Taxonomical reappraisal of Cathayornithidae (Aves: Enantiornithes)

Detailed comparisons across various specimens referred to Cathayornithidae Zhou et al. , 1992 indicate that Sinornis santensis , Cathayornis yandica , C. caudatus and Eocathayornis walkeri are valid taxa, but that C. chabuensis should be regarded as a nomen dubium .

The holotype and referred specimens of C. chabuensis differ significantly in morphology, indicating that they do not belong to the same species. A comprehensive phylogenetic analysis targeted at Mesozoic birds reveals that neither Cathayornithidae Zhou et al. , 1992 nor Cathayornis Zhou et al. , 1992 are monophyletic, and that C. yandica can be regarded as the only species in a monospecific Cathayornithidae. The holotype of ‘ C. caudatus ’ is assigned to the genus Houornis gen. nov., and a taxonomic reassessment of other ‘cathayornithids’ is presented. zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:0B1A404A-CC6A-4609-8CC5-C0DD62983C9A