Shenqiornis

Shenqiornis
Temporal range: Early Cretaceous, 122 Ma
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Clade: Dinosauria
Clade: Saurischia
Clade: Theropoda
Clade: Avialae
Clade: Enantiornithes
Family: Bohaiornithidae
Genus: Shenqiornis
Wang et al., 2010
Species:
S. mengi
Binomial name
Shenqiornis mengi
Wang et al., 2010

Shenqiornis is a genus of enantiornithean dinosaurs.[1] It was found in the Qiaotou Member of the Huajiying Formation of Hebei Province, China, and is therefore of uncertain age. The Qiaotou Member may correlate with the more well-known Early Cretaceous Yixian Formation, and so probably is dated to the Aptian, around 122 million years ago.[2]

The type species Shenqiornis mengi was in 2010 named and described by Wang Xuri, Jingmai O'Connor, Zhao Bo, Luis María Chiappe, Gao Chunling and Cheng Xiaodong. The generic name combines a reference to Shenzhou 7 with a Greek ornis, "bird". The specific name honours Meng Qingjin, the former director of the Dalian Natural History Museum. The holotype is DNHM D2950-2951, a plate and counterplate containing a largely complete skeleton of a subaldult.[1]

  1. ^ a b Wang, X., J. O'Connor, B. Zhao, L.M. Chiappe, C. Gao and X. Cheng. (2010) New species of Enantiornithes (Aves: Ornithothoraces) from the Qiaotou Formation in Northern Hebei, China. Acta Geologica Sinica, 84(2):247-256.
  2. ^ Jin, F., Zhang, F.C., Li, Z.H., Zhang, J.Y., Li, C. and Zhou, Z.H. (2008). "On the horizon of Protopteryx and the early vertebrate fossil assemblages of the Jehol Biota." Chinese Science Bulletin, 53(18): 2820-2827.