| Limenavis Temporal range: Late Cretaceous,
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|---|---|
Scientific classification 
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| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Clade: | Dinosauria |
| Clade: | Saurischia |
| Clade: | Theropoda |
| Clade: | Avialae |
| Clade: | Ornithuromorpha |
| Clade: | Ornithurae |
| Genus: | †Limenavis Clarke & Chiappe, 2001 |
| Species: | †L. patagonica
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| Binomial name | |
| †Limenavis patagonica Clarke & Chiappe, 2001
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Limenavis is a genus of ornithuran dinosaurs from the Late Cretaceous. It lived about 70 million years ago, around the Campanian-Maastrichtian boundary. Known from several broken bones, the remains of the only known species Limenavis patagonica were found in rocks of the "lower member" of the Allen Formation at Salitral Moreno, 20 km south of General Roca, Río Negro (Argentina).[1] It is one of the closest relatives, in the fossil record, of the modern birds.[2]
Of all the stem-birds known to date, this species is among those closest to the common ancestor of all living birds. Its generic name pays tribute to this fact: Limenavis, meaning "bird of the threshold" or "limit-bird", is derived from Latin limen ("threshold") + avis ("bird"). The specific name patagonica refers to the specimen's Patagonian provenance.
- ^ LEONA LEONARD, GARETH J. DYKE,1, AND MARCEL VAN TUINEN (2005) "A New Specimen of the Fossil Lithornis from the Lower Eocene". American Museum Novitates. Number 3491, 11 pp., 4 figures AMERICAN MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORYCENTRAL PARK WEST AT 79TH STREET, NEW YORK, NY 10024
- ^ Lee, M. S. Y.; Cau, A.; Naish, D.; Dyke, G. J. (2014-01-21). "Morphological Clocks in Paleontology, and a Mid-Cretaceous Origin of Crown Aves". Systematic Biology. 63 (3): 442–449. doi:10.1093/sysbio/syt110. ISSN 1063-5157.