Omnivoropterygidae (meaning "omnivorous wings") is a
family of primitive
avialans known exclusively from the
Jiufotang Formation of
China
China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...
, though putative omnivoropterygids are known from the
Maevarano Formation of the
Maastrichtian of
Madagascar. They had short skeletal tails and unusual skulls with teeth in the upper, but not lower, jaws. Their unique dentition has led some scientists to suggest an
omnivorous diet for them.
[Czerkas, S. A. & Ji, Q. (2002). "A preliminary report on an omnivorous volant bird from northeast China." ''In'': Czerkas, S. J. (editor): ''Feathered Dinosaurs and the origin of flight. The Dinosaur Museum Journal'' 1: 127-135]
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/ref> The family was named by Stephen A. Czerkas
Stephen A. Czerkas (born September 19, 1951, in Alhambra, California) was an American sculptor and paleontologist. He frequently worked as a contributor to both museums and the motion picture industry, and was later the director and co-founder of ...
& Qiang Ji Qiang Ji from the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, New York, United States, was named Fellow of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers
The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) is a 501(c)(3) profession ...
in 2002, though its junior synonym Sapeornithidae is often used instead, though it was named four years later in 2006.[Hu, D., Li, L., Hou, L., and Xu, X. (2010). "A new sapeornithid bird from China and its implication for early avian evolution." Acta Geologica Sinica, (English Edition) 84(3): 472-482. ] It is the only named family in the order Omnivoropterygiformes.
References
Prehistoric avialans
Aptian first appearances
Aptian extinctions
Prehistoric dinosaur families
Taxa named by Qiang Ji (paleontologist)
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