Xiaotingia is a genus of avialan theropod dinosaur from Late Jurassic (Oxfordian) deposits of western Liaoning, China, containing a single species, X. zhengi. Its remains have been found in the Tiaojishan Formation.
Discovery and naming[]
The holotype specimen of Xiaotingia (STM 27-2) was obtained by the Shandong Tianyu Museum of Nature from a fossil dealer, who claimed that it had been discovered in Jianchang county of Liaoning, China. It consists of an articulated specimen preserved in a series of broken slabs of shale, and missing parts of the caudals, pelvis, and hindlimbs. The specimen preserves integumentary impressions throughout the whole skeleton, although they are too poorly preserved to provide much detail.
In 2011, Xu. et al. described Xiaotingia as a new genus and species. The name X. zhengi honors the paleontologist Zheng Xiaoting, who helped found the Shandong Tianyu Museum of Nature.[1]
Description[]
The holotype specimen of Xiaotingia is estimated at 0.82 kg.[1]
Classification[]
In 2011, a phylogenetic analysis conducted by Xu. et al. assigned Xiaotingia to Archaeopterygidae.[1]
Relationships found by the revised analysis of Senter et al., 2012, are shown below:
| Paraves |
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Below is a cladogram published in 2013 by Godefroit et al.
| Avialae |
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Gallery[]
