Cuspirostrisornis

Cuspirostrisornis Temporal range: Early Cretaceous, 120 Ma PreЄ Є O S D C P T J K Pg N ↓
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Aves
Subclass:	Enantiornithes
Superorder:	Euenantiornithes
Genus:	Cuspirostrisornis Hou, 1997
Species
C. houi Hou, 1997 (type

Cuspirostrisornis is a Genus of enantiornithine bird. Only one species is known, Cuspirostrisornis houi. It is known from one fossil found in the Jiufotang Formation in Liaoning province, People's Republic of China. The Jiufotang Formation is dated to the Early Cretaceous period, Aptian age, 120.3 +/-0.7 million years ago.^[1]

C. houi is known from a nearly complete fossil. The Holotype fossil is in the collection of the Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology in Beijing, China. The fossil is given catalog number IVPP V 10897. It was collected in 1993 by Dr. Hou Lianhai and Hou Jinfeng, the illustrator at IVPP. It was collected from light gray mudstones approximately 2 kilometers west of Boluochi Village, Chaoyang County, Liaoning Province.^[2]

The holotype fossil is that of a small perching form, with a skull about 27 millimeters long. There are five pairs of tiny teeth in the premaxilla, and another five pairs in the anterior dentary. Hou states that the beak resembles that of the extant Genus Motacilla, the Wagtails. The Ulna is large and derived, with the s-shape of modern flying birds. The sternum is large, carinate, and broad.^[2]

Etymology

The Genus name comes from the Latin words for "pointed" and "beak", and the species name is after Mr. Hou Jinfeng, who is mentioned above.

References

1. ^ He, H.Y., Wang, X.L., Zhou, Z.H., Wang, F., Boven, A., Shi, G.H., Zhu R.X. (2004). "Timing of the Jiufotang Formation (Jehol Group) in Liaoning, northeastern China, and its implications". Geophysical Research Letters 31(13): 1709.
2. ^ ^{a b} Hou, Lianhai (1997) "Mesozoic Birds of China" Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology, Beijing, China. Published by the Phoenix Valley Provincial Aviary of Taiwan. In Chinese, translated by Will Downs, Bilby Research Center, Northern Arizona University, January, 2001.