Sinornis/Cathayornis

Taxobox
name = "Sinornis"/"Cathayornis"

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image_width = 240px
image_caption = Reconstruction of "Sinornis", also known as "Cathayornis"
status = fossil
fossil_range = Early Cretaceous
regnum = Animalia
phylum = Chordata
classis = Aves
subclassis = Enantiornithes
superordo = Euenantiornithes
ordo = "Cathayornithiformes"
familia = "Cathyornithidae"
genus = see text

There is currently a dispute regarding the correct name for this enantiornithine bird, which may be "Sinornis" or "Cathayornis". In any case, several referred fossils were recovered from the Jiufotang Formation at Liaoning, People's Republic of China. The Jiufotang overlays the Yixian, which suggests an Aptian or Albian age (between 100-120 million years old), according to Swisher et al. (1999)Swisher, Carl C., Wang, Yuan-qing, Wang, Xiao-lin, Xu, Xing, Wang, Yuan. (1999). "Cretaceous age for the feathered dinosaurs of Liaoning, China". "Nature" 400:58-61 1 July 1999.] .

Zhou and Hou (2001) distinguish "Cathayornis" from "Sinornis" by the former's larger size, a shorter, straighter, finger number I, with a slightly longer claw (ungual), the absence of an atitrochanter, and other features. They give Cathayornis one species name, "Cathayornis yandica".Zhou, Zhonghe, Hou, Lianhai (2001) "The Discovery and Study of Mesozoic Birds in China" in "Mesozoic Birds: above the heads of dinosaurs". Chiappe and Witmer, ed. 2001, University of California Press]

Sereno et al. (2001) see Cathayornis as a junior synonym of "Sinornis". They interpret the anatomies of the two as very similar and sharing key autapomorphies of the pygostyle. They give "Sinornis" one species name, "Sinornis santensis".Sereno, Paul, Chenggang, Rao, Li, Jianjun. (2001) "Sinornis santensis" (Aves:Enantiornithes) from the Early Cretaceous of Northeastern China". in "Mesozoic Birds: above the heads of dinosaurs". Chiappe and Witmer, ed. 2001, University of California Press]

References

[http://www.bowdoin.edu/~dbensen/Dinosaurs/Sinornissantensis.html/ Sinornis]