1
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Henderson DM. Using your head - cranial steering in pterosaurs. THE SCIENCE OF NATURE - NATURWISSENSCHAFTEN 2024; 111:29. [PMID: 38713269 DOI: 10.1007/s00114-024-01915-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/09/2024] [Revised: 04/05/2024] [Accepted: 04/17/2024] [Indexed: 05/08/2024]
Abstract
The vast majority of pterosaurs are characterized by relatively large, elongate heads that are often adorned with large, elaborate crests. Projecting out in front of the body, these large heads and any crests must have had an aerodynamic effect. The working hypothesis of the present study is that these oversized heads were used to control the left-right motions of the body during flight. Using digital models of eight non-pterodactyloids ("rhamphorhyncoids") and ten pterodactyloids, the turning moments associated with the head + neck show a close and consistent correspondence with the rotational inertia of the whole body about a vertical axis in both groups, supporting the idea of a functional relationship. Turning moments come from calculating the lateral area of the head (plus any crests) and determining the associated lift (aerodynamic force) as a function of flight speed, with flight speeds being based on body mass. Rotational inertias were calculated from the three-dimensional mass distribution of the axial body, the limbs, and the flight membranes. The close correlation between turning moment and rotational inertia was used to revise the life restorations of two pterosaurs and to infer relatively lower flight speeds in another two.
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2
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Cerda IA, Codorniú L. Palaeohistology reveals an unusual periodontium and tooth implantation in a filter-feeding pterodactyloid pterosaur, Pterodaustro guinazui, from the Lower Cretaceous of Argentina. J Anat 2023; 243:579-589. [PMID: 37059589 PMCID: PMC10485577 DOI: 10.1111/joa.13878] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/23/2023] [Revised: 03/30/2023] [Accepted: 03/31/2023] [Indexed: 04/16/2023] Open
Abstract
Pterosaurs are an extinct group of Mesozoic flying reptiles, which exhibited high diversity with regard to their dentition. Although morphological features of pterosaur dentition have been described in detail in several contributions, the histology of tooth and tooth attachment tissues (i.e. periodontium) has been scarcely analysed to date for this clade. Here we describe and interpret the microstructure of the tooth and periodontium attachment tissues of Pterodaustro guinazui, a filter-feeding pterodactyloid pterosaur from the Lower Cretaceous of Argentina. The histological analysis of the lower jaw and its filamentous teeth verifies that the geometry of the implantation corresponds to an aulacodont condition (i.e. teeth are set in a groove with no interdental separation). This pattern departs from that recorded in other archosaurs, being possibly also present in other, non-closely related, pterosaurs. Regarding tooth attachment, in contrast to other pterosaurs, there is no direct evidence for gomphosis in Pterodaustro (i.e. the absence of cementum, mineralized periodontal ligamentum and alveolar bone). Nevertheless, the current evidence for ankylosis is still not conclusive. Contrary to that reported for other archosaurs, replacement teeth are absent in Pterodaustro, which is interpreted as evidence for monophyodonty or diphyodonty in this taxon. Most of the microstructural features are possibly related to the complex filter-feeding apparatus of Pterodaustro and does not appear to represent the general pattern of pterosaurs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ignacio A Cerda
- Consejo Nacional de Investigación Ciencia y Técnica (CONICET), Buenos Aires, Argentina
- Instituto de Investigación en Paleobiología y Geología (IIPG), Universidad Nacional de Río Negro (UNRN), Museo Carlos Ameghino, Cipolletti, Río Negro, Argentina
| | - Laura Codorniú
- Consejo Nacional de Investigación Ciencia y Técnica (CONICET), Buenos Aires, Argentina
- Departamento de Geología, Universidad Nacional de San Luis, San Luis, Argentina
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3
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Yang Z, Jiang B, Benton MJ, Xu X, McNamara ME, Hone DWE. Allometric wing growth links parental care to pterosaur giantism. Proc Biol Sci 2023; 290:20231102. [PMID: 37464754 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2023.1102] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/07/2022] [Accepted: 06/28/2023] [Indexed: 07/20/2023] Open
Abstract
Pterosaurs evolved a broad range of body sizes, from small-bodied early forms with wingspans of mostly 1-2 m to the last-surviving giants with sizes of small airplanes. Since all pterosaurs began life as small hatchlings, giant forms must have attained large adult sizes through new growth strategies, which remain largely unknown. Here we assess wing ontogeny and performance in the giant Pteranodon and the smaller-bodied anurognathids Rhamphorhynchus, Pterodactylus and Sinopterus. We show that most smaller-bodied pterosaurs shared negative allometry or isometry in the proximal elements of the fore- and hindlimbs, which were critical elements for powering both flight and terrestrial locomotion, whereas these show positive allometry in Pteranodon. Such divergent growth allometry typically signals different strategies in the precocial-altricial spectrum, suggesting more altricial development in Pteranodon. Using a biophysical model of powered and gliding flight, we test and reject the hypothesis that an aerodynamically superior wing planform could have enabled Pteranodon to attain its larger body size. We therefore propose that a shift from a plesiomorphic precocial state towards a derived state of enhanced parental care may have relaxed the constraints of small body sizes and allowed the evolution of derived flight anatomies critical for the flying giants.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zixiao Yang
- School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University College Cork, Cork T23 TK30, Ireland
- Environmental Research Institute, Ellen Hutchins Building, Lee Road, Cork T23 XE10, Ireland
| | - Baoyu Jiang
- Center for Research and Education on Biological Evolution and Environments, School of Earth Sciences and Engineering, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210023, People's Republic of China
| | - Michael J Benton
- School of Earth Sciences, University of Bristol, Life Sciences Building, Tyndall Avenue, Bristol BS8 1TQ, UK
| | - Xing Xu
- Center for Vertebrate Evolutionary Biology, Yunnan University, Kunming 650031, People's Republic of China
- Key Laboratory of Vertebrate Evolution and Human Origins, Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100044, People's Republic of China
| | - Maria E McNamara
- School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University College Cork, Cork T23 TK30, Ireland
- Environmental Research Institute, Ellen Hutchins Building, Lee Road, Cork T23 XE10, Ireland
| | - David W E Hone
- School of Biological and Behavioural Sciences, Queen Mary University of London, Mile End Road, London E1 4NS, UK
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4
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Jiang S, Wang X, Zheng X, Cheng X, Wang X, Wei G, Kellner AWA. Two emetolite-pterosaur associations from the Late Jurassic of China: showing the first evidence for antiperistalsis in pterosaurs. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2022; 377:20210043. [PMID: 35125005 PMCID: PMC8819363 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2021.0043] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Knowledge about the pterosaur diet and digestive system is limited, and there is little direct evidence in the fossil record. Here, we report two specimens of the wukongopterid Kunpengopterus sinensis, a juvenile and an adult, from the Late Jurassic Yanliao Biota of China with associated bromalites. Both of these concentrations are identified as emetolites, fossilized gastric pellets. These pellets contain scales of an unnamed palaeonisciform fish, confirming the pterosaur was a piscivore. It probably vomited the pellets, indicating the presence of two-part stomachs and efficient antiperistalsis in both juveniles and adults. Comparing the ganoid scales found in the pellets with those of complete fishes, it was possible to determine that the prey of the smaller pellet is an average-sized individual, while the prey of the larger pellet represents a large specimen. Kunpengopterus sinensis might have preyed on the same fish during ontogeny, with adults being able to feed on larger individuals. This article is part of the theme issue 'The impact of Chinese palaeontology on evolutionary research'.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shunxing Jiang
- Key Laboratory of Vertebrate Evolution and Human Origins, Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology, Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), Beijing 100044, People's Republic of China.,CAS Center for Excellence in Life and Paleoenvironment, Beijing 100044, People's Republic of China
| | - Xiaoli Wang
- Institute of Geology and Paleontology, Linyi University, Linyi 276000, People's Republic of China.,Tianyu Natural History Museum of Shandong, Pingyi 273300, People's Republic of China
| | - Xiaoting Zheng
- Institute of Geology and Paleontology, Linyi University, Linyi 276000, People's Republic of China.,Tianyu Natural History Museum of Shandong, Pingyi 273300, People's Republic of China
| | - Xin Cheng
- College of Earth Sciences, Jilin University, Changchun 130061, People's Republic of China.,Laboratório de Paleontologia, Universidade Regional do Cariri, Crato 63195-000, Brazil
| | - Xiaolin Wang
- Key Laboratory of Vertebrate Evolution and Human Origins, Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology, Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), Beijing 100044, People's Republic of China.,CAS Center for Excellence in Life and Paleoenvironment, Beijing 100044, People's Republic of China.,College of Earth and Planetary Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, People's Republic of China
| | - Guangjin Wei
- Institute of Geology and Paleontology, Linyi University, Linyi 276000, People's Republic of China.,Tianyu Natural History Museum of Shandong, Pingyi 273300, People's Republic of China
| | - Alexander W A Kellner
- Laboratory of Systematics and Taphonomy of Fossil Vertebrates, Department of Geology and Paleontology, Museu Nacional/Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro 20940-040, Brazil
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5
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Jagielska N, Brusatte SL. Pterosaurs. Curr Biol 2021; 31:R984-R989. [PMID: 34428416 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2021.06.086] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
150 million years ago, an animal no bigger than a herring gull soared above shallow lagoons in what is now Bavaria. It had obscenely long fingers on each hand, which anchored thin wings of skin, and long toothy jaws, perfectly suited to snatching squids and fishes from the warm waters. Our animal was probably doing just that before its untimely death. For one reason or another, the creature crashed into the water and sank to its anoxic depths, where it was eventually buried by layers of lime. The animal fossilised with sprawled arms and jaws agape - as if in shock and disbelief.
