PBDB Taxon

Basic info	Taxonomic history	Classification	Included Taxa
Morphology	Ecology and taphonomy	External Literature Search	Age range and collections

Hesperornithidae

Reptilia - Hesperornithiformes

Taxonomy

Hesperornidae was named by Marsh (1872). Its type is Hesperornis.

It was corrected as Hesperornithidae by Marsh (1872), Hay (1902), Hay (1930), Wetmore (1940), Wetmore (1956), Wetmore (1960), Martin and Tate (1976), Martin (1984), Carroll (1988), Kurochkin (2000), Elzanowski et al. (2001), Rees and Lindgren (2005), Livezey and Zusi (2007), Wilson et al. (2011) and Bell and Chiappe (2016); it was reranked as the unranked clade Hesperornithidae by Bell and Chiappe (2020).

It was assigned to Palmipedes by Marsh (1872); to Dromaeopappi by Hay (1902); to Hesperornithomorphi by Hay (1930); and to Hesperornithiformes by Wetmore (1940), Wetmore (1956), Wetmore (1960), Martin and Tate (1976), Martin (1984), Carroll (1988), Kurochkin (2000), Elzanowski et al. (2001), Rees and Lindgren (2005), Livezey and Zusi (2007), Wilson et al. (2011), Bell and Chiappe (2016) and Bell and Chiappe (2020).

Subtaxa

Asiahesperornis, Asiahesperornithinae, Canadaga, Hesperornis (syn. Hargeria, Lestornis, Coniornis) (type genus), Parahesperornis

Synonymy list

Year	Name and author
1872	Hesperornithidae Marsh p. 363
1902	Hesperornithidae Hay p. 521
1930	Hesperornithidae Hay p. 278
1940	Hesperornithidae Wetmore p. 3
1956	Hesperornithidae Wetmore p. 4
1960	Hesperornithidae Wetmore p. 23
1976	Hesperornithidae Martin and Tate, Jr. p. 64
1984	Hesperornithidae Martin p. 146
1988	Hesperornithidae Carroll
2000	Hesperornithidae Kurochkin p. 544
2001	Hesperornithidae Elzanowski et al. p. 718
2005	Hesperornithidae Rees and Lindgren p. 1322
2007	Hesperornithidae Livezey and Zusi p. 89
2011	Hesperornithidae Wilson et al. p. 12
2016	Hesperornithidae Bell and Chiappe
2020	Hesperornithidae Bell and Chiappe

Is something missing? Join the Paleobiology Database and enter the data

Rank	Name	Author
kingdom	Animalia	()
—	Bilateria
—	Eubilateria	Ax 1987
—	Deuterostomia
phylum	Chordata	Haeckel 1874
subphylum	Vertebrata
superclass	Gnathostomata
—	Osteichthyes	()
subclass	Sarcopterygii	()
subclass	Dipnotetrapodomorpha	(Nelson 2006)
subclass	Tetrapodomorpha	()
—	Tetrapoda
—	Reptiliomorpha
—	Anthracosauria
subclass	Amphibiosauria	Kuhn 1967
—	Cotylosauria	()
—	Amniota
—	Sauropsida
class	Reptilia
subclass	Eureptilia	()
—	Romeriida
—	Diapsida	()
—	Archosauromorpha	(Huene 1946)
—	Crocopoda

Rank	Name	Author
—	Archosauriformes	Gauthier 1986
—	Eucrocopoda
—	Archosauria	()
informal	Avemetatarsalia
—	Ornithodira
—	Dinosauromorpha
—	Dinosauriformes
—	Dinosauria	()
—	Theropoda	()
—	Neotheropoda
—	Averostra	Paul 2002
—	Tetanurae
—	Coelurosauria	()
—	Maniraptora
—	Paraves
class	Aves
—	Pygostylia	Chiappe 2002
—	Ornithothoraces
—	Ornithuromorpha	Chiappe et al. 1999
subclass	Ornithurae
order	Hesperornithiformes	Fürbringer 1888
—	Hesperornithidae	()
—	Hesperornithidae	()

If no rank is listed, the taxon is considered an unranked clade in modern classifications. Ranks may be repeated or presented in the wrong order because authors working on different parts of the classification may disagree about how to rank taxa.

Unr. †Hesperornithidae Marsh 1872

show all | hide all

G. †Asiahesperornis Nessov and Prizemlin 1991

hide

†Asiahesperornis bazhanovi Nessov and Prizemlin 1991

G. †Canadaga Hou 1999

hide

†Canadaga arctica Hou 1999

G. †Hesperornis Marsh 1872

hide

†Hesperornis altus Marsh 1893

†Hesperornis bairdi Martin and Lim 2002

†Hesperornis chowi Martin and Lim 2002

†Hesperornis crassipes Marsh 1876

†Hesperornis gracilis Marsh 1876

†Hesperornis lumgairi Aotsuka and Sato 2016

†Hesperornis macdonaldi Martin and Lim 2002

†Hesperornis mengeli Martin and Lim 2002

†Hesperornis montanus Shufeldt 1915

†Hesperornis regalis Marsh 1872

†Hesperornis rossicus Nessov and Yarkov 1993

Invalid names: Coniornis Marsh 1893 [synonym], Hargeria Lucas 1903 [synonym], Lestornis Marsh 1876 [synonym]

G. †Parahesperornis Martin 1984

hide

†Parahesperornis alexi Martin 1984

Invalid names: Asiahesperornithinae Nessov and Prizemlin 1991 [empty]

