Proornis

Taxobox
name = "Proornis"
status = fossil
fossil_range = Early Cretaceous (Barremian?)
regnum = Animalia
phylum = Chordata
classis = Aves
familia = Confuciusornithidae?
genus = "Proornis"
genus_authority =
species = "P. coreae"
binomial = "Proornis coreae"
binomial_authority =

"Proornis" is an extinct genus of basal bird from the Early Cretaceous (Barremian, 130-125 mya?) of northernmost North Korea. Since it was never formally described in a peer - reviewed journal, the genus is considered a "nomen nudum" and thus not italicizedVerify source|date=July 2007. A single species Proornis coreae 1 is known.

Fossil remains of this animal, discovered in 1993 in Sinuiju series deposits at Sinuiju-si, consist of a skull, a few cervical vertebrae and a forelimb with feathers. It was originally thought to be a close relative of "Archaeopteryx", but newer analyses suggests it is more closely related to "Confuciusornis" (Tweet 2007). Confuciusornis - like features include that the finger bones were proportionately shorter than the metacarpals, unlike in "Archaeopteryx" (Lee "et al". 2001). Also, the first phalanx of digit III is much shorter than the remaining phalanges, and the claw of digit II is smaller than that of digit III. Li, Quanguo, Gao, Ke-qin (2007). "Lower Cretaceous vertebrate fauna from the Sinuiju basin, North Korea as evidence of geographic extension of the Jehol Biota into the Korean Peninsula". "Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology" 27, supplement to number (3). pp.106A.]

References

* Lee, Yuong-Nam; Yu, Kang-Min & Wood, Craig B. (2001): A review of vertebrate faunas from the Gyeongsang Supergroup (Cretaceous) in South Korea. "Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology" 165(3): 357-373. doi|10.1016/S0031-0182(00)00171-1 (HTML abstract)

* Paek, I.S. & Kim, Y.N. (1996): Mesozoic era. "In:" Paek, R.J. (ed.): "Geology of Korea". Publishing House, Pyongyang, DPRK.

* Tweet, Justin (2007): [http://www.users.qwest.net/~jstweet1/maniraptora.htm Thescelosaurus! page: Maniraptora] . Version of 2007-MAR-29. Retrieved 2007-MAY-21.

Footnotes

1 [Etymology] : Proornis coreae, "Korean bird-forerunner"; Proornis, from Ancient Greek "pro-", "before" and "ornis", "bird". coreae, Latinization of "Korea".is known.