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''Longipteryx'' is a genus of prehistoric bird which lived during the Early Cretaceous (Aptian stage, 120.3 million years ago). It contains a single species, ''Longipteryx chaoyangensis''. Its remains have been recovered from the Jiufotang Formation at Chaoyang in Liaoning Province, People's Republic of China. Apart from the holotype IVPP V 12325 - a fine and nearly complete skeleton — another entire skeleton (IPPV V 12552) and some isolated bones (a humerus and furcula, specimens IPPV V 12553, and an ulna, IPPV V 12554) are known to date.〔Zhang ''et al.'' (2001)〕 The name ''Longipteryx'' means "one with long feathers", from Latin ''longus'', "long" + Ancient Greek ''pteryx'' (''πτέρυξ''), "wing", "feather" or "pinion". The species name ''chaoyangensis'' is from the Latin for "from Chaoyang". ==Description== Excluding the tail, ''Longipteryx'' was some 15 cm long overall in life. It had a long bill — 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 primitive insofar as 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.〔Zhang ''et al.'' (2001), Lamanna ''et al.'' (2006)〕 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.〔 The end of the tail is destroyed in the holotype;〔 no rectrices are preserved and while the pygostyle is complete in other skeletons, only halos of short feathers are preserved.〔 While the related ''Shanweiniao'' and some other enantiornithines preserve two, four, or eight long display feathers on the tail, the absence of such feathers in any known specimen of ''Longipteryx'' probably indicates that they were absent in this species.〔O'Connor, J.K., Zhou Z. and Zhang F. (In press). "A reappraisal of ''Boluochia zhengi'' (Aves: Enantiornithes) and a discussion of intraclade diversity in the Jehol avifauna, China." ''Journal of Systematic Palaeontology'', (published online before print 16 December 2010). 〕 ''Longipteryx'' probably dived or probed for fish, crustaceans, or other aquatic animals of appropriate size. Altogether, it was perhaps closest to a modern-day kingfisher in its ecological niche.〔 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Longipteryx」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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