| Iaceornis | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Reptilia |
| Clade: | Dinosauria |
| Clade: | Saurischia |
| Clade: | Theropoda |
| Clade: | Avialae |
| Clade: | Ornithuromorpha |
| Clade: | Ornithurae |
| Genus: | †Iaceornis Clarke, 2004 |
| Species: | †I. marshi |
| Binomial name | |
| †Iaceornis marshi Clarke, 2004 | |
Iaceornis is agenus of marineornithurandinosaurs closely related to modern birds. It was endemic toNorth America during theLate Cretaceous, living about 83.5 million years ago. It is known from a single fossil specimen found inGove County, Kansas, and consisting of a partial skeleton lacking a skull.
Since it was first discovered byOthniel Charles Marsh in 1877, the specimen (YPM 1734) was long considered to belong to the contemporary speciesApatornis celer. Because it is relatively complete, most discussions ofApatornis actually focused on theIaceornis fossil. In 2004, paleontologistJulia A. Clarke showed that the skeleton actually differed in important characteristics of the wing bones from the true,holotype specimen ofApatornis. Therefore, she assigned the more complete remains to a new genus and species,Iaceornis marshi, meaning "Marsh's neglected bird".[1]
In Clarke'sphylogenetic analysis, she found thatIaceornis is more advanced thanIchthyornis but less advanced thanmodern birds.[1]
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