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Affiliation(s)
- Natalia Jagielska
- School of GeoSciences, University of Edinburgh, Grant Institute, James Hutton Road, Edinburgh EH9 3FE, UK.
| | - Stephen L Brusatte
- School of GeoSciences, University of Edinburgh, Grant Institute, James Hutton Road, Edinburgh EH9 3FE, UK
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6
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Jiang S, Wang X, Zheng X, Cheng X, Zhang J, Wang X. An early juvenile of Kunpengopterus sinensis (Pterosauria) from the Late Jurassic in China. AN ACAD BRAS CIENC 2021; 93:e20200734. [PMID: 33886742 DOI: 10.1590/0001-3765202120200734] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/13/2020] [Accepted: 10/03/2020] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
The Wukongopteridae is a transitional clade between the long- and short-tailed pterosaur groups, and at least ten specimens have been studied without a determined juvenile specimen. Here, we described a small-sized Kunpengopterus sinensis, less than half the size of the holotype, which is the smallest specimen in wukongopterids. Based on unossified small elements, unfused cranial and postcranial elements, and grooves on the bone surface, this specimen is thought to be at least an early juvenile or even a late hatchling. By comparing the juvenile and subadult specimens of K. sinensis, we have found that the mid region of the upper and lower jaws had a higher growth rate than the anterior part, and that the growth rates were similar in most postcranial elements except for a higher rate in the caudal vertebrae. We revised the previous diagnosis of K. sinensis and specified that two characteristics, nasoantorbital fenestra approximately 40% of the skull length and a thin and relatively short maxillary process of the jugal, should be diagnostic in subadult or adult specimens. We have also found that pedal features are stable during ontogeny and can be diagnostic in juvenile, subadult or adult specimens in K. sinensis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shunxing Jiang
- Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), Key Laboratory of Vertebrate Evolution and Human Origins, Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology, No. 142 Xizhimenwai Street, Beijing, 100044, China.,CAS Center for Excellence in Life and Paleoenvironment, No. 142 Xizhimenwai Street, Beijing, 100044, China
| | - Xiaoli Wang
- Linyi University, Institute of Geology and Paleontology, Middle Part of Shuangling Road, Linyi, 276000, China.,Tianyu Natural History Museum of Shandong, West Part of Lianhua Road, Pingyi, 273300, China
| | - Xiaoting Zheng
- Linyi University, Institute of Geology and Paleontology, Middle Part of Shuangling Road, Linyi, 276000, China.,Tianyu Natural History Museum of Shandong, West Part of Lianhua Road, Pingyi, 273300, China
| | - Xin Cheng
- Universidade Regional do Cariri, Laboratório de Paleontologia, Rua Carolino Sucupira, s/n, 63195-000 Crato, CE, Brazil.,Jilin University, College of Earth Sciences, No. 2699 Qianjin Street, Changchun, 130061, China
| | - Junqiang Zhang
- Linyi University, Institute of Geology and Paleontology, Middle Part of Shuangling Road, Linyi, 276000, China.,Tianyu Natural History Museum of Shandong, West Part of Lianhua Road, Pingyi, 273300, China
| | - Xiaolin Wang
- Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), Key Laboratory of Vertebrate Evolution and Human Origins, Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology, No. 142 Xizhimenwai Street, Beijing, 100044, China.,CAS Center for Excellence in Life and Paleoenvironment, No. 142 Xizhimenwai Street, Beijing, 100044, China.,University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, College of Earth and Planetary Sciences, No. 19 Yuquan Road, Beijing, 100049, China
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7
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Wei X, Pêgas RV, Shen C, Guo Y, Ma W, Sun D, Zhou X. Sinomacrops bondei, a new anurognathid pterosaur from the Jurassic of China and comments on the group. PeerJ 2021; 9:e11161. [PMID: 33850665 PMCID: PMC8019321 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.11161] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/27/2020] [Accepted: 03/04/2021] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Anurognathids are an elusive group of diminutive, potentially arboreal pterosaurs. Even though their monophyly has been well-supported, their intrarelationships have been obscure, and their phylogenetic placement even more. In the present work, we present a new genus and species from the Middle-Late Jurassic Tiaojishan Formation, the third nominal anurognathid species from the Jurassic of China. The new species provides new information concerning morphological diversity for the group. Furthermore, we provide a new phylogenetic analysis incorporating into a single data set characters from diverging phylogenetic proposals. Our results place them as the sister-group of Darwinoptera + Pterodactyloidea, as basal members of the Monofenestrata.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xuefang Wei
- Key Laboratory of Stratigraphy and Palaeontology, Ministry of Natural Resource, Institute of Geology, Chinese Academy of Geological Sciences, Beijing, China
- China University of Geosciences, Beijing, China
- Centre of Cores and Samples of Nature Resources, China Geological Survey, Beijing, China
| | | | - Caizhi Shen
- Dalian Natural History Museum, Dalian, Liaoning, China
| | - Yanfang Guo
- Dalian Natural History Museum, Dalian, Liaoning, China
| | - Waisum Ma
- School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK
| | - Deyu Sun
- Jinzhou Paleontology Museum, Jinzhou, Liaoning, China
| | - Xuanyu Zhou
- Department of Natural History Sciences, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Japan
- Beipiao Pterosaur Museum of China, Beipiao, Liaoning, China
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8
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Aires AS, Reichert LM, Müller RT, Pinheiro FL, Andrade MB. Development and evolution of the notarium in Pterosauria. J Anat 2021; 238:400-415. [PMID: 33026119 PMCID: PMC7812132 DOI: 10.1111/joa.13319] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/09/2020] [Revised: 08/04/2020] [Accepted: 09/04/2020] [Indexed: 02/03/2023] Open
Abstract
The notarium is the structure formed by fusion of the dorsal vertebrae which occurred independently in pterosaurs and birds. This ankylosis usually involves two to six elements and in many cases, also includes the last cervical vertebra. Fusion can occur in different degrees, uniting the vertebral centra, the neural spines, the transverse processes, the ventral processes, or a combination of these sites. A detailed assessment of the fusion process of pterosaur dorsal vertebrae is still lacking. Here we identify the fusion sequence of pterosaur notarial elements, demonstrating the order of ossification in vertebral bodies and neural spines based on fossils and extant birds. In both Pterosauria and Aves, the notarium generally develops in a antero-posterior direction, but the actual order of each fusion locus may present slight variations. Based on our data, we were able to identify seven developmental stages in the notarium formation, with broad implications for the prediction of ontogenetic stages for the Pterosauria. In addition, we report the occurrence of a notarium in Ardeadactylus longicollum (Kimmeridgian, Southern Germany), the oldest occurrence of this structure in pterosaurs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alex Schiller Aires
- Programa de Pós‐Graduação em Ecologia e Evolução da BiodiversidadePontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio Grande do SulAvenida Ipiranga6681Porto AlegreBrazil
| | - Leici Machado Reichert
- Programa de Pós‐Graduação em Ecologia e Evolução da BiodiversidadePontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio Grande do SulAvenida Ipiranga6681Porto AlegreBrazil
| | - Rodrigo Temp Müller
- Centro de Apoio à Pesquisa Paleontológica da Quarta ColôniaUniversidade Federal de Santa MariaRua Maximiliano Vizzotto598São João do PolêsineBrazil
| | - Felipe Lima Pinheiro
- Laboratório de PaleobiologiaUniversidade Federal do PampaAvenida Antônio Trilha1847São GabrielBrazil
| | - Marco Brandalise Andrade
- Museu de Ciências e TecnologiaPontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio Grande do Sul (MCT‐PUCRSAvenida Ipiranga6681Porto AlegreBrazil
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9
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Li G. New Spinicaudatan Species of Late Jurassic Linglongta Phase of Yanliao Biota from Western Liaoning, China. Zool Stud 2020; 59:e36. [PMID: 33262858 PMCID: PMC7689053 DOI: 10.6620/zs.2020.59-36] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/01/2020] [Accepted: 11/07/2020] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Abundant and diverse spinicaudatans are important components of the well-known Linglongta phase of the Yanliao Biota from the lower Upper Jurassic Tiaojishan Formation at the village Daxishan of Linglongta, Jianchang County, western Liaoning, north-eastern China. Herein a new spinicaudatan species Linglongtaestheria daxishanensis gen. and sp. nov. is described. It shows distinct carapace ornamentation patterns: (1) growth bands near the umbo ornamented with polygonal small-diameter reticulation; (2) growth bands in the middle part of the carapace ornamented with evenly distributed puncta; (3) growth bands in the ventral part of the carapace ornamented with punctate reticulation and radial lirae.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gang Li
- State Key Laboratory of Palaeobiology and Stratigraphy, Center for Excellence in Life and Palaeoenvironment, Nanjing Institute of Geology and Palaeontology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, East Beijing Road 39, Nanjing 210008, PR China. E-mail:
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10
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Li Y, Ruta M, Wills MA. Craniodental and Postcranial Characters of Non-Avian Dinosauria Often Imply Different Trees. Syst Biol 2020; 69:638-659. [PMID: 31769837 PMCID: PMC7302058 DOI: 10.1093/sysbio/syz077] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/25/2018] [Revised: 11/08/2019] [Accepted: 11/18/2019] [Indexed: 12/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Despite the increasing importance of molecular sequence data, morphology still makes an important contribution to resolving the phylogeny of many groups, and is the only source of data for most fossils. Most systematists sample morphological characters as broadly as possible on the principle of total evidence. However, it is not uncommon for sampling to be focused on particular aspects of anatomy, either because characters therein are believed to be more informative, or because preservation biases restrict what is available. Empirically, the optimal trees from partitions of morphological data sets often represent significantly different hypotheses of relationships. Previous work on hard-part versus soft-part characters across animal phyla revealed significant differences in about a half of sampled studies. Similarly, studies of the craniodental versus postcranial characters of vertebrates revealed significantly different trees in about one-third of cases, with the highest rates observed in non-avian dinosaurs. We test whether this is a generality here with a much larger sample of 81 published data matrices across all major dinosaur groups. Using the incongruence length difference test and two variants of the incongruence relationship difference test, we found significant incongruence in about 50% of cases. Incongruence is not uniformly distributed across major dinosaur clades, being highest (63%) in Theropoda and lowest (25%) in Thyreophora. As in previous studies, our partition tests show some sensitivity to matrix dimensions and the amount and distribution of missing entries. Levels of homoplasy and retained synapomorphy are similar between partitions, such that incongruence must partly reflect differences in patterns of homoplasy between partitions, which may itself be a function of modularity and mosaic evolution. Finally, we implement new tests to determine which partition yields trees most similar to those from the entire matrix. Despite no bias across dinosaurs overall, there are striking differences between major groups. The craniodental characters of Ornithischia and the postcranial characters of Saurischia yield trees most similar to the "total evidence" trees derived from the entire matrix. Trees from these same character partitions also tend to be most stratigraphically congruent: a mutual consilience suggesting that those partitions yield more accurate trees. [Dinosauria; homoplasy; partition homogeneity.].
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Affiliation(s)
- Yimeng Li
- Department of Biology & Biochemistry, The Milner Centre for Evolution, The University of Bath, The Avenue, Claverton Down, Bath BA2 7AY, UK
| | - Marcello Ruta
- School of Life Sciences, University of Lincoln, Joseph Banks Laboratories, Green Lane, Lincoln LN6 7DL, UK
| | - Matthew A Wills
- Department of Biology & Biochemistry, The Milner Centre for Evolution, The University of Bath, The Avenue, Claverton Down, Bath BA2 7AY, UK
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11
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Chen H, Jiang S, Kellner AWA, Cheng X, Zhang X, Qiu R, Li Y, Wang X. New anatomical information on Dsungaripterus weii Young, 1964 with focus on the palatal region. PeerJ 2020; 8:e8741. [PMID: 32274262 PMCID: PMC7127482 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.8741] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/13/2019] [Accepted: 02/13/2020] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Pterosaur specimens with complete and well-preserved palatal region are rare. Here we describe new and previously collected specimens of the pterodactyloid pterosaur Dsungaripterus weii that are three-dimensionally preserved and provide new anatomical information for this species. Among the unique features is a lateral process of the pterygoid divided into two parts: an anterior thin, parabolic arc shaped element that separates the secondary subtemporal and the subtemporal fenestrae, followed by a dorsoventrally flattened portion that is directed inside the subtemporal fenestrae. The interpterygoid fenestrae join forming an irregular oval shape with two symmetrical posterior notches and a smooth anterior margin. Among all pterosaurs where the palate is known, the posterior configuration of the palate of D. weii is similar to some azhdarchoids, which is consistent with the suggested phylogenetic position of the Dsungaripteridae as closely related to the Azhdarchoidea. Furthermore, we identify symmetrical grooves on the lateral surface of the upper and lower jaws, that likely represent the impression of the edge of a keratinous sheath that would cover the upturned toothless rostrum during foraging activity, most likely consisting of hard elements, as has been previously assumed. Wear facets on the teeth also support this feeding mode.
