ENANTIORNITHES
CLASSIFICATION
Animalia: Vertebrata: Tetrapoda: Sauropsida: Archosauromorpha:
Ornithodira: Dinosauria: Theropoda: Tetanurae: Coelurosauria: Avialae
CLADOGRAM:
—Enantiornithes “opposite birds” == {Enantiornis > Neornithes}
| INCERTAE SEDIS:
| unnamed juvenile form — Spain
| unnamed small Maevarano form (dentary) — Maastrichtian — Madagascar
| unnamed small Maevarano form (furcula) — Maastrichtian — Madagascar
| unnamed small Maevarano form (tibia) — Maastrichtian — Madagascar
| unnamed small Maevarano form (coracoid) — Maastrichtian — Madagascar
| unnamed small Maevarano form (synsacrum) — Maastrichtian — Madagascar
| unnamed medium-large Maevarano form (synsacrum) — Maastrichtian — Madagascar
| unnamed small Maevarano form (humerus) — Maastrichtian — Madagascar
| unnamed small Maevarano form (humerus) — Maastrichtian — Madagascar
| unnamed small Maevarano form (humerus) — Maastrichtian — Madagascar
| Alexornis
| Boluochia
| Eoalulavis
| Gurilynia
| Horezmavis
| Kizylkumavis
| Lenesornis
| ?Liaoxiornis
| Longchengornis
| Sazavis
| Enantiornithiformes “Enantiornis forms”
| `–Enantiornis
| Eoenantiornithiformes “Eoenantiornis forms”
| `–Eoenantiornis
| Cuspirostrisornithidae
| |–Cuspirostrisornis
| `?-Largirostrisornis
| Gobipterygidae
| |–Gobipteryx
| `?-Nanantius
| Sinornithiformes
| |–Cathayornis
| `–Sinornis
|?-Iberomesornis
`–+–Lectavis
`–+–Yungavolucris
`–+?-Concornis
`–Avisauridae sensu Chiappe, 1993 == {Neuquenornis + Avisaurus}
|–Neuquenornis
`–+–Avisaurus
`–Soroavisaurus
ESSAY
| CHARACTERISTICS: Enantiornitheans were a large group of birds which evolved alongside modern-style birds, or neornitheans, during the Cretaceous Period. Their name (“opposite birds”) refers to the articulation of the scapula with the coracoid, opposite to that of modern birds. Like neornitheans, advanced enantiornitheans were toothless. These two lineages, along with confuciusornithids, oviraptorosaurs, and ornithomimosaurs, represent the five known lineages of toothless coelurosaur. R ISE AND FALL:Enantiornitheans achieved a fair degree of diversity, beginning as small, perching fliers, with some developing into shorebirds. They ranged from sparrow- to vulture-size. Although apparently more plentiful than their neornithean cousins during the Cretaceous, enantiornitheans, like all non-neornithean dinosaurs, became extinct at the end of the Cretaceous. Why neornitheans survived while they did not remains a mystery. |