Diagnosis

No diagnoses are available

Measurements

No measurements are available

Composition:

hydroxyapatiteo

Entire body:

yeso

Adult length:

10 to < 100o

Adult width:

1.0 to < 10o

Adult height:

1.0 to < 10o

Architecture:

compact or denseo

Ontogeny:

accretion, modification of partso

Grouping:

solitaryo

Environment:

marineo

Locomotion:

actively mobileo

Life habit:

ground dwellingo

Diet:

carnivoresubo

Reproduction:

oviparouso

Dispersal:

direct/internalo

Dispersal 2:

mobileo

Created:

2017-04-17 10:39:36

Modified:

2017-04-17 10:39:36

Source: subo = suborder, o = order

References: Bush and Bambach 2015, Benton 1983, Marsh 1875

Age range: base of the Late/Upper Santonian to the top of the Late/Upper Maastrichtian or 85.80000 to 66.00000 Ma

Collections (57 total)

Time interval	Ma	Country or state	Original ID and collection number
Late/Upper Cretaceous	100.5 - 66.0	USA (Kansas)	Hesperornis gracilis (156590) Lestornis crassipes (156589)
Coniacian - Campanian	89.8 - 72.1	USA (Alaska)	Hesperornis sp. (123520)
Early/Lower Coniacian - Santonian	89.3 - 83.6	USA (Kansas)	Hesperornis sp. (13301)
Late/Upper Coniacian - Santonian	89.3 - 83.6	USA (Kansas)	Parahesperornis alexi (85238) Parahesperornis sp. (132511)
Late/Upper Santonian	85.8 - 83.5	USA (Kansas)	Hesperornis regalis (85284) Parahesperornis sp. (132510)
Campanian	83.6 - 72.1	Canada (Northwest Territories)	Hesperornis sp. (36384)
Campanian	83.6 - 72.1	Canada (Nunavut)	Canadaga arctica (118940) Hesperornis sp. (36383)
Campanian	83.6 - 72.1	Canada (Manitoba)	Hesperornis regalis (36710 36746)
Early/Lower Campanian	83.5 - 70.6	USA (Montana)	Hesperornis montana (85283)
Early/Lower Campanian	83.5 - 70.6	Canada (Northwest Territories)	Hesperornis regalis (106330 106331 106332 106334 106341) Hesperornis sp. (106437)
Early/Lower Campanian	83.5 - 70.6	Russian Federation (Saratov)	Hesperornis rossicus, Hesperornithiformes indet. (141001) Hesperornis sp. 2 (65036)
Early/Lower Campanian	83.5 - 70.6	Sweden	Hesperornis sp., Hesperornis rossicus (102883)
Early/Lower Campanian	83.5 - 70.6	USA (South Dakota)	Hesperornis sp. (39388)
Early/Lower Campanian	83.5 - 70.6	Canada (Manitoba)	Hesperornis regalis (193919 193921 193924) Hesperornis regalis, Hesperornis chowi (193926 193927) Hesperornis regalis, Hesperornis chowi, Hesperornis macdonaldi (193925) Hesperornis regalis, Hesperornis lumgairi (193922) Hesperornis regalis, Hesperornis mengeli (193923) Hesperornis sp. (36446 193931 193933 193934 193935 193936 193937) Hesperornis sp., Hesperornis chowi (193929) Hesperornis sp., Hesperornis regalis, Hesperornis macdonaldi (193920) Hesperornis sp., Hesperornithidae indet. (193932) Hesperornis sp., Hesperornithidae indet., Hesperornis macdonaldi (193930)
Early/Lower Campanian	83.5 - 70.6	Russian Federation (Volgograd)	Hesperornis sp., Hesperornis rossica (85286)
Early/Lower Campanian - Middle Campanian	83.5 - 70.6	USA (South Dakota)	Hesperornis regalis (77316) Hesperornis sp. (107676)
Early/Lower Campanian - Middle Campanian	83.5 - 70.6	Canada (Manitoba)	Hesperornis sp., Hesperornis rossicus, Hesperornithidae indet., Hesperornis chowi (193928)
Late/Upper Campanian	83.5 - 70.6	USA (Arkansas)	Hesperornis sp. (193918)
Middle Campanian	83.5 - 70.6	Canada (Alberta)	Hesperornis regalis (36379)
Middle Campanian - Late/Upper Campanian	83.5 - 70.6	USA (Montana)	Hesperornis sp. (50825)
Middle Campanian - Late/Upper Campanian	83.5 - 70.6	USA (Arkansas)	Hesperornis sp. (193917)
Late/Upper Campanian - Early/Lower Maastrichtian	83.5 - 66.0	Canada (Northwest Territories)	Hesperornis sp. (36445)
Late/Upper Campanian - Early/Lower Maastrichtian	83.5 - 66.0	Russian Federation (Volgograd)	Hesperornithiformes indet. (38075)
Maastrichtian	72.1 - 66.0	Kazakhstan (Qostanay)	Asiahesperornis bazhanovi (59383)
Maastrichtian	72.1 - 66.0	Russian Federation (Volgograd)	Hesperornithidae indet. (38078)
Lancian	70.6 - 66.0	USA (Montana)	Hesperornis sp. (14580)
Late/Upper Maastrichtian	70.6 - 66.0	Canada (Nunavut)	Hesperornis sp. (118411)