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Affiliation(s)
- He Chen
- Key Laboratory of Vertebrate Evolution and Human Origins, Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.,CAS Center for Excellence in Life and Paleoenvironment, Beijing, China.,College of Earth and Planetary Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Shunxing Jiang
- Key Laboratory of Vertebrate Evolution and Human Origins, Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.,CAS Center for Excellence in Life and Paleoenvironment, Beijing, China
| | - Alexander W A Kellner
- Laboratory of Systematics and Taphonomy of Fossil Vertebrates, Department of Geology and Paleontology, Museu Nacional/UFRJ, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Xin Cheng
- College of Earth Sciences, Jilin University, Changchun, China
| | - Xinjun Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Vertebrate Evolution and Human Origins, Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.,CAS Center for Excellence in Life and Paleoenvironment, Beijing, China.,College of Earth and Planetary Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Rui Qiu
- Key Laboratory of Vertebrate Evolution and Human Origins, Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.,CAS Center for Excellence in Life and Paleoenvironment, Beijing, China.,College of Earth and Planetary Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Yang Li
- Key Laboratory of Vertebrate Evolution and Human Origins, Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.,CAS Center for Excellence in Life and Paleoenvironment, Beijing, China.,College of Earth and Planetary Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Xiaolin Wang
- Key Laboratory of Vertebrate Evolution and Human Origins, Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.,CAS Center for Excellence in Life and Paleoenvironment, Beijing, China.,College of Earth and Planetary Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
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12
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Jiang S, Li Z, Cheng X, Wang X. The first pterosaur basihyal, shedding light on the evolution and function of pterosaur hyoid apparatuses. PeerJ 2020; 8:e8292. [PMID: 31934505 PMCID: PMC6951291 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.8292] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/15/2019] [Accepted: 11/25/2019] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
The pterosaur is the first known vertebrate clade to achieve powered flight. Its hyoid apparatus shows a simplification similar to that of birds, although samples of the apparatus are rare, limiting the ability to make an accurate determination. In this study we reveal a new pterosaur specimen, including the first definite basihyal. Through the comparison of pterosaur hyoids, a trend has been discovered for the shortened hyoid relative to the length of the skull, indicating a diminished role of lingual retraction during the evolution of the pterosaur. The new material, possibly from a gallodactylid Gladocephaloideus, represents one of the least effective lingual retractions in all pterosaurs. Based on the structure of an elongated ceratobranchial and retroarticular process on mandibles, the function of the Y-shaped istiodactylid tongue bone is similar to those of scavenger crows rather than chameleons, which is consistent with the interpretation of the scavenging behavior of this taxon. More fossil samples are needed for further study on the function of other pterosaur hyoids.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shunxing Jiang
- Key Laboratory of Vertebrate Evolution and Human Origins, Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology, Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), Beijing, China.,CAS Center for Excellence in Life and Paleoenvironment, Beijing, China
| | - Zhiheng Li
- Key Laboratory of Vertebrate Evolution and Human Origins, Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology, Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), Beijing, China.,CAS Center for Excellence in Life and Paleoenvironment, Beijing, China
| | - Xin Cheng
- College of Earth Sciences, Jilin University, Changchun, China.,Laboratório de Paleontologia, Universidade Regional do Cariri, Crato, Ceará, Brazil
| | - Xiaolin Wang
- Key Laboratory of Vertebrate Evolution and Human Origins, Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology, Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), Beijing, China.,CAS Center for Excellence in Life and Paleoenvironment, Beijing, China.,College of Earth and Planetary Sciences, University of CAS, Beijing, China
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13
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Zhou X, Pêgas RV, Leal MEC, Bonde N. Nurhachius luei, a new istiodactylid pterosaur (Pterosauria, Pterodactyloidea) from the Early Cretaceous Jiufotang Formation of Chaoyang City, Liaoning Province (China) and comments on the Istiodactylidae. PeerJ 2019; 7:e7688. [PMID: 31579592 PMCID: PMC6754973 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.7688] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/15/2019] [Accepted: 08/19/2019] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
A new istiodactylid pterosaur, Nurhachius luei sp. nov., is here reported based on a complete skull with mandible and some cervical vertebrae from the lower part of the Jiufotang Formation of western Liaoning (China). This is the second species of Nurhachius, the type-species being N. ignaciobritoi from the upper part of the Jiufotang Formation. A revised diagnosis of the genus Nurhachius is provided, being this taxon characterized by the presence of a slight dorsal deflection of the palatal anterior tip, which is homoplastic with the Anhangueria and Cimoliopterus. N. luei sp. nov. shows an unusual pattern of tooth replacement, with respect to other pterodactyloid species. The relationships within the Istiodactylidae and with their closest taxa are investigated through a phylogenetic analysis by parsimony.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xuanyu Zhou
- Institute of Geology, Chinese Academy of Geological Sciences, Beijing, China.,China University of Geosciences, Beijing, China
| | - Rodrigo V Pêgas
- Laboratory of Vertebrate Paleontology and Animal Behavior, Universidade Federal do ABC, São Bernardo, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Maria E C Leal
- Departamento de Geologia, Universidade Federal do Ceará, Fortaleza, Ceará, Brazil.,Zoological Museum (SNM), Copenhagen University, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Niels Bonde
- Zoological Museum (SNM), Copenhagen University, Copenhagen, Denmark.,Fur Museum (Museum Saling), Fur, Denmark
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14
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Brinkworth AR, Sansom R, Wills MA. Phylogenetic incongruence and homoplasy in the appendages and bodies of arthropods: why broad character sampling is best. Zool J Linn Soc 2019. [DOI: 10.1093/zoolinnean/zlz024] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/14/2022]
Abstract
Abstract
Notwithstanding the rapidly increasing sampling density of molecular sequence data, morphological characters still make an important contribution to our understanding of the evolutionary relationships of arthropod groups. In many clades, characters relating to the number and morphological specialization of appendages are ascribed particular phylogenetic significance and may be preferentially sampled. However, previous studies have shown that partitions of morphological character matrices often imply significantly different phylogenies. Here, we ask whether a similar incongruence is observed in the appendage and non-appendage characters of arthropods. We apply tree length (incongruence length difference, ILD) and tree distance (incongruence relationship difference, IRD) tests to these partitions in an empirical sample of 53 published neontological datasets for arthropods. We find significant incongruence about one time in five: more often than expected, but markedly less often than in previous partition studies. We also find similar levels of homoplasy in limb and non-limb characters, both in terms of internal consistency and consistency relative to molecular trees. Taken together, these findings imply that sampled limb and non-limb characters are of similar phylogenetic utility and quality, and that a total evidence approach to their analysis is preferable.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrew R Brinkworth
- The Milner Centre for Evolution, Department of Biology and Biochemistry, The University of Bath, Claverton Down, Bath, UK
| | - Robert Sansom
- School of Earth and Environmental Science, The University of Manchester, Manchester, UK
| | - Matthew A Wills
- The Milner Centre for Evolution, Department of Biology and Biochemistry, The University of Bath, Claverton Down, Bath, UK
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15
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Bestwick J, Unwin DM, Butler RJ, Henderson DM, Purnell MA. Pterosaur dietary hypotheses: a review of ideas and approaches. Biol Rev Camb Philos Soc 2018; 93:2021-2048. [PMID: 29877021 PMCID: PMC6849529 DOI: 10.1111/brv.12431] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/01/2017] [Revised: 05/03/2018] [Accepted: 05/11/2018] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Pterosaurs are an extinct group of Mesozoic flying reptiles, whose fossil record extends from approximately 210 to 66 million years ago. They were integral components of continental and marginal marine ecosystems, yet their diets remain poorly constrained. Numerous dietary hypotheses have been proposed for different pterosaur groups, including insectivory, piscivory, carnivory, durophagy, herbivory/frugivory, filter-feeding and generalism. These hypotheses, and subsequent interpretations of pterosaur diet, are supported by qualitative (content fossils, associations, ichnology, comparative anatomy) and/or quantitative (functional morphology, stable isotope analysis) evidence. Pterosaur dietary interpretations are scattered throughout the literature with little attention paid to the supporting evidence. Reaching a robustly supported consensus on pterosaur diets is important for understanding their dietary evolution, and their roles in Mesozoic ecosystems. A comprehensive examination of the pterosaur literature identified 314 dietary interpretations (dietary statement plus supporting evidence) from 126 published studies. Multiple alternative diets have been hypothesised for most principal taxonomic pterosaur groups. Some groups exhibit a high degree of consensus, supported by multiple lines of evidence, while others exhibit less consensus. Qualitative evidence supports 87.3% of dietary interpretations, with comparative anatomy most common (62.1% of total). More speciose groups of pterosaur tend to have a greater range of hypothesised diets. Consideration of dietary interpretations within alternative phylogenetic contexts reveals high levels of consensus between equivalent monofenestratan groups, and lower levels of consensus between equivalent non-monofenestratan groups. Evaluating the possible non-biological controls on apparent patterns of dietary diversity reveals that numbers of dietary interpretations through time exhibit no correlation with patterns of publication (number of peer-reviewed publications through time). 73.8% of dietary interpretations were published in the 21st century. Overall, consensus interpretations of pterosaur diets are better accounted for by non-biological signals, such as the impact of the respective quality of the fossil record of different pterosaur groups on research levels. That many interpretations are based on qualitative, often untestable lines of evidence adds significant noise to the data. More experiment-led pterosaur dietary research, with greater consideration of pterosaurs as organisms with independent evolutionary histories, will lead to more robust conclusions drawn from repeatable results. This will allow greater understanding of pterosaur dietary diversity, disparity and evolution and facilitate reconstructions of Mesozoic ecosystems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jordan Bestwick
- School of Geography, Geology and the EnvironmentUniversity of LeicesterLeicesterLE1 7RHU.K.
| | - David M. Unwin
- School of Museum StudiesUniversity of LeicesterLeicesterLE1 7RFU.K.
| | - Richard J. Butler
- School of Geography, Earth and Environmental SciencesUniversity of BirminghamBirminghamB15 2TTU.K.
| | - Donald M. Henderson
- Royal Tyrrell Museum of Palaeontology, P.O. Box 7500DrumhellerAlberta, T0J 0Y0Canada
| | - Mark A. Purnell
- School of Geography, Geology and the EnvironmentUniversity of LeicesterLeicesterLE1 7RHU.K.
