Cratonavis

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Cratonavis
Temporal range: Early Cretaceous (Aptian), ~120  Ma
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Cratonavis & Nemicolopterus (Sinopterus).jpg
Life restoration of Cratonavis (left)
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Clade: Dinosauria
Clade: Saurischia
Clade: Theropoda
Clade: Avialae
Family: Jinguofortisidae
Genus: Cratonavis
Li et al., 2023
Species:
C. zhui
Binomial name
Cratonavis zhui
Li et al., 2023

Cratonavis (meaning "Craton bird") is an extinct genus of pygostylian avialian from the Early Cretaceous Jiufotang Formation of Liaoning Province, China. The genus contains a single species, C. zhui, known from a complete skeleton. [1]

Discovery and naming

The holotype specimen, IVPP V31106, was discovered in sediments of the Jiufotang Formation, dated to the Aptian age of the early Cretaceous period, near the Xiaotaizi village, (Jianchang County) of Liaoning Province, northeastern China. This specimen consists of a complete, articulated individual with preserved feathers. [1]

In 2023, Li Zhiheng, Wang Min, Thomas A. Stidham, and Zhou Zhonghe described Cratonavis zhui, a new genus and species of jinguofortisid, based on these fossil remains. The generic name, "Cratonavis", combines a reference to the North China Craton with the Latin word "avis", meaning "bird". The specific name, "zhui", honors the Chinese geologist Zhu Rixiang, who has studied the destruction of the North China Craton. [1]

Classification

Li et al. (2023) recovered Cratonavis as a non-ornithothoracine pygostylian member of the Jinguofortisidae, as the sister taxon to Chongmingia . Their results are shown in the cladogram below: [1]

Avialae

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References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Li, Zhiheng; Wang, Min; Stidham, Thomas A.; Zhou, Zhonghe (2023-01-02). "Decoupling the skull and skeleton in a Cretaceous bird with unique appendicular morphologies". Nature Ecology & Evolution. 7 (1): 20–31. doi:10.1038/s41559-022-01921-w. ISSN   2397-334X. PMID   36593291. S2CID   255472056.