| Ambiortus | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Reptilia |
| Clade: | Dinosauria |
| Clade: | Saurischia |
| Clade: | Theropoda |
| Clade: | Avialae |
| Clade: | †Ambiortiformes |
| Family: | †Ambiortidae Kurochkin, 1982 |
| Genus: | †Ambiortus Kurochkin, 1982 |
| Species: | †A. dementjevi |
| Binomial name | |
| †Ambiortus dementjevi Kurochkin, 1989 | |
Ambiortus is an extinctgenus ofornithuromorphdinosaurs. The only knownspecies,Ambiortus dementjevi, lived sometime during theBarremian age between 136.4 and 125 million years ago[1] in theAndaikhudag Formation ofMongolia.[1] It was discovered byYevgeny Kurochkin in 1982.[2]
Ambiortus dementjevi belongs toOrnithuromorpha, the natural group containing modern birds but notEnantiornithes, according to all publishedcladistic analyses. The exact position of the species within this group has been controversial. Early studies suggested it was a member ofPalaeognathae, the group containing modernratites andtinamou,[3] but this has not been supported by later research. Some studies have found it to be closely related to theIchthyornithes, a relatively derived group closely related tomodern birds.[4]
Most analyses have found it to be either an unresolved member of theOrnithurae, or a more basal member of Ornithuromorpha. One 2006 study, for example, found it to be more primitive thanYanornis but more advanced thanHongshanornis, or even a member of the specific group containing bothYanornis andYixianornis.[5]
Thefamily Ambiortidae is sometimes used for this genus, especially if it is considered a close relative of the much youngerApsaravis.[6] The results of acladistic analysis published in 2011 indicate that at leastApsaravis andPalintropus, which was initially mistaken as a more modern bird genus initially, are very closely related.[7]
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