Songlingornis

Songlingornis
Temporal range: Early Cretaceous, 120 Ma
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Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Clade: Dinosauria
Clade: Saurischia
Clade: Theropoda
Clade: Avialae
Family: †Songlingornithidae
Genus: †Songlingornis
Hou, 1997
Species:
†S. linghensis
Binomial name
†Songlingornis linghensis
Hou, 1997

Songlingornis is an extinct genus of ornithuromorph dinosaurs from the Early Cretaceous. Its fossils have been found in the Jiufotang Formation of Liaoning (PRC).[1] The age of these rocks is somewhat disputed, but probably around the early Aptian, 125-120 million years ago. Only one species, Songlingornis linghensis, is known at present.

It was a close relative of Yanornis and together with this and Yixianornis may form a clade.[2] It is sometimes considered to be the same genus as Yanornis (which, described after Songlingornis, would then be merged into that taxon),[3] but this is not universally accepted.[4]

  1. ^ Hou (1997)
  2. ^ Mortimer (2004), Clarke et al. (2006)
  3. ^ Gong et al. (2004)
  4. ^ Mortimer (2004)