Meemannavis

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Meemannavis
Temporal range: Early Cretaceous,
Aptian (~125–113 Ma)
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Clade: Dinosauria
Clade: Saurischia
Clade: Theropoda
Clade: Avialae
Clade: Euornithes
Clade: Ornithuromorpha
Genus: Meemannavis
O' Connor et al., 2021
Species:
M. ductrix
Binomial name
Meemannavis ductrix
O'Connor et al., 2021

Meemannavis (meaning "Meemann’s bird") is a genus of ornithuromorph dinosaurs from the Early Cretaceous (Aptian) Xiagou Formation of Gansu Province, China. The genus contains a single species, Meemannavis ductrix, known from a partial skeleton including an incomplete skull and cervical and thoracic vertebrae. The lower jaw and tip of the upper jaw of the Meemannavis holotype are toothless, but it may have had teeth nearer the back of the upper jaw. [1]

Naming

The generic name, "Meemannavis," combines a reference to Meemann Chang, a Chinese paleontologist, with the Latin "avis," meaning "bird." The specific name, "ductrix," is derived from the Latin "ductor," meaning "leader," in reference to Chang's position as the first female director of the IVPP. [1]

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Meemann Chang also known as Zhang Miman, is a Chinese paleontologist at the Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology (IVPP). She completed her undergraduate studies at Moscow University and completed her PhD thesis entitled 'The braincase of Youngolepis, a Lower Devonian crossopterygian from Yunnan, south-western China' at Stockholm University. She was the first woman to become head of IVPP in 1983. For her many career achievements, she received an honorary degree from the University of Chicago in 2011 and the Romer-Simpson Medal from the Society of Vertebrate Paleontology in 2016.

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References

  1. 1 2 O' Connor JK, Stidham TA, Harris JD, Lamanna MC, Bailleul AM, Hu H, Wang M, You H (2021). "Avian skulls represent a diverse ornithuromorph fauna from the Lower Cretaceous Xiagou Formation, Gansu Province, China". Journal of Systematics and Evolution. 60 (5): 1172–1198. doi:10.1111/jse.12823. S2CID   245586113.