| Palintropus Temporal range: Late Cretaceous, | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification  | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Clade: | Dinosauria |
| Clade: | Saurischia |
| Clade: | Theropoda |
| Clade: | Avialae |
| Clade: | † Ambiortiformes |
| Genus: | † Palintropus Brodkorb, 1970 |
| Species: | †P. retusus |
| Binomial name | |
| †Palintropus retusus (Marsh, 1892) | |
| Synonyms | |
Cimolopteryx retusaMarsh, 1892 | |
Palintropus is a prehistoric bird genus from the Late Cretaceous. A single species has been named (Palintropus retusus) based on a proximal coracoid from the Lance Formation of Wyoming, dated to the latest Maastrichtian, 66 million years ago.[ verification needed ] Coracoids and a proximal scapula of two unnamed species from the upper Campanian Dinosaur Park Formation of Alberta, dating to between 76.5 and 75 million years ago, [1] are also known. [2]
Initially it was placed in the wastebin genus "Cimolopteryx". Pierce Brodkorb assigned it its current name, first affiliating it with Apatornis in 1963, and establishing its current genus in 1970. [3]
Its relationships are not well determined, mainly due to the paucity of material. Several major theories have been established: Like many of the birds of the subtropical coastlands of the Western Interior Seaway - maybe a bit like eastern Australia today - it is sometimes believed to be an early member of the Charadriiformes (waders, gulls, auks, etc.; see also "Graculavidae"). [3] However, an alternate theory is that it is a galliform, perhaps a quercymegapodiid. [2]
In 2009, Longrich and colleagues proposed that Palintropus is a primitive bird related to Apsaravis . They conducted the first cladistic analysis of the remains, and found this to be the most likely hypothesis, suggesting Palintropus warrants inclusion in the newly established Palintropiformes. [4]
