Parapenornis
| Parapenornis | ||||||||
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Holotype IVPP V18687 Fossil and Diagram |
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| Temporal occurrence | ||||||||
| Lower Cretaceous ( Aptium ) | ||||||||
| approx. 120 million years | ||||||||
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| Systematics | ||||||||
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| Scientific name | ||||||||
| Parapenornis | ||||||||
| Hu , O'Connor & Zhou , 2015 | ||||||||
| Art | ||||||||
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Parapengornis is an extinct genus of the enantiornithes . The genus name is derived from the ancient Greek para "bee" and the related genus Pengornis .
The only known species is called Parapengornis eurycaudatus . The species name is a combination of the Greek eury "broad" and the Latin caudatus "tail" and refers to its relatively broad pygostyle .
It was named and described in 2015 by Hu Han, Jingmai Kathleen O'Connor and Zhou Zhonghe.
remains
The fossil (holotype IVPP V18687) was discovered in the Jiufotang Formation, which is in what is now China. The remains are estimated to be around 120 million years old. It shows an almost complete skeleton with a skull. Extensive remains of the plumage have been preserved. Due to the lack of growth lines, the specimen is declared as a young animal that was less than one year old at the time of death.
IVPP V18632, which was previously assigned to the genus Pengornis , was subsequently subordinated to the Parapengornis .
particularities
It is believed that it took several years to reach skeletal maturity . The pygostyle is reminiscent of that of the woodpecker, which could suggest that they were able to climb vertical tree surfaces.
Compared to Pengornis
Parapengornis were quite large birds, just like pengornis . Although the two genera come from the same strata of the site and are very similar, there are differences. They are estimated at around 160 grams and are therefore lighter than their relatives, which are around 235 grams. The teeth are smaller (crown height approx. 0.5 mm), slimmer, slightly bent back and more similar to those of the Eopengorn . The tail feathers are, as in the Eopengorn , pin-shaped over the entire length. The ratio of metatarsal I to metatarsal III is 1: 2, whereas the ratio of pengornis is about 1: 3.
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b c d e f g Han Hu, Jingmai K. O'Connor, Zhonghe Zhou, Andrew A. Farke: A New Species of Pengornithidae (Aves: Enantiornithes) from the Lower Cretaceous of China Suggests a Specialized Scansorial Habitat Previously Unknown in Early birds . In: PLOS ONE . 10, No. 6, 2015, p. E0126791. doi : 10.1371 / journal.pone.0126791 . PMID 26039693 . PMC 4454694 (free full text).