Taxonomical reappraisal of Cathayornithidae (Aves: Enantiornithes)

A complete redescription of Cathayornis caudatus Hou, 1997 is provided based on new information from a resin cast of the holotype, leading to reinterpretation of many morphological features of this initially poorly diagnosed taxon. 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.
http://zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:0B1A404A-CC6A-4609-8CC5-C0DD62983C9A