Eopavo
| Eopavo | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Galliformes |
| Family: | Phasianidae |
| Tribe: | Pavonini |
| Genus: | †Eopavo Yu et al, 2026 |
| Species: | †E. hezhengensis |
| Binomial name | |
| †Eopavo hezhengensis Yu et al, 2026 | |
Eopavo is an extinct genus of small peafowl known from the Late Miocene Liushu Formation of China. The genus contains a single species Eopavo hezhengensis, known from a partial skeleton.
Description
The holotype specimen of Eopavo hezhengensis consists of an incomplete skeleton represented by elements of limb, synsacrum, pelvis, pectoral girdle, and vertebrae. Morphological and phylogenetic analyses place Eopavo as a member of the clade Pavonini, which contains the extant peafowl genera Pavo and Afropavo. It has a relatively long spur relative to its body size, suggesting the holotype represents a male individual.[1]
Paleobiology
The small body size of Eopavo was likely linked to the high elevation of the savanna habitat it inhabited, which differs from extant peafowls. Yu et al. (2026) also suggested that peafowl likely originated from Tibetan Plateau.[1]
References
- 1 2 Yu, T.; Li, Z.; Stidham, T.; Zhou, Z. (2026). "A small Miocene peafowl (Galliformes, Phasianidae) from the high-elevation Linxia Basin of China illuminates the evolution of the clade and its paleobiology". Journal of Paleontology: 1–13. doi:10.1017/jpa.2026.10229.