Mengciusornis is an extinct genus of basal ornithuromorph dinosaurs from the Early Cretaceous of China. It contains one species, M. dentatus, remains of which have been found in the Jiufotang Formation. Together with the closely related Schizooura it makes up the family Schizoouridae.[1]

Mengciusornis
Temporal range: Aptian
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Clade: Dinosauria
Clade: Saurischia
Clade: Theropoda
Clade: Avialae
Family: Schizoouridae
Genus: Mengciusornis
Wang et al., 2019
Species:
M. dentatus
Binomial name
Mengciusornis dentatus
Wang et al., 2019

Description

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Mengciusornis is known from a single specimen, IVPP V26275, a well-preserved skeleton with remains of feathers. Unlike its sister genus Schizooura, which was toothless, Mengciusornis possessed large, curved teeth on its premaxillae, similar to those of the distantly related Longipteryx.[1]

Etymology

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The generic name honours the Chinese philosopher Mencius, while the specific epithet is Latin for "toothed".[1]

References

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  1. ^ a b c Wang, M.; O’Connor, J. K.; Zhou, S.; Zhou, Z. (2019). "New toothed Early Cretaceous ornithuromorph bird reveals intraclade diversity in pattern of tooth loss". Journal of Systematic Palaeontology. 18 (8): 631–645. doi:10.1080/14772019.2019.1682696.