Euenantiornithes
Encyclopedia
Euenantiornithes is a superorder of Cretaceous
bird
s. They are considered to contain the more advanced taxa of the Enantiornithes
, the dominant group of birds during the late Mesozoic
. Other, more primitive enantiornithines such as Iberomesornis romerali and Noguerornis gonzalezi, are excluded, but altogether, the Euenantiornithes contains most known of the enantiornithines in many analyses.
. Because Iberomesornis is often found to be the most primitive or basal enantiornithine, Euenantiornithes may be an extremely inclusive group, made up of all enantiornithines except for Iberomesornis itself. Despite being in accordance with phylogenetic nomenclature
, this definition of Euenantiornithes was severely criticized by some researchers, such as Paul Sereno
, who called it
rank in this group. Many contain only the type species
and most are incertae sedis
regarding their interrelationships. They are consequently dismissed by many authorities. Apart from that, the placement of the following taxa is even less resolved:
Basal Euenantiornithes
Euenantiornithes incertae sedis
Doubtful Euenantiornithes
It is not clear whether these taxa are Euenantiornithes:
For these birds, it is not even fully resolved that they were Enantiornithes, but they show some characters usually found in Euenantiornithes:
Cretaceous
The Cretaceous , derived from the Latin "creta" , usually abbreviated K for its German translation Kreide , is a geologic period and system from circa to million years ago. In the geologic timescale, the Cretaceous follows the Jurassic period and is followed by the Paleogene period of the...
bird
Bird
Birds are feathered, winged, bipedal, endothermic , egg-laying, vertebrate animals. Around 10,000 living species and 188 families makes them the most speciose class of tetrapod vertebrates. They inhabit ecosystems across the globe, from the Arctic to the Antarctic. Extant birds range in size from...
s. They are considered to contain the more advanced taxa of the Enantiornithes
Enantiornithes
Enantiornithes is an extinct group of primitive birds. They were the most abundant and diverse avialans of the Mesozoic. Almost all retained teeth and clawed fingers on each wing, but otherwise looked much like modern birds externally. Over 50 species of Enantiornithines have been named, but some...
, the dominant group of birds during the late Mesozoic
Mesozoic
The Mesozoic era is an interval of geological time from about 250 million years ago to about 65 million years ago. It is often referred to as the age of reptiles because reptiles, namely dinosaurs, were the dominant terrestrial and marine vertebrates of the time...
. Other, more primitive enantiornithines such as Iberomesornis romerali and Noguerornis gonzalezi, are excluded, but altogether, the Euenantiornithes contains most known of the enantiornithines in many analyses.
Classification
Euenantiornithes was defined by Chiappe (2002) as comprising all birds closer to Sinornis than to IberomesornisIberomesornis
Iberomesornis is a monotypic genus of enantiornithine bird of the Cretaceous of Spain.In 1985 the fossil of Iberomesornis was discovered by Armando Díaz Romeral in the Early Cretaceous Calizas de La Huérguina Formation at Las Hoyas, Cuenca Province, east central Spain, which dates to the late...
. Because Iberomesornis is often found to be the most primitive or basal enantiornithine, Euenantiornithes may be an extremely inclusive group, made up of all enantiornithines except for Iberomesornis itself. Despite being in accordance with phylogenetic nomenclature
Phylogenetic nomenclature
Phylogenetic nomenclature or phylogenetic taxonomy is an alternative to rank-based nomenclature, applying definitions from cladistics . Its two defining features are the use of phylogenetic definitions of biological taxon names, and the lack of obligatory ranks...
, this definition of Euenantiornithes was severely criticized by some researchers, such as Paul Sereno
Paul Sereno
Paul Callistus Sereno is an American paleontologist from the University of Chicago who discovered several new dinosaur species on several continents. He has conducted excavations at sites as varied as Inner Mongolia, Argentina, Morocco, and Niger...
, who called it
"a [sic] ill-defined cladeCladeA clade is a group consisting of a species and all its descendants. In the terms of biological systematics, a clade is a single "branch" on the "tree of life". The idea that such a "natural group" of organisms should be grouped together and given a taxonomic name is central to biological...
