Caudipteryx zoui Ji, Currie, Norell and Ji, 1998

Rauhut, Oliver W. M., 2003, The interrelationships and evolution of basal theropod dinosaurs, Special papers in palaeontology 69, pp. 1-213 : 28

Caudipteryx zoui Ji, Currie, Norell and Ji, 1998

Age . Barremian.

Occurrence. Jiulongsong Member of the Chaomidianzi Formation, Liaoning, China.

Diagnosis. Elongate, hooked premaxillary teeth; teeth only present in the premaxilla.

Remarks. Caudipteryx is one of the most important theropod dinosaurs to be described recently ( Ji et al. 1998). It is especially noteworthy for the preserved feathers along its arms and at the tip of the tail, since the animal clearly represents a non-avian theropod. Together with the filaments in Sinosauropteryx , Beipiaosaurus , and Sinornithosaurus , and the feathers in Protarchaeopteryx , Caudipteryx provides clear evidence for the presence of feathers in non-avian coelurosaurs and thus greatly strengthens the arguments for the theropod origin of birds.