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Zhang Y, Rasnitsyn AP, Zhang W, Song F, Shih C, Ren D, Wang Y, Li H, Gao T. Stem chewing lice on Cretaceous feathers preserved in amber. Curr Biol 2024; 34:916-922.e1. [PMID: 38320551 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2024.01.027] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/05/2023] [Revised: 12/12/2023] [Accepted: 01/10/2024] [Indexed: 02/08/2024]
Abstract
Phthirapteran lice (true lice or parasitic lice) are a major group of ectoparasitic insects living on their bird or mammal hosts during their entire life cycle.1 Due to their highly specialized lifestyles, they are extremely poorly represented in fossil records.2 Molecular clock estimations have speculated extensively about the origin time of parasitic lice,3,4 yet none have been confirmed unequivocally. Herein, we report a new family of stem chewing lice, based on two adult insects associated with several semiplume feathers preserved within a piece of Kachin amber from the mid-Cretaceous. They display some defining characteristics of the Amblycera, an early-diverging lineage of the crown lice group. These features include a wingless body, chewing mouthparts, narrow and small thorax, and short tarsus with elongated euplantulae. Our phylogenetic analysis places the new taxa in the Amblycera, and the discovery thus pushes back the lice fossil records by at least 55 million years. Furthermore, the new specimens show primitive characters such as compressed and club-shaped terminal segments of antennae, maxillary and labial palps, and unmodified femora of hind legs, providing key information for the evolutionary relationship between free-living booklice and parasitic lice. This suggests that some ectoparasitic characters defining the crown lice group might have evolved among amblyceran and non-amblyceran lice in parallel. These newly described fossil specimens imply at least a Cretaceous age of Phthiraptera.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yanjie Zhang
- College of Life Sciences, Capital Normal University, Beijing 100048, China
| | - Alexandr P Rasnitsyn
- Borissiak Palaeontological Institute, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow 117647, Russia; Natural History Museum, London SW7 5BD, UK
| | - Weiwei Zhang
- Three Gorges Entomological Museum, Chongqing 400015, China
| | - Fan Song
- College of Plant Protection, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100193, China
| | - Chungkun Shih
- College of Life Sciences, Capital Normal University, Beijing 100048, China; Department of Paleobiology, National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC 20013-7012, USA
| | - Dong Ren
- College of Life Sciences, Capital Normal University, Beijing 100048, China
| | - Yongjie Wang
- Institute of Zoology, Guangdong Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou 510260, China.
| | - Hu Li
- College of Plant Protection, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100193, China.
| | - Taiping Gao
- College of Life Sciences, Capital Normal University, Beijing 100048, China.
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2
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Urban CA, Legendre LJ, Clarke JA. Description of natal down of the ostrich (Struthio camelus) and comparison with common quail (Coturnix coturnix): Developmental and evolutionary implications. J Anat 2023; 243:1007-1023. [PMID: 37515428 PMCID: PMC10641043 DOI: 10.1111/joa.13936] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/01/2023] [Revised: 06/18/2023] [Accepted: 07/13/2023] [Indexed: 07/30/2023] Open
Abstract
Natal down is a feather stage that differs in both form and function from the definitive feathers of adult birds. It has a simpler structure that has been speculated to be similar to the body coverings of non-avian dinosaurs. However, inference of the evolution of natal down has been limited by our understanding of its structural variation in extant birds. Most descriptive work has focused on neognathous birds, limiting our knowledge of the full diversity of feathers in extant taxa. Here, we describe the natal down of a post-hatch ostrich (Struthio camelus) and compare it to that of a post-hatch quail (Coturnix coturnix). We confirm the presence of featherless spaces (apteria) in S. camelus and the lack of barbules on the tips of natal down in both species. We also find differences between dorsal and ventral natal down structures, such as barbule density in S. camelus and the extent of the bare portion of the barb in both species. Surprisingly, we do not find that the neoptiles of either species follow the ideal morphologies for increasing insulation. Finally, we hypothesize that the different barb types present in S. camelus natal down result from a large addition of new barb ridges during development, which is not known except in feathers with a rachis. These results have implications for our understanding of how structure informs function and development in understudied feather types, such as those shared by non-avian dinosaurs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carmen A Urban
- Jackson School of Geosciences, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas, USA
| | - Lucas J Legendre
- Jackson School of Geosciences, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas, USA
| | - Julia A Clarke
- Jackson School of Geosciences, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas, USA
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3