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16
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Navarro CA, Martin-Silverstone E, Stubbs TL. Morphometric assessment of pterosaur jaw disparity. ROYAL SOCIETY OPEN SCIENCE 2018; 5:172130. [PMID: 29765665 PMCID: PMC5936930 DOI: 10.1098/rsos.172130] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/07/2017] [Accepted: 03/26/2018] [Indexed: 05/28/2023]
Abstract
Pterosaurs were a successful group of Mesozoic flying reptiles. They were the first vertebrate group to achieve powered flight and varied enormously in morphology and ecology, occupying a variety of niches and developing specialized feeding strategies. Ecomorphological principles suggest this variation should be reflected by great morphological diversity in the lower jaw, given that the mandible served as the primary apparatus for prey acquisition. Here we present the first study of mandibular shape disparity in pterosaurs and aim to characterize major aspects of variation. We use a combination of geometric morphometric approaches, incorporating both outline analysis using elliptical Fourier analysis and semi-landmark approaches. Our results show that morphological convergence is prevalent and many pterosaurs, belonging to diverse dietary groups and subclades, overlap in morphospace and possessed relatively simple 'rod-shaped' jaws. There is no clear trend of size distributions in pterosaur mandibular morphospace, and larger forms are widely distributed. Additionally, there is limited functional signal within pterosaur lower jaw morphospace. Instead, the development of a large anterior ventral crest represents the major component of disparity. This suggests that a socio-sexual trait was a key driver for innovation in pterosaur lower jaw shape.
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Affiliation(s)
- Charlie A. Navarro
- School of Earth Sciences, University of Bristol, Wills Memorial Building, Queen's Road, Bristol BS8 1RJ, UK
| | - Elizabeth Martin-Silverstone
- School of Earth Sciences, University of Bristol, Wills Memorial Building, Queen's Road, Bristol BS8 1RJ, UK
- Ocean and Earth Science, National Oceanography Centre, University of Southampton, European Way, Southampton SO14 3ZH, UK
| | - Thomas L. Stubbs
- School of Earth Sciences, University of Bristol, Wills Memorial Building, Queen's Road, Bristol BS8 1RJ, UK
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17
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Cheng X, Jiang S, Wang X, Kellner AWA. New anatomical information of the wukongopterid Kunpengopterus sinensis Wang et al., 2010 based on a new specimen. PeerJ 2017; 5:e4102. [PMID: 29209577 PMCID: PMC5713629 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.4102] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/06/2017] [Accepted: 11/07/2017] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
The Wukongopteridae compose a non-pterodactyloid clade of pterosaurs that are the most abundant flying reptiles in the deposits of the Middle-Late Jurassic Yanliao Biota. Until now, five species of three genera and two additional unnamed specimens have been described. Here we report on a new material, IVPP V 23674, that can be referred to the wukongopterid Kunpengopterus sinensis due to several features such as a comparably short nasoantorbital fenestra, the dorsally rising posterodorsal margin of the ischium, and the very short first pedal phalanx of digit V relative to metatarsal IV. IVPP V 23674 provides the first view of a wukongopterid palate, which differs from all other pterosaurs by having a very large postpalatine fenestra and laterally compressed choanae, indicating that the evolution of the pterosaur palate was more complex than previously thought. Sesamoid bones at the dorsal side of manual unguals are present and are reported for the first time in a wukongopterid suggesting an arboreal life-style for these pterosaurs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xin Cheng
- Key Laboratory of Vertebrate Evolution and Human Origins of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology, Beijing, China.,Laboratory of Systematics and Taphonomy of Fossil Vertebrates, Department of Geology and Paleontology, National Museum/UFRJ, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Shunxing Jiang
- Key Laboratory of Vertebrate Evolution and Human Origins of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology, Beijing, China
| | - Xiaolin Wang
- Key Laboratory of Vertebrate Evolution and Human Origins of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology, Beijing, China.,University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Alexander W A Kellner
- Laboratory of Systematics and Taphonomy of Fossil Vertebrates, Department of Geology and Paleontology, National Museum/UFRJ, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
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18
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Beardmore S, Lawlor E, Hone D. Using taphonomy to infer differences in soft tissues between taxa: an example using basal and derived forms of Solnhofen pterosaurs. Naturwissenschaften 2017; 104:65. [DOI: 10.1007/s00114-017-1486-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/05/2017] [Revised: 04/15/2017] [Accepted: 06/29/2017] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
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19
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Vidovic SU, Martill DM. The taxonomy and phylogeny of Diopecephalus kochi (Wagner, 1837) and ‘Germanodactylus rhamphastinus’ (Wagner, 1851). ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2017. [DOI: 10.1144/sp455.12] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
AbstractThe Solnhofen pterosaurs Pterodactylus antiquus, Aerodactylus scolopaciceps, Diopecephalus kochi, Germanodactylus cristatus and Germanodactylus rhamphastinus all have complicated taxonomic histories. Species originally placed in the genus Pterodactylus, such as Aerodactylus scolopaciceps, Ardeadactylus longicollum, Cycnorhamphus suevicus and Germanodactylus cristatus possess apomorphies not observed in the type species of Pterodactylus, and consequently have been placed in new genera. The affinities of another Solnhofen pterosaur previously placed in Pterodactylus, Diopecephalus kochi, are less clear. It has been proposed that D. kochi is a juvenile specimen of Pterodactylus antiquus, or perhaps ‘Germanodactylus rhamphastinus’ specimens are mature examples of D. kochi. Furthermore, studies have suggested that ‘Germanodactylus rhamphastinus’ is not congeneric with the type species of Germanodactylus. Geometric morphometric analysis of prepubes and a cladistic analysis of the Pterosauria elucidate plesiomorphic and apomorphic conditions for basal Jurassic pterodactyloids. Germanodactylus is found to be a monotypic genus and Pterodactylus, Diopecephalus, and ‘G. rhamphastinus’ are found as distinct taxa belonging in individual genera, diagnosable using a combination of characters. Thus, Diopecephalus kochi is not demonstrated to be congeneric with Germanodactylus or Pterodactylus and is maintained as a valid taxon. ‘G. rhamphastinus’ is readily distinguishable from other Solnhofen pterosaur taxa, and a new genus is erected for its reception.
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Affiliation(s)
- Steven U. Vidovic
- Palaeobiology Research Group, School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Portsmouth, Burnaby Building, Burnaby Road, Portsmouth, Hampshire PO1 3QL, UK
| | - David M. Martill
- Palaeobiology Research Group, School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Portsmouth, Burnaby Building, Burnaby Road, Portsmouth, Hampshire PO1 3QL, UK
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20
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Mosaic evolution in an asymmetrically feathered troodontid dinosaur with transitional features. Nat Commun 2017; 8:14972. [PMID: 28463233 PMCID: PMC5418581 DOI: 10.1038/ncomms14972] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/20/2016] [Accepted: 02/16/2017] [Indexed: 11/08/2022] Open
Abstract
Asymmetrical feathers have been associated with flight capability but are also found in species that do not fly, and their appearance was a major event in feather evolution. Among non-avialan theropods, they are only known in microraptorine dromaeosaurids. Here we report a new troodontid, Jianianhualong tengi gen. et sp. nov., from the Lower Cretaceous Jehol Group of China, that has anatomical features that are transitional between long-armed basal troodontids and derived short-armed ones, shedding new light on troodontid character evolution. It indicates that troodontid feathering is similar to Archaeopteryx in having large arm and leg feathers as well as frond-like tail feathering, confirming that these feathering characteristics were widely present among basal paravians. Most significantly, the taxon has the earliest known asymmetrical troodontid feathers, suggesting that feather asymmetry was ancestral to Paraves. This taxon also displays a mosaic distribution of characters like Sinusonasus, another troodontid with transitional anatomical features. Troodontids were theropod dinosaurs closely related to birds. Here, Xu and colleagues describe a new, feathered troodontid species, Jianianhualong tengi, dating from the Lower Cretaceous period in China that provides insight into troodontid mosaic evolution and paravian feathering.
