Gracilornis

Gracilornis is an extinct genus of early bird from the lower Cretaceous (Aptian stage). It is a cathayornithid enantiornithine which lived in what is now western Liaoning Province, China. It is known from a nearly complete skull and postcranial skeleton, which was found from the Jiufotang Formation, in Chaoyang. It was first named by Li Li and Hou Shilin in 2011 and the type species is Gracilornis jiufotangensis. The generic name is derived from Latin gracilis, "slender" and Greek ornis, "bird", and refers to its slender skeleton. The specific name was named after the Jiufotang Formation, in which the holotype was collected.[1]

Gracilornis
Temporal range: Early Cretaceous, 110 Ma
↓
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Clade: †Enantiornithes
Clade: †Euenantiornithes
Genus: †Gracilornis
Li & Hou S. L., 2011
Species
  • †Gracilornis jiufotangensis Li & Hou S. L., 2011 (type)

References
  1. Li Li and Hou Shilin (2011). "Discovery of a new bird (Enantiornithines) from Lower Cretaceous in western Liaoning, China". Journal of Jilin University (Earth Science Edition). 41 (3): 759–763.CS1 maint: uses authors parameter (link)


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