Chaoyangia
Chaoyangia | |
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Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Clade: | Euornithes |
Order: | †Chaoyangiformes Hou, 1997 |
Genus: | †Chaoyangia Hou & Zhang, 1993 |
Species: | †C. beishanensis
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Binomial name | |
†Chaoyangia beishanensis Hou & Zhang, 1993
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Chaoyangia is an
Description
C. beishanensis, known only from a single partial skeleton, is relatively poorly known compared to other primitive euornitheans. Chaoyangia were small, basal euornithean birds characterized by more than eight fused
History and classification
C. beishanensis was among the first fossil bird species found in the
The additional fossil specimens referred to Chaoyangia, one a partial skeleton including partial wing bones and a partial skull, and the other an isolated foot, did not contain any bones in common with the original specimen, and so it was impossible to determine whether or not they actually belonged to the same genus. The more complete specimen including the partial skull was later classified in its own genus, Songlingornis. The removal of this specimen from Chaoyangia left its identity uncertain, and some researchers continued to suspect Songlingornis and Chaoyangia were synonyms.[1]
In 2012, paleontologists Jingmai O'Connor and Zhou Zhong re-described the original Chaoyangia specimen, and confirmed that it was indeed a primitive euornithean (=ornithuran) using a phylogenetic analysis. Their study also supported the distinction between Chaoyangia and Songlingornis, with the latter bird more closely related to Yanornis as found by previous studies.[1]
References
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- ^ Hou L. (1997). Mesozoic birds of China. Taiwan Provincial Feng Huang Ku Bird Park, Taiwan.