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Zhou Z. The Rising of Paleontology in China: A Century-Long Road. BIOLOGY 2022; 11:1104. [PMID: 35892960 PMCID: PMC9332504 DOI: 10.3390/biology11081104] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/13/2022] [Revised: 07/09/2022] [Accepted: 07/14/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
In this paper, the history of paleontology in China from 1920 to 2020 is divided into three major stages, i.e., 1920-1949, 1949-1978, and 1979-2020. As one of the first scientific disciplines to have earned international fame in China, the development of Chinese paleontology benefitted from international collaborations and China's rich resources. Since 1978, China's socio-economic development and its open-door policy to the outside world have also played a key role in the growth of Chinese paleontology. In the 21st century, thanks to constant funding from the government and the rise of the younger generation of paleontologists, Chinese paleontology is expected to make even more contributions to the integration of paleontology with both biological and geological research projects by taking advantage of new technologies and China's rich paleontological resources.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhonghe Zhou
- Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 142 Xizhimenwai Dajie, Beijing 100044, China
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4
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Environmental Factors Affecting Feather Taphonomy. BIOLOGY 2022; 11:biology11050703. [PMID: 35625431 PMCID: PMC9138376 DOI: 10.3390/biology11050703] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/27/2022] [Revised: 04/27/2022] [Accepted: 04/29/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
The exceptional preservation of feathers in the fossil record has led to a better understanding of both phylogeny and evolution. Here we address factors that may have contributed to the preservation of feathers in ancient organisms using experimental taphonomy. We show that the atmospheres of the Mesozoic, known to be elevated in both CO2 and with temperatures above present levels, may have contributed to the preservation of these soft tissues by facilitating rapid precipitation of hydroxy- or carbonate hydroxyapatite, thus outpacing natural degradative processes. Data also support that that microbial degradation was enhanced in elevated CO2, but mineral deposition was also enhanced, contributing to preservation by stabilizing the organic components of feathers.
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5
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Bicknell RD, Smith PM, Brougham T, Bevitt JJ. An earliest Triassic age for Tasmaniolimulus and comments on synchrotron tomography of Gondwanan horseshoe crabs. PeerJ 2022; 10:e13326. [PMID: 35480564 PMCID: PMC9037155 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.13326] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/24/2021] [Accepted: 04/02/2022] [Indexed: 01/13/2023] Open
Abstract
Constraining the timing of morphological innovations within xiphosurid evolution is central for understanding when and how such a long-lived group exploited vacant ecological niches over the majority of the Phanerozoic. To expand the knowledge on the evolution of select xiphosurid forms, we reconsider the four Australian taxa: Austrolimulus fletcheri, Dubbolimulus peetae, Tasmaniolimulus patersoni, and Victalimulus mcqueeni. In revisiting these taxa, we determine that, contrary to previous suggestion, T. patersoni arose after the Permian and the origin of over-developed genal spine structures within Austrolimulidae is exclusive to the Triassic. To increase the availability of morphological data pertaining to these unique forms, we also examined the holotypes of the four xiphosurids using synchrotron radiation X-ray tomography (SRXT). Such non-destructive, in situ imaging of palaeontological specimens can aid in the identification of novel morphological data by obviating the need for potentially extensive preparation of fossils from the surrounding rock matrix. This is particularly important for rare and/or delicate holotypes. Here, SRXT was used to emphasize A. fletcheri and T. patersoni cardiac lobe morphologies and illustrate aspects of the V. mcqueeni thoracetronic doublure, appendage impressions, and moveable spine notches. Unfortunately, the strongly compacted D. peetae precluded the identification of any internal structures, but appendage impressions were observed. The application of computational fluid dynamics to high-resolution 3D reconstructions are proposed to understand the hydrodynamic properties of divergent genal spine morphologies of austrolimulid xiphosurids.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Patrick M. Smith
- Australian Museum Research Institute, Sydney, Australia,Macquarie University, Sydney, Australia
| | | | - Joseph J. Bevitt
- Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation, Sydney, Australia
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6
