| Omnivoropteryx | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Reptilia |
| Clade: | Dinosauria |
| Clade: | Saurischia |
| Clade: | Theropoda |
| Clade: | Avialae |
| Order: | †Omnivoropterygiformes |
| Family: | †Omnivoropterygidae |
| Genus: | †Omnivoropteryx Czerkas & Ji, 2002 |
| Species: | †O. sinousaorum |
| Binomial name | |
| †Omnivoropteryx sinousaorum Czerkas & Ji, 2002 | |
Omnivoropteryx (meaning "omnivorous wing") is agenus of primitive flyingavialan from the earlyCretaceous UpperJiufotang Formation of China. The authors who describedOmnivoropteryx,Stephen Czerkas andQiang Ji, stated that their specimen closely resemblesSapeornis, but the pubis was longer and, since no skull was known forSapeornis, they did not consider the two names synonyms.[1] The later discovery ofSapeornis skulls shows that they were indeed similar toOmnivoropteryx. This may makeOmnivoropteryx a junior synonym ofSapeornis, and the name may be abandoned.[2]
Czerkas and Ji created thefamilyOmnivoropterygidae to contain the genusOmnivoropteryx, as well as theorderOmnivoropterygiformes, though some scientists do not recognize taxa that contain only one genus.Paul Sereno, for example, considered the family Omnivoropterygidae to be invalid because it is redundant and was not given aphylogenetic definition.[3]
The single speciesO. sinousaorum shows an interesting mix of specialized and generalized characters: the legs were short and well suited for perching on branches, while the wings were long, suggesting it did not need a running or jumping takeoff to get into the air. Its skull, on the other hand, was similar to some earlyoviraptorosaurs, having the structure of a beak designed for crushing and tearing with some teeth at the tip of the upper jaw. Thus, the species may have been an opportunistic omnivore (as the name suggests), utilizing a wide range of food sources, unlike other early birds which were active predators of smaller animals.[1]
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