Prophaethontidae is an extinct family of Early Paleogene phaethontiforms that include the genera Lithoptila and Prophaethon, as well as possibly Phaethusavis and Zhylgaia. The anatomy of the prophaethontids were more similar to those of members of the order Procellariiformes than to Phaethontidae, features including nostrils that are long and slit-like, with longer wings and legs. This suggests that prophaethontids were better at swimming and being more pelagic and surface-feeding than tropicbirds are today.[1] Such features were suggested to link the phaethontiforms with the procellariiforms,[2][3] but molecular studies do not support this and instead support a relationship between phaethontiforms and the order Eurypygiformes.[4][5][6]
^Mayr, Gerald (2009). Paleogene Fossil Birds. Springer. ISBN 978-3-540-89628-9.
^Mayr, G (2003). "The phylogenetic affinities of the Shoebill (Balaeniceps rex)". Journal für Ornithologie. 144 (2): 157–175. Bibcode:2003JOrni.144..157M. doi:10.1007/bf02465644. S2CID 36046887.
^Bourdon, E.; et al. (2005). "Earliest African neornithine bird: A new species of Prophaethontidae (Aves) from the Paleocene of Morocco". J. Vertebr. Paleontol. 25 (1): 157–170. doi:10.1671/0272-4634(2005)025[0157:eanban]2.0.co;2. S2CID 86218884.
^Jarvis, Erich D.; et al. (2014). "Whole-genome analyses resolve early branches in the tree of life of modern birds". Science. 346 (6215): 1320–1331. Bibcode:2014Sci...346.1320J. doi:10.1126/science.1253451. PMC 4405904. PMID 25504713.
^Prum, R.O.; et al. (2015). "A comprehensive phylogeny of birds (Aves) using targeted next-generation DNA sequencing". Nature. 526 (7574): 569–573. Bibcode:2015Natur.526..569P. doi:10.1038/nature15697. PMID 26444237. S2CID 205246158.
^Braun, E.L. & Kimball, R.T. (2021) Data types and the phylogeny of Neoaves. Birds, 2(1), 1-22; https://doi.org/10.3390/birds2010001
Prophaethontidae is an extinct family of Early Paleogene phaethontiforms that include the genera Lithoptila and Prophaethon, as well as possibly Phaethusavis...
extant family, the tropicbirds (Phaethontidae), and one extinct family Prophaethontidae from the early Cenozoic. Several fossil genera have been described...
Mohamed (2005): Earliest African neornithine bird: A new species of Prophaethontidae (Aves) from the Paleocene of Morocco. J. Vertebr. Paleontol. 25(1):...
Mohamed (2005). "Earliest African neornithine bird: A new species of prophaethontidae (Aves) from the Paleocene of Morocco". Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology...
likely a neognath.[citation needed] In 2008, Zhylgaia was assigned to Prophaethontidae—an extinct family related to modern tropicbirds—on the basis of its...
Pelecaniformes (pelicans and allies, fossils assignable to Phaethontidae, Prophaethontidae, Fregatidae and Pelagornithidae), and Anseriformes (waterfowl, including...
species is Z. kurochkini. Zhylgaia Valid Gen et sp nov. Nessov Late Paleocene Kazakhstan A Prophaethontidae Pelecaniformes The type species is Z. aestiflua...
Mohamed Iarochène (2005). "Earliest African Neornithine Bird: A New Prophaethontidae (Aves) from the Paleocene of Morocco". Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology...
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