zhongjianornis is a genus
of long-beaked, pigeon-sized bird
from the early Cretaceous
period of China
. It is known from one fossil found at Jianchang, Liaoning Province, in rocks of the Jiufotang Formation
. It is reported to be the most primitive (though not earliest) bird that completely lacks teeth, and one of the most basal
birds known.
The holotype
specimen is in the collection of the Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology
in Beijing
, and the species Z. yangi is named for the IVPP's founder, Yang Zhongjian
. This specimen is catalogued under the accession number IVPP V15900. It consists of a complete skeleton, possibly only missing a few tail vertebrae.
Zhongjianornis was described by Zhou, Zhang and Li, in a paper published in January 2010 (though the paper had appeared on the Internet during 2009). They found that Zhongjianornis is more primitive than Confuciusornis
, and that it predates the split between ornithurine and enantiornithine birds. The authors also reported that Zhongjianornis shares with very basal birds like Jeholornis, Sapeornis
and Confuciusornis
a highly expanded deltopectoral crest, and suggest that this was an early flight architecture that was replaced by the enlarged sternal keel system of more advanced birds.
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 long-beaked, pigeon-sized 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 early 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...
period 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...
. It is known from one fossil found at Jianchang, Liaoning Province, in rocks of 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...
. It is reported to be the most primitive (though not earliest) bird that completely lacks teeth, and one of the most basal
Basal (phylogenetics)
In phylogenetics, a basal clade is the earliest clade to branch in a larger clade; it appears at the base of a cladogram.A basal group forms an outgroup to the rest of the clade, such as in the following example:...
birds known.
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 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
Beijing
Beijing , also known as Peking , is the capital of the People's Republic of China and one of the most populous cities in the world, with a population of 19,612,368 as of 2010. The city is the country's political, cultural, and educational center, and home to the headquarters for most of China's...
, and the species Z. yangi is named for the IVPP's founder, Yang Zhongjian
Yang Zhongjian
Yang Zhongjian , courtesy name Keqiang , also known as C.C. Young, was one of China's foremost paleontologists. He has been called the 'Father of Chinese vertebrate paleontology'...
. This specimen is catalogued under the accession number IVPP V15900. It consists of a complete skeleton, possibly only missing a few tail vertebrae.
Zhongjianornis was described by Zhou, Zhang and Li, in a paper published in January 2010 (though the paper had appeared on the Internet during 2009). They found that Zhongjianornis is more primitive than 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...
, and that it predates the split between ornithurine and enantiornithine birds. The authors also reported that Zhongjianornis shares with very basal birds like Jeholornis, Sapeornis
Sapeornis
Sapeornis is a genus of primitive bird which lived during the Early Cretaceous . The genus contains only the species Sapeornis chaoyangensis which is known from fossils found in Jiufotang Formation rocks near Chaoyang, PRC...
and 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...
a highly expanded deltopectoral crest, and suggest that this was an early flight architecture that was replaced by the enlarged sternal keel system of more advanced birds.