Re: My thoughts on Longipteryx

["David Marjanovic" <david.marjanovic@gmx.at>]

 

[...] (Confuciusornithidae (Protopteryx (Jibeinia (Enantiornithes (Patagopteryx, Ornithurae)))))

[...] higher than confuciusornithids-

[...] More derived than Protopteryx

[...] Less derived than Jibeinia

[...] Less derived than Ornithothoracines

[...] the sternum is very similar to Protopteryx, almost an intermediate between it and Jibeinia.  So, I provisionally assign Longipteryx to the Pygostylia, phylogenetically intermediate between Protopteryx and Jibeinia.

Interesting. The emerging picture seems to be that the early evolution of birds was basically a Hennigian comb, took place almost exclusively in Líaoníng and is almost completely preserved there... :-o ~:-|