A new enantiornithine (Aves: Ornithothoraces) with completely fused premaxillae from the Early Cretaceous of China

We report a new small enantiornithine, Shangyang graciles gen. et sp. nov., based on a nearly complete and articulated skeleton from the Lower Cretaceous Jiufotang Formation of Liaoning Province, north-eastern China. Shangyang has premaxillae that are completely fused rostrally as well as along the frontal processes, a previously unrecognized condition in Early Cretaceous birds. As in three other enantiornithine taxa, Shangyang preserves a pair...