Proornis

"Proornis" (not Proornis since it has not yet been formally described) is an extinct genus of basal bird from the Early Cretaceous (Barremian, 130-125 mya) Gyeongsang Supergroup of northernmost North Korea. Since it was never formally described in a peer-reviewed journal, the genus is considered a nomen nudum.[1] A single species, "Proornis coreae", is known.[1]

Holotype of "Proornis coreae", Natural History Museum at Kim Il Sung University

Fossil remains of this animal, discovered in 1993 in Sinuiju series deposits at Sinuiju-si, consist of a skull, a few cervical vertebrae and a forelimb with feathers.[2] Confuciusornis-like features include the finger bones proportionately shorter than the metacarpals, unlike in Archaeopteryx (Lee et al. 2001). Also, the first phalanx of digit III is much shorter than the remaining phalanges, and the claw of digit II is smaller than that of digit III.[3]

References
  1. Paek, I.S. & Kim, Y.N. (1996): Mesozoic era. In: Paek, R.J. (ed.): Geology of Korea. Publishing House, Pyongyang, DPRK.
  2. Lee, Yuong-Nam; Yu, Kang-Min & Wood, Craig B. (2001): A review of vertebrate faunas from the Gyeongsang Supergroup (Cretaceous) in South Korea. Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology 165(3): 357–373. doi:10.1016/S0031-0182(00)00171-1 (HTML abstract)
  3. Li, Quanguo, Gao, Ke-qin (2007). "Lower Cretaceous vertebrate fauna from the Sinuiju basin, North Korea as evidence of geographic extension of the Jehol Biota into the Korean Peninsula". "Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology" 27, supplement to number (3). pp.106A.



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