Longipteryx

The holotype of Longipteryx had an estimated wingspan of and body mass of . It had a long snout — longer than the rest of the head — with a few hooked teeth at the tip, and, as the name implies, proportionally long and strong wings. Although it was basal to the extent that it had two long separate fingers with claws and a stubby thumb, the flight apparatus was generally quite well developed, and unlike most other birds of its time it possessed uncinate processes which strengthened the ribcage. Its claws and toes were long and strong while the leg was quite short. Altogether, the ability to fly and to perch was quite sophisticated for its age, to the detriment of terrestrial locomotion: the humerus was 1.56 times the length of the femur. The holotype retains many feather impressions, though poorly preserved; remiges do not seem to have been preserved, and what feathers remain are apparently only body feathers, wing coverts and down. Longipteryx was frugivorous, indicated by the discovery of complete gymnosperm seeds and a lack of gastroliths within two specimens, STM8–86 and STM8–112. Initially, it was interpreted as a piscivore or an insectivore. The authors of the 2024 study who reported direct evidence of frugivory in Longipteryx suggested that researchers should be cautious when predicting the diets in extinct taxa based on "untested morphological proxies". ==Classification==

The affiliations of Longipteryx are not resolved. While it has been sometimes included in the Enantiornithes and groups specifically with Euenantiornithes in some cladistic analyses, it might be basal to or in Enantiornithes, being somewhat reminiscent of the equally puzzling Protopteryx. Its plesiomorphies are comprehensive, as can be expected from its old age, but the autapomorphies appear quite "modern", especially compared to other early Enantiornithes. A distinct order (Longipterygiformes) and family (Longipterygidae) has been proposed for it. Given that neither its exact relationships nor any close relatives are presently known, not much can be said about the phylogenetic position of L. chaoyangensis. On the other hand, Longirostravis hani, described a few years after Longipteryx, appears to be phylogenetically closer to the present taxon than other Mesozoic birds and indeed they might constitute a clade of early specialized Euenantiornithes. If this is correct, they might well be considered as an order, in which case Longirostravisiformes and Longirostravisidae would become junior synonyms of Longipterygiformes and Longipterygidae, respectively. In the 50% majority rule tree of the phylogenetic analysis published in their 2025 description of the longipterygid Chromeornis, O'Connor and colleagues recovered it as the sister taxon to Longipteryx, together forming the clade Longipteryginae, which is sister to the Longirostravinae. These results are displayed in the cladogram below: }} }} }} }} }}|label1=Ornithothoraces}} == References ==