[...] a good example of a poor choice in a phylogenetic definition"
Taxonomy
Several taxa have been established at orderOrder (biology)
In scientific classification used in biology, the order is# a taxonomic rank used in the classification of organisms. Other well-known ranks are life, domain, kingdom, phylum, class, family, genus, and species, with order fitting in between class and family...
rank in this group. Many contain only the type species
Type species
In biological nomenclature, a type species is both a concept and a practical system which is used in the classification and nomenclature of animals and plants. The value of a "type species" lies in the fact that it makes clear what is meant by a particular genus name. A type species is the species...
and most are incertae sedis
Incertae sedis
, is a term used to define a taxonomic group where its broader relationships are unknown or undefined. Uncertainty at specific taxonomic levels is attributed by , , and similar terms.-Examples:*The fossil plant Paradinandra suecica could not be assigned to any...
regarding their interrelationships. They are consequently dismissed by many authorities. Apart from that, the placement of the following taxa is even less resolved:
Basal Euenantiornithes
- EoalulavisEoalulavisEoalulavis was an enantiornithine bird. It lived during the Aptian in the Early Cretaceous, about 115 mya and is known from fossils found at Las Hoyas, Spain...
(Early Cretaceous)
Euenantiornithes incertae sedis
- BoluochiaBoluochiaBoluochia zhengi was an enantiornithine bird. It lived during the Early Cretaceous in the time span 121.6-110.6 mya and is known from fossils found in the Jiufotang Formation of Liaoning province, People's Republic of China. Boluochia was first described by Zhou in 1995...
(Early Cretaceous) - cathayornithid? - ConcornisConcornisConcornis was an enantiornithine bird. It lived during the Early Cretaceous, in the late Barremian stage or about 127-125 million years ago, and its remains are known from the Calizas de La Huérguina Formation at Las Hoyas, Cuenca province, Spain...
(Early Cretaceous) - cathayornithid? enantiornithiform? - CuspirostrisornisCuspirostrisornisCuspirostrisornis is a Genus of enantiornithine bird. Only one species is known, Cuspirostrisornis houi. It is known from one fossil found in the Jiufotang Formation in Liaoning province, People's Republic of China. The Jiufotang Formation is dated to the Early Cretaceous period, Aptian age, 120.3...
(Early Cretaceous) - Enantiornithes gen. et sp. indet. CAGS-IG-04-CM-007 (Xiagou Early Cretaceous of Mazongshan, PRC)
- EoenantiornisEoenantiornisEoenantiornis was an enantiornithine bird. It lived during the Early Cretaceous about 125 mya and is known from a single fossil specimen found in the Yixian Formation in Liaoning province, People's Republic of China. It is one of the oldest known advanced enantiornithines....
(Early Cretaceous) - LargirostrornisLargirostrornisLargirostrornis is a Genus of enantiornithine bird. One species is known, Largirostornis sexdentoris. It lived during the Early Cretaceous and is known from fossils found in the Jiufotang Formation in Liaoning province, People's Republic of China....
(Early Cretaceous) - LongchengornisLongchengornisLongchengornis was an enantiornithine bird. It lived during the Early Cretaceous about 120 mya and is known from fossils found in the Jiufotang Formation in Liaoning province, People's Republic of China....
(Early Cretaceous) - LongirostravisLongirostravisLongirostravis was an enantiornithine bird. It lived during the Early Cretaceous about 129 mya and is known from fossils found in the Yixian Formation in Yixian County, People's Republic of China....
(Early Cretaceous) - HebeiornisHebeiornisHebeiornis was a Genus of enantiornithine bird. One species has been described, H.fengningensis.The fossil was found in the Yixian Formation, which means that Hebeiornis lived in the Barremian to early Aptian, some 125-121 mya...
(Early Cretaceous) - possibly a nomen nudumNomen nudumThe phrase nomen nudum is a Latin term, meaning "naked name", used in taxonomy...
; if valid, includes VescornisVescornisVescornis is a genus of enantiornithine bird. One species is named, V. hebeiensis. The holotype fossil is in the collection of the Nanjing Institute of Geology and Paleontology, Chinese Academy of Sciences. Its catalog number is CAGS 130722. The fossil was found in Early Cretaceous rocks first... - Enantiornithes gen. et sp. indet. RBCM.EH2005.003.0002 (Northumberland Late Cretaceous of Hornby Island, Canada)
- GurilyniaGurilyniaGurilynia was a Genus of enantiornithine birds. One species is known, G. nessovi. It lived during the Maastrichtian stage of the Late Cretaceous period, between 70 and 65 mya. Gurilynia is known from fragmentary fossils found at the Gurilyn Tsav locality of the Nemegt Formation in south Gobi,...
