Jurassic
Xiaotingia
Xiaotingia zhengi
The catalogue presents Xiaotingia as a insectivore member of Anchiornithidae that lived during the Jurassic, between 160.9–155.7 Ma. Its estimated range is 0.6 m in length and 0.8–1.0 kg in mass, giving a practical sense of scale. Reference material comes from Tiaojishan Formation, Liaoning, China. Size and mass are approximations and may change with new fossils or methods.
Evidence-backed summary
For Xiaotingia, the PBDB records the taxonomic attribution as Xu et al. (2011).
The PBDB places it in Sinovenatorinae, and the catalogue record assigns it to the family Anchiornithidae.
- PBDB · taxon.parent
- Anchiornithidae
In the PBDB record, the reported stratigraphic range runs from the Bathonian to the Kimmeridgian.
The PBDB catalogues 1 occurrence, with material from the Tiaojishan Formation (1). Provenance: China.
The catalogue records the holotype as STM 27-2 and the type locality as “Tiaojishan Formation, Liaoning, China”.
- STM 27-2
- Tiaojishan Formation, Liaoning, China
The catalogue's reference measurements are 0.6 m in length and 0.8–1.0 kg in mass — estimates, which vary with specimen and method.
- 0.6 m
- 0.8-1.0 kg
The record gathers 7 bibliographic references registered in the PBDB, listed below.
Where it lived
Fossil occurrences on today’s map and in the tectonic reconstruction.
Positions reconstructed by PBDB/GPlates, not observed; this is not an exact habitat map.
Artistic 3D reconstruction
There is no approved species-specific 3D model yet. Generic anatomy will not be presented as if it were evidence.
Physical Specifications
- Length
- 0.6 m
- Weight
- 0.8–1.0 kg
- Period
- Jurassic
- Time range
- 160.9–155.7 Ma
Discovery Information
- First Discovery
- 2011
- Described by
- Xu et al.
Taxonomic Classification
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Reptilia
- Order
- Saurischia
- Family
- Anchiornithidae
- Genus
- Xiaotingia
- Species
- X. zhengi
Data status
Taxonomic name matched to PBDB and checked on 2026-08-08.
Taxonomic linkage does not automatically validate size, mass, behaviour or appearance.
- Type specimen
- STM 27-2
- Type locality
- Tiaojishan Formation, Liaoning, China