Archaeopterygid bird from China

[Ken Kinman]

Dear All,
       A close relative of Archaeopteryx has been described from China.  Whether it is from the Jurassic or Lower Cretaceous is uncertain, so it could be same age as Archaeopteryx or a bit younger.  Whatever its age, it seems to be a slightly more generalized, primitive member of Archaeopterygidae.  This indicates to me that this family more likely arose in Asia (with Archaeopteryx being a specialized offshoot in Europe).  Therefore Archaeopteryx is slowly losing its special status, and this will continue as even more primitive members of the family are discovered in Asia.  The title of the paper is poorly worded, but here's the citation:

Ji Q., Ji S., Lu J., You H., Chen W., Liu Y., and Liu Y., 2005.  First avialan bird from China (_Jinfengopteryx elegans_ gen. et sp. nov.).  Geological Bulletin of China 24(3): 197-205.

  ----Cheers,
        Ken Kinman