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21
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Pei R, Li Q, Meng Q, Norell MA, Gao KQ. New Specimens ofAnchiornis huxleyi(Theropoda: Paraves) from the Late Jurassic of Northeastern China. BULLETIN OF THE AMERICAN MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY 2017. [DOI: 10.1206/0003-0090-411.1.1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Rui Pei
- Department of Earth Sciences, the University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong; Division of Paleontology, American Museum of Natural History
| | - Quanguo Li
- State Key Laboratory of Biogeology and Environmental Geology, China University of Geosciences, Beijing
| | | | - Mark A. Norell
- Division of Paleontology, American Museum of Natural History
| | - Ke-Qin Gao
- School of Earth and Space Sciences, Peking University, Beijing
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22
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O'Sullivan M. The pterosaur assemblage of the Oxford Clay Formation (Jurassic, Callovian–Oxfordian) from the UK. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2017. [DOI: 10.1144/sp455.10] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/04/2022]
Abstract
AbstractThe Middle–Upper Jurassic Oxford Clay Formation of the UK is a highly productive fossiliferous unit, containing numerous fossils of marine and terrestrial vertebrates. Despite this abundance, pterosaurs make up only a tiny percentage of the assemblage. There are currently only seven specimens accessioned in the Oxford University Museum of Natural History and Natural History Museum, London. Of these, only one specimen (an association of material from a juvenile animal) has been named, identified as Rhamphorhynchus jessoni. Following a detailed examination, it is identified here as lacking any autapomorphies and the species R. jessoni is considered a nomen dubium. The other Oxford Clay Formation pterosaur fossils are similarly identified as indeterminate, except for an isolated scapulocoracoid which is positively identified as Rhamphorhynchus sp. The rarity of pterosaurs is attributed to a combination of the fragility of their bones and the tendency of volant animals to have low population densities at sea.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael O'Sullivan
- School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Portsmouth, Burnaby Building, Burnaby Road, Southsea, Hampshire PO1 3QL, UK
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23
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Wang X, Jiang S, Zhang J, Cheng X, Yu X, Li Y, Wei G, Wang X. New evidence from China for the nature of the pterosaur evolutionary transition. Sci Rep 2017; 7:42763. [PMID: 28202936 PMCID: PMC5311862 DOI: 10.1038/srep42763] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/24/2016] [Accepted: 01/13/2017] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Pterosaurs are extinct flying reptiles, the first vertebrates to achieve powered flight. Our understanding of the evolutionary transition between basal, predominantly long-tailed forms to derived short-tailed pterodactyloids remained poor until the discovery of Wukongopterus and Darwinopterus in western Liaoning, China. In this paper we report on a new genus and species, Douzhanopterus zhengi, that has a reduced tail, 173% the length of the humerus, and a reduced fifth pedal digit, whose first phalange is ca. 20% the length of metatarsal III, both unique characters to Monofenestra. The morphological comparisons and phylogenetic analysis presented in this paper demonstrate that Douzhanopterus is the sister group to the 'Painten pro-pterodactyloid' and the Pterodactyloidea, reducing the evolutionary gap between long- and short-tailed pterosaurs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaoli Wang
- Institute of Geology and Paleontology, Linyi University, Linyi 276000, China.,Tianyu Natural History Museum of Shandong, Pingyi 273300, China
| | - Shunxing Jiang
- Key Laboratory of Vertebrate Evolution and Human Origins, Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100044, China
| | - Junqiang Zhang
- Institute of Geology and Paleontology, Linyi University, Linyi 276000, China.,Tianyu Natural History Museum of Shandong, Pingyi 273300, China
| | - Xin Cheng
- Key Laboratory of Vertebrate Evolution and Human Origins, Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100044, China.,Laboratory of Systematics and Taphonomy of Fossil Vertebrates, Department of Geology and Paleontology, Museu Nacional/UFRJ, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, 20940-040, Brazil
| | - Xuefeng Yu
- Shandong Geological Sciences Institute, Jinan 250013, China
| | - Yameng Li
- Institute of Geology and Paleontology, Linyi University, Linyi 276000, China.,Tianyu Natural History Museum of Shandong, Pingyi 273300, China
| | - Guangjin Wei
- Institute of Geology and Paleontology, Linyi University, Linyi 276000, China.,Tianyu Natural History Museum of Shandong, Pingyi 273300, China
| | - Xiaolin Wang
- Key Laboratory of Vertebrate Evolution and Human Origins, Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100044, China.,University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
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24
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CHENG XIN, JIANG SHUNXING, WANG XIAOLIN, KELLNER ALEXANDERW. Premaxillary crest variation within the Wukongopteridae (Reptilia, Pterosauria) and comments on cranial structures in pterosaurs. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2017; 89:119-130. [DOI: 10.1590/0001-3765201720160742] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/28/2016] [Accepted: 01/09/2017] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- XIN CHENG
- Chinese Academy of Sciences, China; Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | | | - XIAOLIN WANG
- Chinese Academy of Sciences, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, China
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25
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Zhou CF, Gao KQ, Yi H, Xue J, Li Q, Fox RC. Earliest filter-feeding pterosaur from the Jurassic of China and ecological evolution of Pterodactyloidea. ROYAL SOCIETY OPEN SCIENCE 2017; 4:160672. [PMID: 28386425 PMCID: PMC5367317 DOI: 10.1098/rsos.160672] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/07/2016] [Accepted: 11/04/2016] [Indexed: 06/01/2023]
Abstract
Pterosaurs were a unique clade of flying reptiles that were contemporaries of dinosaurs in Mesozoic ecosystems. The Pterodactyloidea as the most species-diverse group of pterosaurs dominated the sky during Cretaceous time, but earlier phases of their evolution remain poorly known. Here, we describe a 160 Ma filter-feeding pterosaur from western Liaoning, China, representing the geologically oldest record of the Ctenochasmatidae, a group of exclusive filter feeders characterized by an elongated snout and numerous fine teeth. The new pterosaur took the lead of a major ecological transition in pterosaur evolution from fish-catching to filter-feeding adaptation, prior to the Tithonian (145-152 Ma) diversification of the Ctenochasmatidae. Our research shows that the rise of ctenochasmatid pterosaurs was followed by the burst of eco-morphological divergence of other pterodactyloid clades, which involved a wide range of feeding adaptations that considerably altered the terrestrial ecosystems of the Cretaceous world.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chang-Fu Zhou
- Institute of Paleontology, Shenyang Normal University, Shenyang 110034, People's Republic of China
| | - Ke-Qin Gao
- School of Earth and Space Sciences, Peking University, Beijing 100871, People's Republic of China
| | - Hongyu Yi
- Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100044, People's Republic of China
- School of Geosciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH9 3JW, UK
| | - Jinzhuang Xue
- School of Earth and Space Sciences, Peking University, Beijing 100871, People's Republic of China
| | - Quanguo Li
- State Key Laboratory of Biogeology and Environmental Geology, China University of Geosciences, Beijing 100083, People's Republic of China
| | - Richard C. Fox
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, CanadaT6G 2E9
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26
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Codorniú L, Paulina Carabajal A, Pol D, Unwin D, Rauhut OW. A Jurassic pterosaur from Patagonia and the origin of the pterodactyloid neurocranium. PeerJ 2016; 4:e2311. [PMID: 27635315 PMCID: PMC5012331 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.2311] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/15/2015] [Accepted: 07/11/2016] [Indexed: 01/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Pterosaurs are an extinct group of highly modified flying reptiles that thrived during the Mesozoic. This group has unique and remarkable skeletal adaptations to powered flight, including pneumatic bones and an elongate digit IV supporting a wing-membrane. Two major body plans have traditionally been recognized: the primitive, primarily long-tailed paraphyletic "rhamphorhynchoids" (preferably currently recognized as non-pterodactyloids) and the derived short-tailed pterodactyloids. These two groups differ considerably in their general anatomy and also exhibit a remarkably different neuroanatomy and inferred head posture, which has been linked to different lifestyles and behaviours and improved flying capabilities in these reptiles. Pterosaur neuroanatomy, is known from just a few three-dimensionally preserved braincases of non-pterodactyloids (as Rhamphorhynchidae) and pterodactyloids, between which there is a large morphological gap. Here we report on a new Jurassic pterosaur from Argentina, Allkaruen koi gen. et sp. nov., remains of which include a superbly preserved, uncrushed braincase that sheds light on the origins of the highly derived neuroanatomy of pterodactyloids and their close relatives. A µCT ray-generated virtual endocast shows that the new pterosaur exhibits a mosaic of plesiomorphic and derived traits of the inner ear and neuroanatomy that fills an important gap between those of non-monofenestratan breviquartossans (Rhamphorhynchidae) and derived pterodactyloids. These results suggest that, while modularity may play an important role at one anatomical level, at a finer level the evolution of structures within a module may follow a mosaic pattern.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura Codorniú
- Departamento de Geología, CONICET, Universidad Nacional de San Luis, San Luis, Argentina
| | - Ariana Paulina Carabajal
- Instituto de Investigaciones en Biodiversidad y Medioambiente (INIBIOMA), CONICET, Río Negro, Argentina
| | - Diego Pol
- CONICET, Museo Paleontológico Egidio Feruglio, Trelew, Chubut, Argentina
| | - David Unwin
- School of Museum Studies, University of Leicester, Leicester, United Kingdom
| | - Oliver W.M. Rauhut
- Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences and GeoBioCenter, Bayerische Staatssammlung für Paläontologie und Geologie, Munich, Germany
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Cheng X, Jiang S, Wang X, Kellner AWA. New information on the Wukongopteridae (Pterosauria) revealed by a new specimen from the Jurassic of China. PeerJ 2016; 4:e2177. [PMID: 27441118 PMCID: PMC4941781 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.2177] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/14/2016] [Accepted: 06/05/2016] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
The Wukongopteridae is an important pterosaur group discovered from Yanliao Biota, because it combines character states seen in non-pterodactyloid and pterodactyloid pterosaurs. So far, the Wukongopteridae contains three genera: Wukongopterus, Darwinopterus and Kunpengopterus; representing five species. Here we report on a new specimen, IVPP V 17959, that can be undoubtedly referred to the Wukongopteridae based on the presence of a confluent nasoantorbital fenestra, elongated cervical vertebrae (convergent with Pterodactyloidea) and a long tail enclosed by rod-like bony extensions of the zygapophyses. Traits distinguishing this new specimen from other wukongopterid pterosaurs include a premaxilla with a low ossified anterodorsal crest, a nasal bearing the most elongated process known in the Wukongopteridae, and a lacrimal that has a foramen in its middle portion. The new kind of premaxillary crest preserved in IVPP V 17959 suggests that the presence or absence of a premaxillary crest might be an interspecific feature within the Wukongopteridae. A phylogenetic analysis including all wukongopterid pterosaurs recovers IVPP V 17959 in a polytomy with Wukongopterus and the species of Darwinopterus, having Kunpengopterus in a more basal position. The postcranial skeleton of IVPP V 17959 has ontogenetically mature characteristics including a completely fused scapula and coracoid, fused proximal and distal carpal series, and an ossified extensor tendon process of the first wing phalanx, allowing its classification as ontogenetic stage five. Furthermore, the atlas and axis are separated in IVPP V 17959, which indicates that these two bones probably are not fused in skeletally mature wukongopterid individuals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xin Cheng
- Key Laboratory of Vertebrate Evolution and Human Origins of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology, Beijing, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China; Department of Geology and Paleontology, National Museum/UFRJ, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Shunxing Jiang
- Key Laboratory of Vertebrate Evolution and Human Origins of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology, Beijing, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Xiaolin Wang
- Key Laboratory of Vertebrate Evolution and Human Origins of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology, Beijing, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Alexander W A Kellner
- Department of Geology and Paleontology, National Museum/UFRJ , Rio de Janeiro , Brazil
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Lü J, Kundrát M, Shen C. New Material of the Pterosaur Gladocephaloideus Lü et al., 2012 from the Early Cretaceous of Liaoning Province, China, with Comments on Its Systematic Position. PLoS One 2016; 11:e0154888. [PMID: 27249021 PMCID: PMC4889066 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0154888] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/28/2016] [Accepted: 04/20/2016] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Although there are nine genera of ctenochasmatoids reported from the Jehol Biota, at present each is known from a specimen that has either a skull or a relatively complete postcranial skeleton. A nearly complete juvenile specimen of Gladocephaloideus from the Lower Cretaceous Jiufotang Formation of Sihedang, Lingyuan of Liaoning Province is the most complete ctenochasmatoid preserved to date with a skull and postcranial skeleton. Based on the holotype (IG-CAGS 08–07) and the nearly complete new specimen (JPM 2014–004), the diagnosis of Gladocephaloideus is amended: approximately 50 teeth in total with sharp tips; small nasoantorbital opening, occupying approximately 13% of total skull length; ratio of prenarial rostrum length to skull length approximately 0.63; deep groove along the mid-line of the mandibular symphysis; length to width ratio of the longest cervical vertebra = 4.1; ratio of femur length to tibia length = 0.61; tibia as long as the wing-phalange 1. Phylogenetic analysis recovers Gladocephaloideus within the clade Ctenochasmatidae. Gladocephaloideus has a closer relationship to the Chinese Pterofiltrus rather than to other ctenochasmatid pterosaurs. Microstructure of limb bones implies that JPM 2014–004 represents an early juvenile of Gladocephaloideus jingangshanensis, and that the type specimen is not a fully grown specimen either. We assume that the holotype may equate to the late juvenile or sub-adult developmental stage of Gladocephaloideus.