(Late Cretaceous) - enantiornithiform? - HalimornisHalimornisHalimornis was an enantiornithine bird. It lived during the Late Cretaceous about 80 mya and is known from fossils found in the Mooreville Chalk Formation in Greene County, Alabama...
(Late Cretaceous) - LectavisLectavisLectavis is a genus of enantiornithine bird. Its fossil bones were recovered from the Late Cretaceous Lecho Formation at estancia El Brete, Argentina...
(Late Cretaceous) - enantiornithiform? - LenesornisLenesornisLenesornis was an enantiornithine bird. It lived during the Late Cretaceous about 78 mya and is known from fossils found in the Bissekty Formation in the Kyzyl Kum, Uzbekistan....
(Late Cretaceous) - NeuquenornisNeuquenornisNeuquenornis volans was an enantiornithine bird which lived during the Late Cretaceous in today's Patagonia, Argentina. It is presently the only known species of the genus Neuquenornis. Its fossils were found in the Santonian Bajo de la Carpa Formation, dating from about 85-83 million years ago....
(Late Cretaceous) - cathayornithid? avisaurid? - YungavolucrisYungavolucrisYungavolucris is a monotypic genus of enantiornithine bird. It contains the single species Yungavolucris brevipedaliswhich lived in the Late Cretaceous...
(Late Cretaceous) - enantiornithiform? - Family Kuszholiidae
- Order Alexornithiformes
- Order Cathayornithiformes
- Order Enantiornithiformes
- Family Enantiornithidae
- EnantiornisEnantiornisEnantiornis is a genus of predatory enantiornithine bird. The type and only currently accepted species E. leali is from Late Cretaceous rocks at El Brete, Argentina....
(Late Cretaceous)
- Enantiornis
- Family AvisauridaeAvisauridaeThe Avisauridae are a family of extinct Enantiornithine birds known from Cretaceous North and South America. They are represented by eight genera.Avisauridae was erected by Brett-Surman and Paul in 1985...
- AvisaurusAvisaurusAvisaurus is a genus of enantiornithine bird from the Late Cretaceous of North America.Two species are known; the type species A. archibaldi and A. gloriae...
(Late Cretaceous) - SoroavisaurusSoroavisaurusSoroavisaurus australis was an enantiornithine bird related to Avisaurus. It lived during the Late Cretaceous of Argentina.S. australis is known from fossils collected from the Lecho Formation of Estancia El Brete, in the southern tip of the province of Salta, Argentina...
(Late Cretaceous)
- Avisaurus
- Family Enantiornithidae
- Order Gobipterygiformes
- Order Longipterygiformes
Doubtful Euenantiornithes
It is not clear whether these taxa are Euenantiornithes:
- Enantiornithes gen. et sp. indet. MZ unnumbered (Adamantina Late Cretaceous of Presidente Prudente, Brazil) - enantiornithiform?
- Enantiornithes gen. et sp. indet. Patrick Mechin collection 606 (Late Cretaceous of Bastide-Neuve, France) - alexornithid?
For these birds, it is not even fully resolved that they were Enantiornithes, but they show some characters usually found in Euenantiornithes:
- NanantiusNanantiusNanantius eosis the name of an Early Cretaceous species of bird. It is the only described member of the genus Nanantius at present; the supposed second species Nanantius valifanovi has turned out to be a synonym of Gobipteryx minuta. N...
(Early -? Late Cretaceous) - enantiornithiform? - AbavornisAbavornisAbavornis is the name given to a genus of primitive birds from the Late Cretaceous, containing the single species A. bonaparti...
(Late Cretaceous) - ExplorornisExplorornisExplorornis is a genus of Mesozoic birds. It lived during the mid-late Turonian stage, around 90 million years ago.Unlinke many contemporary genera, which are only known from a handful of remains that cannot be compared among each other, Explorornis is known from a handful of coracoids which are...
(Late Cretaceous) - Horezmavis (Late Cretaceous of Kyzyl Kum, Uzbekistan) - gobipterygiform?
- IncolornisIncolornisIncolornis is an extinct genus of basal birds from the Late Cretaceous . Remains have been found in the Bissekty Formation in Uzbekistan.It is only known from fragmentary coracoids...
(Late Cretaceous) - Family Zhyraornithidae - enantiornithiformes?