Musivavis
Musivavis (meaning "mosaic bird") is a genus of euenantiornithine bird from the Early Cretaceous (Aptian) Jiufotang Formation of Liaoning Province, China. The genus contains a single species, Musivavis amabilis, known from a nearly complete, articulated skeleton.[1]
Musivavis | |
---|---|
Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Clade: | Dinosauria |
Clade: | Saurischia |
Clade: | Theropoda |
Clade: | Avialae |
Clade: | †Enantiornithes |
Clade: | †Euenantiornithes |
Genus: | †Musivavis Wang et al., 2022 |
Species: | †M. amabilis |
Binomial name | |
†Musivavis amabilis Wang et al., 2022 | |
Discovery and naming
The Musivavis holotype specimen, MHGU-3000, was discovered in a layer of the Jiufotang Formation of Chaoyang, Liaoning Province, China. This specimen consists of a nearly complete specimen, preserved on a single slab.[1]
In 2022, Wang et al. described Musivavis amabilis, a new genus and species of enantiornthine, based on these fossil remains. The generic name, "Musivavis", combines the Latin "musivum", meaning "mosaic", and "avis", meaning "bird". The specific name, "amabilis", is a Latin word meaning "lovely" or "beautiful", in reference to the preservation quality of the holotype.[1]
References
- Wang, Xuri; Cau, Andrea; Luo, Xiaoling; Kundrát, Martin; Wu, Wensheng; Ju, Shubin; Guo, Zhen; Liu, Yichuan; Ji, Qiang (2022-02-11). "A new bohaiornithid-like bird from the Lower Cretaceous of China fills a gap in enantiornithine disparity". Journal of Paleontology. 96 (4): 961–976. doi:10.1017/jpa.2022.12. ISSN 0022-3360.