Omnivoropterygidae

Omnivoropterygidae (meaning "omnivorous wings") is a family of primitive avialans known exclusively from the Jiufotang Formation of China. 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.[1] The family was named by Stephen A. Czerkas & Qiang Ji in 2002, though its junior synonym Sapeornithidae is often used instead, though it was named four years later in 2006.[2] It is the only named family in the order Omnivoropterygiformes.

Omnivoropterygids
Temporal range: Early Cretaceous, 120 Ma
↓
Fossil specimen of Sapeornis chaoyangensis, Hong Kong Science Museum
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Clade: Dinosauria
Clade: Saurischia
Clade: Theropoda
Clade: Avebrevicauda
Family: †Omnivoropterygidae
Czerkas & Ji, 2002
Type species
†Omnivoropteryx sinousaorum
Czerkas & Ji, 2002
Genera
Synonyms
  • Sapeornithidae Zhou & Zhang, 2006

References
  1. 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. HTML abstract
  2. 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. doi:10.1111/j.1755-6724.2010.00188.x


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