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Affiliation(s)
- Junchang Lü
- Institute of Geology, Chinese Academy of Geological Sciences, Beijing, China
- Key Laboratory of Stratigraphy and Paleontology, Ministry of Land and Resources, Beijing, China
- * E-mail:
| | - Martin Kundrát
- Department of Ecology, Faculty of Natural Sciences, Comenius University, Bratislava, Slovak Republic
- Center for Interdisciplinary Biosciences, Faculty of Science, University of P. J. Safarik, Košice, Slovak Republic
| | - Caizhi Shen
- Institute of Geology, Chinese Academy of Geological Sciences, Beijing, China
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Esteve-Altava B. In search of morphological modules: a systematic review. Biol Rev Camb Philos Soc 2016; 92:1332-1347. [DOI: 10.1111/brv.12284] [Citation(s) in RCA: 81] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/10/2016] [Revised: 05/06/2016] [Accepted: 05/10/2016] [Indexed: 12/25/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Borja Esteve-Altava
- Department of Comparative Biomedical Sciences; Royal Veterinary College; Hawkshead Lane, North Mymms Hatfield Hertfordshire AL9 7TA UK
- Department of Anatomy; College of Medicine, Howard University; 520 W Street, NW, Numa Adams Building Washington DC 20059 USA
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Jia J, Gao KQ. A New Basal Salamandroid (Amphibia, Urodela) from the Late Jurassic of Qinglong, Hebei Province, China. PLoS One 2016; 11:e0153834. [PMID: 27144770 PMCID: PMC4856324 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0153834] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/11/2015] [Accepted: 04/02/2016] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
A new salamandroid salamander, Qinglongtriton gangouensis (gen. et sp. nov.), is named and described based on 46 fossil specimens of juveniles and adults collected from the Upper Jurassic (Oxfordian) Tiaojishan Formation cropping out in Hebei Province, China. The new salamander displays several ontogenetically and taxonomically significant features, most prominently the presence of a toothed palatine, toothed coronoid, and a unique pattern of the hyobranchium in adults. Comparative study of the new salamander with previously known fossil and extant salamandroids sheds new light on the early evolution of the Salamandroidea, the most species-diverse clade in the Urodela. Cladistic analysis places the new salamander as the sister taxon to Beiyanerpeton, and the two taxa together form the basalmost clade within the Salamandroidea. Along with recently reported Beiyanerpeton from the same geological formation in the neighboring Liaoning Province, the discovery of Qinglongtriton indicates that morphological disparity had been underway for the salamandroid clade by early Late Jurassic (Oxfordian) time.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jia Jia
- School of Earth and Space Sciences, Peking University, 5 Yiheyuan Road, Beijing, 100871, China
| | - Ke-Qin Gao
- School of Earth and Space Sciences, Peking University, 5 Yiheyuan Road, Beijing, 100871, China
- * E-mail:
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Mounce RCP, Sansom R, Wills MA. Sampling diverse characters improves phylogenies: Craniodental and postcranial characters of vertebrates often imply different trees. Evolution 2016; 70:666-86. [PMID: 26899622 DOI: 10.1111/evo.12884] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/29/2015] [Revised: 12/23/2015] [Accepted: 01/15/2016] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
Morphological cladograms of vertebrates are often inferred from greater numbers of characters describing the skull and teeth than from postcranial characters. This is either because the skull is believed to yield characters with a stronger phylogenetic signal (i.e., contain less homoplasy), because morphological variation therein is more readily atomized, or because craniodental material is more widely available (particularly in the palaeontological case). An analysis of 85 vertebrate datasets published between 2000 and 2013 confirms that craniodental characters are significantly more numerous than postcranial characters, but finds no evidence that levels of homoplasy differ in the two partitions. However, a new partition test, based on tree-to-tree distances (as measured by the Robinson Foulds metric) rather than tree length, reveals that relationships inferred from the partitions are significantly different about one time in three, much more often than expected. Such differences may reflect divergent selective pressures in different body regions, resulting in different localized patterns of homoplasy. Most systematists attempt to sample characters broadly across body regions, but this is not always possible. We conclude that trees inferred largely from either craniodental or postcranial characters in isolation may differ significantly from those that would result from a more holistic approach. We urge the latter.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ross C P Mounce
- The Milner Centre for Evolution, Department of Biology and Biochemistry, The University of Bath, The Avenue, Claverton Down, Bath, BA2 7AY, United Kingdom
| | - Robert Sansom
- Department of Life Sciences, University of Manchester, Michael Smith Building, Oxford Road, Manchester, M13 9PT, United Kingdom
| | - Matthew A Wills
- The Milner Centre for Evolution, Department of Biology and Biochemistry, The University of Bath, The Avenue, Claverton Down, Bath, BA2 7AY, United Kingdom.
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Abstract
Pterosaur fossils are among the rarest and their eggs are even rarer. How then can we get an insight into the lifestyle of these flying reptiles? A wealth of new pterosaur fossils, including eggs, from China now provides exactly that.
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Oyston JW, Hughes M, Wagner PJ, Gerber S, Wills MA. What limits the morphological disparity of clades? Interface Focus 2015; 5:20150042. [PMID: 26640649 DOI: 10.1098/rsfs.2015.0042] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
The morphological disparity of species within major clades shows a variety of trajectory patterns through evolutionary time. However, there is a significant tendency for groups to reach their maximum disparity relatively early in their histories, even while their species richness or diversity is comparatively low. This pattern of early high-disparity suggests that there are internal constraints (e.g. developmental pleiotropy) or external restrictions (e.g. ecological competition) upon the variety of morphologies that can subsequently evolve. It has also been demonstrated that the rate of evolution of new character states decreases in most clades through time (character saturation), as does the rate of origination of novel bodyplans and higher taxa. Here, we tested whether there was a simple relationship between the level or rate of character state exhaustion and the shape of a clade's disparity profile: specifically, its centre of gravity (CG). In a sample of 93 extinct major clades, most showed some degree of exhaustion, but all continued to evolve new states up until their extinction. Projection of states/steps curves suggested that clades realized an average of 60% of their inferred maximum numbers of states. Despite a weak but significant correlation between overall levels of homoplasy and the CG of clade disparity profiles, there were no significant relationships between any of our indices of exhaustion curve shape and the clade disparity CG. Clades showing early high-disparity were no more likely to have early character saturation than those with maximum disparity late in their evolution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jack W Oyston
- The Milner Centre for Evolution , Department of Biology & Biochemistry, University of Bath , Bath BA2 7AY , UK
| | - Martin Hughes
- Department of Life Sciences , The Natural History Museum , London SW7 5BD , UK
| | - Peter J Wagner
- Department of Paleobiology, National Museum of Natural History , Smithsonian Institution , Washington, DC 20013-7012 , USA
| | - Sylvain Gerber
- Department of Earth Sciences , University of Cambridge , Cambridge CB2 3EQ , UK
| | - Matthew A Wills
- The Milner Centre for Evolution , Department of Biology & Biochemistry, University of Bath , Bath BA2 7AY , UK
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Abstract
Pterosaurs have fascinated scientists and nonscientists alike for over 200 years, as one of the three known clades of vertebrates to have evolved flapping flight. The smallest pterosaurs were comparable in size to the smallest extant birds and bats, but the largest pterosaurs were vastly larger than any extant flier. This immense size range, coupled with poor preservation and adaptations for flight unknown in extant vertebrates, have made interpretations of pterosaur flight problematic and often contentious. Here we review the anatomical, evolutionary, and phylogenetic history of pterosaurs, as well as the views, perspectives, and biases regarding their interpretation. In recent years, three areas of pterosaur biology have faced challenges and made advances: structure of the wing membrane, function of the pteroid, body size and mass estimates, as well as flight mechanics and aerodynamics. Comparative anatomical and fossil study, simulated bone loading, and aerodynamic modeling have all proved successful in furthering our understanding of pterosaur flight. We agree with previous authors that pterosaurs should be studied as pterosaurs, a diverse but phylogenetically, anatomically, and mechanically constrained clade that can offer new insights into the diversity of vertebrate flight.
