Pristineanis fossil map
Where fossils of Pristineanis have been found, shown on the Earth as it looked about 56 million years ago and on today’s map.
Dots are fossil collections recorded in the Paleobiology Database. The “then” view moves today’s fossil sites back to their positions 56 million years ago (the time slice nearest the median age of the fossils) using the Merdith et al. (2021) plate model; positions are approximate. Open on the timeline map →
| Group | Prehistoric birds |
|---|---|
| Lived | 56–48.07 million years ago (Ypresian) |
| Periods | Paleogene |
| Named by | Mayr and Kitchener 2024 |
| Fossil records | 2 occurrences at 1 locations (PBDB) |
| Found in | United Kingdom |
| Rock formations | London Clay |
About Pristineanis
Pristeanis is an extinct genus of piciform bird known from the Early Eocene. The genus contains three species. Pristineanis minor and Pristineanis major are known from the London Clay in the United Kingdom, while Pristeanis kistneri is known from the Green River Formation in the United States.
The holotype of Pristeanis, NMS.Z.2021.40.157 is a partial skeleton collected by amateur Michael Daniels from the Walton Member of the London Clay formation in 1984. This specimen was described as Pristeanis minor in 2024 by Gerald Mayr and Andrew Kitchener. Also referred to Pristineanis was NMS.Z.2021.40.158, a partial tarsometatarsus and pedal phalanx, described as Pristineanis major due to its 10% larger size in comparison to the Pristineanis minor holotype. The American species Pristeanis kistneri was originally described in 1973 as a possible piciform as Primobucco kistneri by Alan Feduccia; its holotype consists of a crushed partial skeleton. A subsequent, more complete specimen showed "N. kistneri" to differ from Neanis schucherti in having an elongate humerus, resulting in reassignment to the genus Pristineanis.
Text in “About” is quoted from the Wikipedia article Pristineanis (revision 1380012957), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0; introduction excerpted verbatim, formatting removed. Ages, family, authority and fossil records: Paleobiology Database, accessed 23 October 2026. Ages are those of the rock layers the fossils were found in. Wikidata: Q127226748.
