Qiliania fossil map
Where fossils of Qiliania have been found, shown on the Earth as it looked about 115 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 115 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 | Theropods |
|---|---|
| Lived | 121.4–113.2 million years ago (Aptian) |
| Periods | Cretaceous |
| Named by | Ji et al. 2011 |
| Fossil records | 1 occurrences at 1 locations (PBDB) |
| Found in | China |
| Rock formations | Xiagou |
About Qiliania
Qiliania (from the Xiongnu qilian, "heaven") is an extinct genus of early bird from the lower Cretaceous (Aptian stage) about 120 million years ago. It is an enantiornithean which lived in what is now Gansu Province, north-western China. It is known from two incomplete, semi-articulated and three-dimensionally preserved skeletons, which were found in the Xiagou Formation of the Changma Basin. It was first named by Shu-An Ji, Jessie Atterholt, Jingmai O'Connor, Matthew Lamanna, Jerry Harrs, Li Da-Qing, You Hai-Lu and Peter Dodson in 2011 and the type species is Qiliania graffini. The species was named for Greg Graffin, a paleontologist and member of the punk rock group Bad Religion, at the suggestion of coauthor Jingmai O'Connor, a longtime fan of the band.
Text in “About” is quoted from the Wikipedia article Qiliania (revision 1379877272), 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: Q5290510.
