Caudipteridae

Taxobox
name = Caudipterids
fossil_range = Early Cretaceous


image_width = 200px
image_caption =
regnum = Animalia
phylum = Chordata
classis = Sauropsida
superordo = Dinosauria
ordo = Saurischia
subordo = Theropoda
infraordo = Oviraptorosauria
familia = Caudipteridae
familia_authority = Zhou & Wang, 2000
subdivision_ranks = Genera
subdivision ="Caudipteryx" Ji "et al.", 1998 (type)
"Similicaudipteryx" He, Wang & Zhou, 2008

Caudipteridae is a family of oviraptorosaurian dinosaurs known from the Early Cretaceous of China. Found in the Yixian and Jiufotang Formations, the group existed between 125-120 million years ago. Distinguishing characteristics of this group have been indicated as including a unique dagger-shaped pygostyle (the bone at the tip of the tail in birds, used to anchor a "fan" of feathers).He, T., Wang, X.-L., and Zhou, Z.-H. (2008). "A new genus and species of caudipterid dinosaur from the Lower Cretaceous Jiufotang Formation of western Liaoning, China." "Vertebrata PalAsiatica", 46(3): 178-189.] . No clade definition has been given.

The first caudipterid described was "Caudipteryx zoui" (named in 1998),Ji, Q., Currie, P.J., Norell, M.A., and Ji, S. (1998). "Two feathered dinosaurs from northeastern China." "Nature", 393(6687): 753–761. DOI|10.1038/31635 [http://www.biology.ualberta.ca/faculty/philip_currie/uploads/pdfs/1998/1998Caudipteryx.pdf PDF fulltext] ] though the family itself was not named until the discovery of a second species, "Caudipteryx dongi", in 2000.Zhou, Z., and Wang, X. (2000). "A new species of "Caudipteryx" from the Yixian Formation of Liaoning, northeast China." "Vertebrata Palasiatica", 38(2): 113–130. [http://www.ivpp.ac.cn/pdf/magazine213.pdf PDF fulltext] ] Caudipteridae was restricted to the single genus "Caudipteryx" and was therefore monotypic, containing only a single type and often considered redundant. However, in 2008 "Similicaudipteryx yixianensis" was described and classified as a caudipterid.

References