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Affiliation(s)
- K.M. Middleton
- Department of Pathology and Anatomical Sciences, University of Missouri School of Medicine, Medical Sciences Building M263, 1 Hospital Drive, Columbia, MO 65212, USA
| | - L.T. English
- Jackson School of Geosciences, Department of Geological Sciences, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX 78712-1722, USA
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Upchurch P, Andres B, Butler RJ, Barrett PM. An analysis of pterosaurian biogeography: implications for the evolutionary history and fossil record quality of the first flying vertebrates. HISTORICAL BIOLOGY 2015; 27:697-717. [PMID: 26339122 PMCID: PMC4536946 DOI: 10.1080/08912963.2014.939077] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/24/2014] [Revised: 06/10/2014] [Accepted: 06/24/2014] [Indexed: 06/02/2023]
Abstract
The biogeographical history of pterosaurs has received very little treatment. Here, we present the first quantitative analysis of pterosaurian biogeography based on an event-based parsimony method (Treefitter). This approach was applied to a phylogenetic tree comprising the relationships of 108 in-group pterosaurian taxa, spanning the full range of this clade's stratigraphical and geographical extent. The results indicate that there is no support for the impact of vicariance or coherent dispersal on pterosaurian distributions. However, this group does display greatly elevated levels of sympatry. Although sampling biases and taxonomic problems might have artificially elevated the occurrence of sympatry, we argue that our results probably reflect a genuine biogeographical signal. We propose a novel model to explain pterosaurian distributions: pterosaurs underwent a series of 'sweep-stakes' dispersal events (across oceanic barriers in most cases), resulting in the founding of sympatric clusters of taxa. Examination of the spatiotemporal distributions of pterosaurian occurrences indicates that their fossil record is extremely patchy. Thus, while there is likely to be genuine information on pterosaurian diversity and biogeographical patterns in the current data-set, caution is required in its interpretation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paul Upchurch
- Department of Earth Sciences, University College London, Gower Street, LondonWC1E 6BT, UK
| | - Brian Andres
- Department of Geology, University of South Florida, 4202 East Fowler Avenue, SCA528, Tampa, FL33630, USA
| | - Richard J. Butler
- School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, BirminghamB15 2TT, UK
| | - Paul M. Barrett
- Department of Earth Sciences, The Natural History Museum, Cromwell Road, LondonSW7 5BD, UK
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WANG XIAOLIN, KELLNER ALEXANDERWA, CHENG XIN, JIANG SHUNXING, WANG QIANG, SAYÃO JULIANAM, RODRIGUES TAISSA, COSTA FABIANAR, LI NING, MENG XI, ZHOU ZHONGHE. Eggshell and Histology Provide Insight on the Life History of a Pterosaur with Two Functional Ovaries. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2015; 87:1599-609. [DOI: 10.1590/0001-3765201520150364] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
The counterpart of a previously described non-pterodactyloid pterosaur with an egg revealed the presence of a second egg inside the body cavity of this gravid female. It clearly shows that pterosaurs had two functional oviducts and demonstrates that the reduction of one oviduct was not a prerequisite for developing powered flight, at least in this group. Compositional analysis of one egg suggests the lack of a hard external layer of calcium carbonate. Histological sections of one femur lack medullary bone and further demonstrate that this pterosaur reached reproductive maturity before skeletal maturity. This study shows that pterosaurs laid eggs even smaller than previously thought and had a reproductive strategy more similar to basal reptiles than to birds. Whether pterosaurs were highly precocial or needed parental care is still open to debate.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - XIN CHENG
- Chinese Academy of Sciences, China; Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | | | | | | | | | | | - NING LI
- Chinese Academy of Sciences, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, China
| | - XI MENG
- Chinese Academy of Sciences, China
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37
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Witton MP. Were early pterosaurs inept terrestrial locomotors? PeerJ 2015; 3:e1018. [PMID: 26157605 PMCID: PMC4476129 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.1018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/28/2014] [Accepted: 05/23/2015] [Indexed: 12/05/2022] Open
Abstract
Pterodactyloid pterosaurs are widely interpreted as terrestrially competent, erect-limbed quadrupeds, but the terrestrial capabilities of non-pterodactyloids are largely thought to have been poor. This is commonly justified by the absence of a non-pterodactyloid footprint record, suggestions that the expansive uropatagia common to early pterosaurs would restrict hindlimb motion in walking or running, and the presence of sprawling forelimbs in some species. Here, these arguments are re-visited and mostly found problematic. Restriction of limb mobility is not a problem faced by extant animals with extensive fight membranes, including species which routinely utilise terrestrial locomotion. The absence of non-pterodactyloid footprints is not necessarily tied to functional or biomechanical constraints. As with other fully terrestrial clades with poor ichnological records, biases in behaviour, preservation, sampling and interpretation likely contribute to the deficit of early pterosaur ichnites. Suggestions that non-pterodactyloids have slender, mechanically weak limbs are demonstrably countered by the proportionally long and robust limbs of many Triassic and Jurassic species. Novel assessments of pterosaur forelimb anatomies conflict with notions that all non-pterodactyloids were obligated to sprawling forelimb postures. Sprawling forelimbs seem appropriate for species with ventrally-restricted glenoid articulations (seemingly occurring in rhamphorhynchines and campylognathoidids). However, some early pterosaurs, such as Dimorphodon macronyx and wukongopterids, have glenoid arthrologies which are not ventrally restricted, and their distal humeri resemble those of pterodactyloids. It seems fully erect forelimb stances were possible in these pterosaurs, and may be probable given proposed correlation between pterodactyloid-like distal humeral morphology and forces incurred through erect forelimb postures. Further indications of terrestrial habits include antungual sesamoids, which occur in the manus and pes anatomy of many early pterosaur species, and only occur elsewhere in terrestrial reptiles, possibly developing through frequent interactions of large claws with firm substrates. It is argued that characteristics possibly associated with terrestriality are deeply nested within Pterosauria and not restricted to Pterodactyloidea as previously thought, and that pterodactyloid-like levels of terrestrial competency may have been possible in at least some early pterosaurs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mark P Witton
- School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Portsmouth , Portsmouth , UK
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Pterodactylus scolopaciceps Meyer, 1860 (Pterosauria, Pterodactyloidea) from the Upper Jurassic of Bavaria, Germany: the problem of cryptic pterosaur taxa in early ontogeny. PLoS One 2014; 9:e110646. [PMID: 25337830 PMCID: PMC4206445 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0110646] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/14/2014] [Accepted: 09/09/2014] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
The taxonomy of the Late Jurassic pterodactyloid pterosaur Pterodactylus scolopaciceps Meyer, 1860 from the Solnhofen Limestone Formation of Bavaria, Germany is reviewed. Its nomenclatural history is long and complex, having been synonymised with both P. kochi (Wagner, 1837), and P. antiquus (Sömmerring, 1812). The majority of pterosaur species from the Solnhofen Limestone, including P. scolopaciceps are represented by juveniles. Consequently, specimens can appear remarkably similar due to juvenile characteristics detracting from taxonomic differences that are exaggerated in later ontogeny. Previous morphological and morphometric analyses have failed to separate species or even genera due to this problem, and as a result many species have been subsumed into a single taxon. A hypodigm for P. scolopaciceps, comprising of the holotype (BSP AS V 29 a/b) and material Broili referred to the taxon is described. P. scolopaciceps is found to be a valid taxon, but placement within Pterodactylus is inappropriate. Consequently, the new genus Aerodactylus is erected to accommodate it. Aerodactylus can be diagnosed on account of a unique suite of characters including jaws containing 16 teeth per-jaw, per-side, which are more sparsely distributed caudally and terminate rostral to the nasoantorbital fenestra; dorsal surface of the skull is subtly depressed rostral of the cranial table; rostrum very elongate (RI = ∼7), terminating in a point; orbits correspondingly low and elongate; elongate cervical vertebrae (approximately three times the length of their width); wing-metacarpal elongate, but still shorter than the ulna and first wing-phalanx; and pteroid approximately 65% of the total length of the ulna, straight and extremely thin (less than one third the width of the ulna). A cladistic analysis demonstrates that Aerodactylus is distinct from Pterodactylus, but close to Cycnorhamphus Seeley, 1870, Ardeadactylus Bennett, 2013a and Aurorazhdarcho Frey, Meyer and Tischlinger, 2011, consequently we erect the inclusive taxon Aurorazhdarchidae for their reception.
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An Early Cretaceous pterosaur with an unusual mandibular crest from China and a potential novel feeding strategy. Sci Rep 2014; 4:6329. [PMID: 25210867 PMCID: PMC5385874 DOI: 10.1038/srep06329] [Citation(s) in RCA: 73] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/25/2014] [Accepted: 08/19/2014] [Indexed: 11/08/2022] Open
Abstract
The Aptian Jiufotang Formation of northeast China is a Konservat Lagerstätte particularly rich in pterosaurs, notably azhdarchoids. Here we describe a new genus and species of toothed pteranodontoid pterosaur, Ikrandraco avatar gen. et sp. nov., based on two laterally flattened specimens. Ikrandraco avatar is diagnosed by a suite of features, including a very low and elongate skull, strongly inclined quadrate, and a deep, blade-like bony mandibular crest with a hook-like process on its posterior edge, an unusual structure so far unique to this taxon. The particular skull shape hints at a distinct feeding habit for pterosaurs that potentially includes temporary skimming and an extensible skin acting as a throat pouch that was more developed than in any other pterosaur known so far. The presence of two other taxa of purported piscivorous pterosaurs in the Jiufotang Formation suggests distinct resource exploitation in this part of China during the Early Cretaceous.
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Andres B, Clark J, Xu X. The earliest pterodactyloid and the origin of the group. Curr Biol 2014; 24:1011-6. [PMID: 24768054 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2014.03.030] [Citation(s) in RCA: 48] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/20/2013] [Revised: 01/17/2014] [Accepted: 03/11/2014] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
The pterosaurs were a diverse group of Mesozoic flying reptiles that underwent a body plan reorganization, adaptive radiation, and replacement of earlier forms midway through their long history, resulting in the origin of the Pterodactyloidea, a highly specialized clade containing the largest flying organisms. The sudden appearance and large suite of morphological features of this group were suggested to be the result of it originating in terrestrial environments, where the pterosaur fossil record has traditionally been poor [1, 2], and its many features suggested to be adaptations to those environments [1, 2]. However, little evidence has been available to test this hypothesis, and it has not been supported by previous phylogenies or early pterodactyloid discoveries. We report here the earliest pterosaur with the diagnostic elongate metacarpus of the Pterodactyloidea, Kryptodrakon progenitor, gen. et sp. nov., from the terrestrial Middle-Upper Jurassic boundary of Northwest China. Phylogenetic analysis confirms this species as the basalmost pterodactyloid and reconstructs a terrestrial origin and a predominantly terrestrial history for the Pterodactyloidea. Phylogenetic comparative methods support this reconstruction by means of a significant correlation between wing shape and environment also found in modern flying vertebrates, indicating that pterosaurs lived in or were at least adapted to the environments in which they were preserved.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brian Andres
- School of Geosciences, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL 33620, USA.
