| Pseudocrypturus Temporal range: Early Paleocene - Middle Eocene |
|
|---|---|
| Cast at Dinosaur Museum Aathal | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Subclass: | Carinatae |
| Infraclass: | Neornithes |
| Superorder: | Paleognathae |
| Order: | †Lithornithiformes |
| Family: | Lithornithidae |
| Genus: | Pseudocrypturus (Houde, 1988)[1] |
| Species | |
|
†Pseudocrypturus cercanaxius |
|
Pseudocrypturus is a genus of extinct paleognathous bird. One species is known, Pseudocrypturus cercanaxius. It is a relative of such modern birds as ostriches. It lived in the early Eocene.
The holotype fossil is in the collection of the Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History. It has catalog number USNM 336103. It was collected from the Fossil Butte Member, Green River Formation, Lincoln County, Wyoming, USA.[2]
Pseudocrypturus means false tinamou. The species name cercanaxius comes from ancient Greek words kerkion, tail, and anaxios, worthless, in reference to the rudientary pygostyle of this species.