Cimolopteryx

Not to be confused with Cimoliopterus.

Cimolopteryx
Temporal range: Late Cretaceous, 68–66 Ma
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Left coracoid of C. rara
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Clade: Dinosauria
Clade: Saurischia
Clade: Theropoda
Clade: Avialae
Family: †Cimolopterygidae
Genus: †Cimolopteryx
Marsh, 1892
Type species
†Cimolopteryx rara
Marsh, 1892
Species[1]
  • †C. rara Marsh, 1892
  • †"C." maxima Brodkorb, 1963

Cimolopteryx (meaning "Cretaceous wing"[2]) is a prehistoric bird genus from the Late Cretaceous Period. It is currently thought to contain only a single species, Cimolopteryx rara. The only specimen confidently attributed to C. rara was found in the Lance Formation of Wyoming, dating to the end of the Maastrichtian age, which ended about 66 million years ago.[3] The dubious species "Cimolopteryx" maxima has been described from both the Lance Formation and the Hell Creek Formation of Montana.[4] The humeral end of a left coracoid from the Frenchman Formation of southern Saskatchewan has also been attributed to the genus.[5]

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference longrichetal2011 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ Holtz, Thomas R. Jr. (2008) Dinosaurs: The Most Complete, Up-to-Date Encyclopedia for Dinosaur Lovers of All Ages Winter 2010 Supplementary Information
  3. ^ Hope, S. (2002). "The Mesozoic radiation of Neornithes." Pp. 339-388 in Chiappe, L.M. and Witmer, L. (eds.), Mesozoic Birds: Above the Heads of Dinosaurs.
  4. ^ "Fossilworks: Cimolopteryx maxima". fossilworks.org. Retrieved 17 December 2021.
  5. ^ Tokaryk, T.T. and James, P.C. 1989. Cimolopteryx sp. (Aves: Charadriiformes) from the Frenchman Formation (Maastrichtian), Saskatchewan. Canadian Journal of Earth Sciences, vol. 26, p. 2729-2730.