Songzia
Encyclopedia
Songzia is the name given to a genus
of gruiform bird
related to rails. It lived in the Eocene
epoch. Though many families traditionally assigned to the Gruiformes
do not seem to actually belong there, this is apparently not the case with this animal. Its fossil
s have been found in Songzi
county (Hubei Province People's Republic of China
).
A single species
is known and has been named Songzia heidangkouensis. However, the names for species, genus and family
have been first published in a newsletter and only subsequently in a scientific journal
that fulfils the ICZN
's requirements for publishing new scientific names. Hence, they are often considered nomina nuda.
Genus
In biology, a genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, which is an example of definition by genus and differentia...
of gruiform bird
Bird
Birds are feathered, winged, bipedal, endothermic , egg-laying, vertebrate animals. Around 10,000 living species and 188 families makes them the most speciose class of tetrapod vertebrates. They inhabit ecosystems across the globe, from the Arctic to the Antarctic. Extant birds range in size from...
related to rails. It lived in the Eocene
Eocene
The Eocene Epoch, lasting from about 56 to 34 million years ago , is a major division of the geologic timescale and the second epoch of the Paleogene Period in the Cenozoic Era. The Eocene spans the time from the end of the Palaeocene Epoch to the beginning of the Oligocene Epoch. The start of the...
epoch. Though many families traditionally assigned to the Gruiformes
Gruiformes
The Gruiformes are an order containing a considerable number of living and extinct bird families, with a widespread geographical diversity. Gruiform means "crane-like"....
do not seem to actually belong there, this is apparently not the case with this animal. Its fossil
Fossil
Fossils are the preserved remains or traces of animals , plants, and other organisms from the remote past...
s have been found in Songzi
Songzi
Songzi City is a city in the southwest of Hubei Province , China and in the middle reach and south bank of Changjiang River . Under its administration, there are 16 townships and 2 development zones, 235,000 household, a population of 896,800...
county (Hubei Province People's Republic of China
People's Republic of China
China , officially the People's Republic of China , is the most populous country in the world, with over 1.3 billion citizens. Located in East Asia, the country covers approximately 9.6 million square kilometres...
).
A single species
Species
In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring. While in many cases this definition is adequate, more precise or differing measures are...
is known and has been named Songzia heidangkouensis. However, the names for species, genus and family
Family (biology)
In biological classification, family is* a taxonomic rank. Other well-known ranks are life, domain, kingdom, phylum, class, order, genus, and species, with family fitting between order and genus. As for the other well-known ranks, there is the option of an immediately lower rank, indicated by the...
have been first published in a newsletter and only subsequently in a scientific journal
Scientific journal
In academic publishing, a scientific journal is a periodical publication intended to further the progress of science, usually by reporting new research. There are thousands of scientific journals in publication, and many more have been published at various points in the past...
that fulfils the ICZN
International Code of Zoological Nomenclature
The International Code of Zoological Nomenclature is a widely accepted convention in zoology that rules the formal scientific naming of organisms treated as animals...
's requirements for publishing new scientific names. Hence, they are often considered nomina nuda.