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Cathayornis
''Cathayornis'' is a genus of enantiornithean birds from the Jiufotang Formation of Liaoning, People's Republic of China. It is known definitively from only one species, ''Cathayornis yandica'', one of the first Enantiornithes found in China. Several additional species were once incorrectly classified as ''Cathayornis'', and have since been reclassified or regarded as ''nomina dubia''. Description ''Cathayornis yandica'' was a small enantiornithean with a slightly elongated, toothy snout and perching feet. Like most other Enantiornithes, it had large claws on the first two fingers that supported the wing. According to most recent studies, only one specimen can be definitively assigned to this species, a fossil catalogued as number IVPP V9769 and currently housed in the collections of the Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology in Beijing. ''Cathayornis'' can be told apart from similar Enantiornithes (especially '' Sinornis'', ''Eocathayornis'', and ''Houornis'' ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Enantiornithean
The Enantiornithes, also known as enantiornithines or enantiornitheans in literature, are a group of extinct avialans ("birds" in the broad sense), the most abundant and diverse group known from the Mesozoic era. Almost all retained teeth and clawed fingers on each wing, but otherwise looked much like modern birds externally. Over eighty species of Enantiornithes have been named, but some names represent only single bones, so it is likely that not all are valid. The Enantiornithes became extinct at the Cretaceous–Paleogene boundary, along with Hesperornithes and all other non-avian dinosaurs. Discovery and naming The first Enantiornithes to be discovered were incorrectly referred to modern bird groups. For example, the first known species of Enantiornithes, '' Gobipteryx minuta'', was originally considered a paleognath related to ostriches and tinamou. The Enantiornithes were first recognized as a distinct lineage, or "subclass" of birds, by Cyril A. Walker in 1981. Walker mad ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Houornis
''Houornis'' is a genus of enantiornithean birds from the Jiufotang Formation of Liaoning, People's Republic of China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and .... It is known from a single species, ''Houornis caudatus'', which had been once been classified as a species of ''Cathayornis'', and has also been regarded as a ''nomen dubium''. Description ''Houornis caudatus'' was a small enantiornithean with a slightly elongated, toothy snout and perching feet. It is known only from a single specimen, the slab and counter-slab of a fossil catalogued as number IVPP V10917/2 in the collections of the Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology in Beijing. The specimen was found in 1993 by Zhou Zhonghe near the town of Boluochi in Liaoning Province, China. The actua ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