| | - James Clark
- Department of Biological Sciences, George Washington University, Washington, DC 10024, USA
| | - Xing Xu
- Key Laboratory of Vertebrate Evolution and Human Origins, Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100044, China
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Benson RBJ, Frigot RA, Goswami A, Andres B, Butler RJ. Competition and constraint drove Cope's rule in the evolution of giant flying reptiles. Nat Commun 2014; 5:3567. [PMID: 24694584 PMCID: PMC3988819 DOI: 10.1038/ncomms4567] [Citation(s) in RCA: 44] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/19/2013] [Accepted: 03/05/2014] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
The pterosaurs, Mesozoic flying reptiles, attained wingspans of more than 10 m that greatly exceed the largest birds and challenge our understanding of size limits in flying animals. Pterosaurs have been used to illustrate Cope's rule, the influential generalization that evolutionary lineages trend to increasingly large body sizes. However, unambiguous examples of Cope's rule operating on extended timescales in large clades remain elusive, and the phylogenetic pattern and possible drivers of pterosaur gigantism are uncertain. Here we show 70 million years of highly constrained early evolution, followed by almost 80 million years of sustained, multi-lineage body size increases in pterosaurs. These results are supported by maximum-likelihood modelling of a comprehensive new pterosaur data set. The transition between these macroevolutionary regimes is coincident with the Early Cretaceous adaptive radiation of birds, supporting controversial hypotheses of bird-pterosaur competition, and suggesting that evolutionary competition can act as a macroevolutionary driver on extended geological timescales.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Rachel A. Frigot
- Center for Functional Anatomy and Evolution, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland 21205, USA
| | - Anjali Goswami
- Department of Genetics, Evolution & Environment and Department of Earth Sciences, University College London, London WC1E 6BT, UK
| | - Brian Andres
- School of Geosciences, University of South Florida, Tampa, Florida 33620, USA
| | - Richard J. Butler
- School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Birmingham, Birmingham B15 2TT, UK
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Geist NR, Hillenius WJ, Frey E, Jones TD, Elgin RA. Breathing in a box: constraints on lung ventilation in giant pterosaurs. Anat Rec (Hoboken) 2013; 297:2233-53. [PMID: 24357452 DOI: 10.1002/ar.22839] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/25/2013] [Accepted: 08/08/2013] [Indexed: 11/05/2022]
Abstract
Pterosaurs were the first vertebrates to achieve active flight, with some derived forms reaching enormous size. Accumulating fossil evidence confirms earlier indications that selection for large size in these flying forms resulted in a light, yet strong skeleton characterized by fusion of many bones of the trunk. However, this process also added mechanical constraints on the mobility of the thorax of large pterosaurs that likely limited the options available for lung ventilation. We present an alternative hypothesis to recent suggestions of an avian-like mechanism of costosternal pumping as the primary means of aspiration. An analysis of the joints among the vertebrae, ribs, sternum, and pectoral girdle of large pterosaurs indicates limited mobility of the ribcage and sternum. Comparisons with modes of lung ventilation in extant amniotes suggests that the stiffened thorax, coupled with mobile gastralia and prepubic bones, may be most consistent with an extracostal mechanism for lung ventilation in large pterodactyloids, perhaps similar to a crocodile-like visceral displacement system.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicholas R Geist
- Department of Biology, Sonoma State University, Rohnert Park, California
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Yuan CX, Ji Q, Meng QJ, Tabrum AR, Luo ZX. Earliest Evolution of Multituberculate Mammals Revealed by a New Jurassic Fossil. Science 2013; 341:779-83. [DOI: 10.1126/science.1237970] [Citation(s) in RCA: 77] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
Abstract
Multituberculates were successful herbivorous mammals and were more diverse and numerically abundant than any other mammal groups in Mesozoic ecosystems. The clade also developed diverse locomotor adaptations in the Cretaceous and Paleogene. We report a new fossil skeleton from the Late Jurassic of China that belongs to the basalmost multituberculate family. Dental features of this new Jurassic multituberculate show omnivorous adaptation, and its well-preserved skeleton sheds light on ancestral skeletal features of all multituberculates, especially the highly mobile joints of the ankle, crucial for later evolutionary success of multituberculates in the Cretaceous and Paleogene.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chong-Xi Yuan
- Institute of Geology, Chinese Academy of Geological Sciences, Beijing 100037, China
| | - Qiang Ji
- Institute of Geology, Chinese Academy of Geological Sciences, Beijing 100037, China
| | - Qing-Jin Meng
- Beijing Museum of Natural History, Beijing 100050, China
| | - Alan R. Tabrum
- Section of Vertebrate Paleontology, Carnegie Museum of Natural History, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA
| | - Zhe-Xi Luo
- Department of Organismal Biology and Anatomy, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL 60637, USA
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Rodrigues T, Kellner AWA. Taxonomic review of the Ornithocheirus complex (Pterosauria) from the Cretaceous of England. Zookeys 2013:1-112. [PMID: 23794925 PMCID: PMC3689139 DOI: 10.3897/zookeys.308.5559] [Citation(s) in RCA: 51] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/20/2013] [Accepted: 05/21/2013] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Over a decade after the last major review of the Cambridge Greensand pterosaurs, their systematics remains one of the most disputed points in pterosaur taxonomy. Ornithocheiridae is still a wastebasket for fragmentary taxa, and some nomenclatural issues are still a problem. Here, the species from the Cretaceous of England that, at some point, were referred in Ornithocheirus, are reviewed. Investigation of the primary literature confirmed that Criorhynchus should be considered an objective junior synonym of Ornithocheirus. Taxonomic review of more than 30 species known from fragmentary remains showed that 16 of them are undiagnosable (nomina dubia): Palaeornis cliftii, Cimoliornis diomedeus, Pterodactylus compressirostris, Pterodactylus fittoni, Pterodactylus woodwardi, Ornithocheirus brachyrhinus, Ornithocheirus carteri, Ornithocheirus crassidens, Ornithocheirus dentatus, Ornithocheirus enchorhynchus, Ornithocheirus eurygnathus, Ornithocheirus oxyrhinus, Ornithocheirus scaphorhynchus, Ornithocheirus tenuirostris, Ornithocheirus xyphorhynchus, and Pterodactylus sagittirostris. Fourteen species are considered valid, and diagnoses are provided to all of them: Ornithocheirus simus, Lonchodraco giganteuscomb. n., Lonchodraco machaerorhynchuscomb. n., Lonchodraco(?) microdoncomb. n., Coloborhynchus clavirostris, ‘Ornithocheirus’ capito, Camposipterus nasutuscomb. n., Camposipterus(?) sedgwickiicomb. n., Camposipterus(?) colorhinuscomb. n., Cimoliopterus cuviericomb. n., ‘Ornithocheirus’ polyodon, ‘Ornithocheirus’ platystomus, ‘Pterodactylus’ daviesii, and ‘Ornithocheirus’ denticulatus. These species are referred in the genera Ornithocheirus, Lonchodracogen. n., Coloborhynchus, Cimoliopterusgen. n., and Camposipterusgen. n., but additional genera are probably present, as indicated by the use of single quotation marks throughout the text. A cladistic analysis demonstrates that Anhangueridae lies within a newly recognized clade, here named Anhangueria, which also includes the genera Cearadactylus, Brasileodactylus, Ludodactylus, and Camposipterus. The anhanguerian ‘Cearadactylus’ ligabuei belongs to a different genus than Cearadactylus atrox. Lonchodraconidaefam. n. (more or less equivalent to LonchodectidaesensuUnwin 2001) is a monophyletic entity, but its exact phylogenetic position remains uncertain, as is the case of Ornithocheirus simus. Therefore, it is proposed that Ornithocheiridae should be constricted to its type species and thus is redundant. Other taxa previously referred as “ornithocheirids” are discussed in light of the revised taxonomy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Taissa Rodrigues
- Department of Biology, Agrarian Sciences Center, Universidade Federal do Espírito Santo. Alto Universitário s/n, Caixa Postal 16, Guararema, CEP 29500-000, Alegre, ES, Brazil
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An unusual basal Therizinosaur dinosaur with an ornithischian dental arrangement from northeastern China. PLoS One 2013; 8:e63423. [PMID: 23734177 PMCID: PMC3667168 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0063423] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/25/2012] [Accepted: 04/04/2013] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Therizinosauria are an unusual group of theropod dinosaurs, found mostly in the Cretaceous deposits in Mongolia, China and western USA. The basal forms of this group are represented by incomplete or disarticulated material. Here, we report a nearly complete, articulated skeleton of a new basal therizinosaur from the Early Cretaceous Yixian Formation of Jianchang County, western part of Liaoning Province, which sheds light on our understanding of anatomy of basal therizinosaurs. This new dinosaur shows some typical therizinosaur features, such as neural spines of the anterior caudal vertebrae that possess anterior and posterior alae, a rectangular buttress on the ventrolateral side of the proximal end of metacarpal I, and appressed metatarsal shafts. Our phylogenetic analysis suggests that it is a basal therizinosaur (sister taxon to Therizinosauroidea) because it bears many basal therizinosaur characters in the dentition, pelvis and hind limbs. The new therizinosaur described here has unique tooth and jaw characters such as the offsetting of the tooth row by a shelf and dentary teeth with labially concave and lingually convex dentary teeth, similar to ornithopods and ceratopsians.
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Abstract
AbstractPterosaurs are a clade of highly specialized, volant archosauromorphs recorded from the Upper Triassic to the uppermost Cretaceous. Problematic remains referred to the Pterosauria are reported from the Triassic of Europe and both North and South America, but unequivocal pterosaur specimens are only known from the Alps (Italy, Austria and Switzerland: Preondactylus buffarinii, Austriadactylus cristatus, Peteinosaurus zambellii, Eudimorphodon ranzii, Carniadactylus rosenfeldi, Caviramus schesaplanensis and Raeticodactylus filisurensis) and Greenland (‘Eudimorphodon’ cromptonellus). Pterosaurs are diagnosed mostly by features associated with the advent of powered flight. They are generally considered to be archosaurians more closely related to dinosaurs than to crocodilians, but non-archosaurian positions have also been proposed. There is a lack of general agreement about ingroup relationships, particularly among the basal pterosaurs. Triassic pterosaurs differ from other non-pterodactyloid pterosaurs in features of the dentition and caudal vertebral column. A ‘Big Bang’ model for their early history fits better with the fossil record: the earliest unequivocal pterosaurs show a sudden and geographically limited appearance in the fossil record, as well as a relatively high burst of diversity and considerable morphologic disparity. Absence of pterosaur remains from deposits where they are expected to be found suggests that they had not yet evolved in pre-Norian times.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fabio M. Dalla Vecchia
- Grup de Recerca del Mesozoic, Institut Català de Paleontologia ‘Miquel Crusafont’ (ICP), C. Escola Industrial 23, E-08201 Sabadell, Spain (e-mail: )
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Turner AH, Nesbitt SJ. Body size evolution during the Triassic archosauriform radiation. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2013. [DOI: 10.1144/sp379.15] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/04/2022]
Abstract
AbstractThe first large (>1 m) diapsids appeared near the Permian–Triassic extinction and a subset of diapsids, the archosauriforms, expanded their body size range soon after in the Early–Middle Triassic. Here, we examine body size at key evolutionary events within Archosauriformes during the Triassic and through the end-Triassic extinction. Using femoral length as a body size proxy and a temporally calibrated phylogeny of Archosauriformes, we estimate ancestral body sizes using a maximum likelihood approach and test for the presence of an adapative radiation by comparing the fit of competing evolutionary models. Archosauriform body size is characterized by punctuated change with more change occurring early in the Triassic. Archosaurs crossing the Triassic–Jurassic boundary show a wide range in ancestral size, and dinosaurs (sauropodomorphs and theropods) are considerably larger in the Jurassic. Crocodylomorph origins are characterized by a drop in body size; however, both the relative amount of change and the rate of change are matched among other archosaur clades. Archosauriforms increase in absolute body size through the Triassic and evidence suggests that a directional trend in size increase occurred in the early Mesozoic. The morphological signature of adaptive radiation is rare in comparative data from extant animals but is present at the origination of Archosauriformes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alan H. Turner
- Department of Anatomical Sciences, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY 11794, USA
- Division of Paleontology, American Museum of Natural History, Central Park West at 79th Street, New York, NY 10024, USA
| | - Sterling J. Nesbitt
- Department of Biology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
- Division of Paleontology, American Museum of Natural History, Central Park West at 79th Street, New York, NY 10024, USA
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Benson RBJ, Druckenmiller PS. Faunal turnover of marine tetrapods during the Jurassic-Cretaceous transition. Biol Rev Camb Philos Soc 2013; 89:1-23. [PMID: 23581455 DOI: 10.1111/brv.12038] [Citation(s) in RCA: 150] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/15/2012] [Revised: 02/28/2013] [Accepted: 03/06/2013] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Affiliation(s)
| | - Patrick S. Druckenmiller
- Department of Geology and Geophysics; University of Alaska Museum, University of Alaska Fairbanks; Fairbanks Alaska 99775, U.S.A
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Gavrilov VM. Origin and development of homoiothermy: A case study of avian energetics. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2013. [DOI: 10.4236/abb.2013.48a1001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
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50
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Knell RJ, Naish D, Tomkins JL, Hone DW. Sexual selection in prehistoric animals: detection and implications. Trends Ecol Evol 2013; 28:38-47. [DOI: 10.1016/j.tree.2012.07.015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 62] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/11/2012] [Revised: 07/19/2012] [Accepted: 07/25/2012] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
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