Longipteryx
| Longipteryx | |
|---|---|
| |
| Fossil specimen, Beijing Museum of Natural History
| |
Scientific classification 
| |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Clade: | Dinosauria |
| Clade: | Saurischia |
| Clade: | Theropoda |
| Clade: | Avialae |
| Clade: | †Enantiornithes |
| Family: | †Longipterygidae |
| Genus: | †Longipteryx Zhang et al., 2001 |
| Species: | †L. chaoyangensis
|
| Binomial name | |
| †Longipteryx chaoyangensis Zhang et al., 2001
| |
| Synonyms | |
|
Camptodontornis yangi? (Li et al., 2010)[1] | |
Longipteryx is a
The name Longipteryx means "one with long feathers", from Latin longus, "long" + Ancient Greek pteryx (πτέρυξ), "wing", "feather" or "pinion". The specific name chaoyangensis is from the Latin for "from Chaoyang".
Description
Excluding the tail, Longipteryx was some 15 cm long overall in life. It had a long bill — longer than the rest of the head — with a few hooked teeth at the tip, and, as the name implies, proportionally long and strong wings. Although it was basal to the extent that it had two long separate fingers with claws and a stubby thumb, the flight apparatus was generally quite well developed, and unlike most other birds of its time it possessed
The holotype retains many feather impressions, though poorly preserved;
Longipteryx was at least partially frugivorous.[5] It may have dived or probed for fish, crustaceans, or other aquatic animals of appropriate size. Altogether, it was perhaps closest to a modern-day kingfisher in its ecological niche.[2] A study on Mesozoic avian diets does indeed recover it as a piscivore,[6] but a posterior study notes that it is far too smaller to have been a fish-eater, since even similar sized kingfishers are primarily insectivorous.[7] It instead suggests a semi-raptorial lifestyle, using its talons (similar to those of owls) to grab large insects.[8] An SVP abstract in 2023 reported finds of plant remains, such as gymnosperm seeds, indicating frugivory similarly to Jeholornis.[5]
Classification
The affiliations of Longipteryx are not resolved. While it has been sometimes included in the
A distinct
References
- PMID 25947529.
- ^ S2CID 85215328.
- ^ Lamanna, Matthew C.; You, Hai-Lu; Harris, Jerald D.; Chiappe, Luis M.; Ji, Shu-An; Lü, Jun-Chang; Ji, Qiang (2006). "A partial skeleton of an enantiornithine bird from the Early Cretaceous of northwestern China". Acta Palaeontologica Polonica. 51 (3): 423–434.
- ^ S2CID 84817636.
- ^ a b https://vertpaleo.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/2023_SVP_Program-Final-10032023.pdf
- S2CID 234117375.
- PMID 35550084.
- PMID 35550084.
- S2CID 129218847.
- ^ a b Mortimer, Michael. "Phylogeny of taxa". The Theropod Database. Archived from the original on 16 May 2013.
- ^ Mortimer, Michael (21 February 2004). "Tyrannosauroids and dromaeosaurs". Dinosaur Mailing List (Mailing list). Archived from the original on 29 July 2004.
Footnotes
- Clarke, Julia A.; Zhou, Zhonghe; Zhang, Fucheng (March 2006). "Insight into the evolution of avian flight from a new clade of Early Cretaceous ornithurines from China and the morphology of Yixianornis grabaui". Journal of Anatomy. 208 (3): 287–308. PMID 16533313.
- Enpu, Gong; Lianhai, Hou; Lixia, Wang (February 2004). "Enantiornithine Bird with Diapsidian Skull and Its Dental Development in the Early Cretaceous in Liaoning, China". Acta Geologica Sinica. 78 (1): 1–7. S2CID 129218847.
- Lamanna, Matthew C.; You, Hai-Lu; Harris, Jerald D.; Chiappe, Luis M.; Ji, Shu-An; Lü, Jun-Chang; Ji, Qiang (2006). "A partial skeleton of an enantiornithine bird from the Early Cretaceous of northwestern China". Acta Palaeontologica Polonica. 51 (3): 423–434.
- Zhang, Fucheng; Zhou, Zhonghe; Hou, Lianhai; Gu, Gang (June 2001). "Early diversification of birds: Evidence from a new opposite bird". Chinese Science Bulletin. 46 (11): 945–949. S2CID 85215328.
External links
- "朝阳长翼鸟" [Chaoyang Longwing Bird] (in Chinese). Archived from the original on 22 August 2007.