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Hendrickx C, Bell PR, Pittman M, Milner ARC, Cuesta E, O'Connor J, Loewen M, Currie PJ, Mateus O, Kaye TG, Delcourt R. Morphology and distribution of scales, dermal ossifications, and other non-feather integumentary structures in non-avialan theropod dinosaurs. Biol Rev Camb Philos Soc 2022; 97:960-1004. [PMID: 34991180 DOI: 10.1111/brv.12829] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/03/2020] [Revised: 12/10/2021] [Accepted: 12/14/2021] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Modern birds are typified by the presence of feathers, complex evolutionary innovations that were already widespread in the group of theropod dinosaurs (Maniraptoriformes) that include crown Aves. Squamous or scaly reptilian-like skin is, however, considered the plesiomorphic condition for theropods and dinosaurs more broadly. Here, we review the morphology and distribution of non-feathered integumentary structures in non-avialan theropods, covering squamous skin and naked skin as well as dermal ossifications. The integumentary record of non-averostran theropods is limited to tracks, which ubiquitously show a covering of tiny reticulate scales on the plantar surface of the pes. This is consistent also with younger averostran body fossils, which confirm an arthral arrangement of the digital pads. Among averostrans, squamous skin is confirmed in Ceratosauria (Carnotaurus), Allosauroidea (Allosaurus, Concavenator, Lourinhanosaurus), Compsognathidae (Juravenator), and Tyrannosauroidea (Santanaraptor, Albertosaurus, Daspletosaurus, Gorgosaurus, Tarbosaurus, Tyrannosaurus), whereas dermal ossifications consisting of sagittate and mosaic osteoderms are restricted to Ceratosaurus. Naked, non-scale bearing skin is found in the contentious tetanuran Sciurumimus, ornithomimosaurians (Ornithomimus) and possibly tyrannosauroids (Santanaraptor), and also on the patagia of scansoriopterygids (Ambopteryx, Yi). Scales are surprisingly conservative among non-avialan theropods compared to some dinosaurian groups (e.g. hadrosaurids); however, the limited preservation of tegument on most specimens hinders further interrogation. Scale patterns vary among and/or within body regions in Carnotaurus, Concavenator and Juravenator, and include polarised, snake-like ventral scales on the tail of the latter two genera. Unusual but more uniformly distributed patterning also occurs in Tyrannosaurus, whereas feature scales are present only in Albertosaurus and Carnotaurus. Few theropods currently show compelling evidence for the co-occurrence of scales and feathers (e.g. Juravenator, Sinornithosaurus), although reticulate scales were probably retained on the mani and pedes of many theropods with a heavy plumage. Feathers and filamentous structures appear to have replaced widespread scaly integuments in maniraptorans. Theropod skin, and that of dinosaurs more broadly, remains a virtually untapped area of study and the appropriation of commonly used techniques in other palaeontological fields to the study of skin holds great promise for future insights into the biology, taphonomy and relationships of these extinct animals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christophe Hendrickx
- Unidad Ejecutora Lillo, CONICET-Fundación Miguel Lillo, 251 Miguel Lillo, San Miguel de Tucumán, Tucumán, 4000, Argentina
| | - Phil R Bell
- School of Environmental and Rural Science, University of New England, Armidale, NSW, 2351, Australia
| | - Michael Pittman
- Vertebrate Palaeontology Laboratory, Department of Earth Sciences, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong, SAR, China.,Department of Earth Sciences, University College London, WC1E 6BT, United Kingdom
| | - Andrew R C Milner
- St. George Dinosaur Discovery Site at Johnson Farm, 2180 East Riverside Drive, St. George, UT, U.S.A
| | - Elena Cuesta
- Bayerische Staatssammlung für Paläontologie und Geologie, Richard-Wagner-Str. 10, Munich, 80333, Germany
| | - Jingmai O'Connor
- Field Museum of Natural History, 1400 S Lake Shore Drive, Chicago, IL, 60605, U.S.A
| | - Mark Loewen
- Department of Geology and Geophysics, University of Utah, Frederick Albert Sutton Building, 115 South 1460 East, Salt Lake City, UT, 84112, U.S.A.,Natural History Museum of Utah, 301 Wakara Way, Salt Lake City, UT, 84108, U.S.A
| | - Philip J Currie
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada
| | - Octávio Mateus
- GeoBioTec, Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia, Universidade Nova de Lisboa, Caparica, Portugal.,Museu da Lourinhã, 95 Rua João Luis de Moura, Lourinhã, 2530-158, Portugal
| | - Thomas G Kaye
- Foundation for Scientific Advancement, 7023 Alhambra Dr., Sierra Vista, AZ, 85650, U.S.A
| | - Rafael Delcourt
- Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP), Instituto de Geociências, Cidade Universitária, Rua Carlos Gomes, 250, Campinas, SP, 13083-855, Brazil
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7
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Kundrata R, Packova G, Kairišs K, Bukejs A, Hoffmannova J, Blank SM. The First Ptilodactyla Illiger, 1807 (Coleoptera: Dryopoidea: Ptilodactylidae) Described from Eocene Baltic Amber. BIOLOGY 2021; 10:877. [PMID: 34571754 PMCID: PMC8465962 DOI: 10.3390/biology10090877] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/20/2021] [Revised: 09/01/2021] [Accepted: 09/03/2021] [Indexed: 12/04/2022]
Abstract
The beetle family Ptilodactylidae contains more than 500 extant species; however, its fossil record is scarce and remains understudied. In this study, we describe a new species of Ptilodactylidae, Ptilodactyla eocenica Kundrata, Bukejs and Blank, sp. nov., based on a relatively well-preserved specimen from Baltic amber. We use X-ray microcomputed tomography to reconstruct its morphology since some of the principal diagnostic characters have been obscured by opaque bubbles. It is the third ptilodactylid species described from Baltic amber, and the first one belonging to the subfamily Ptilodactylinae. Additionally, we summarize the classification, diversity, and distribution of both extinct and extant Ptilodactylidae.
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Affiliation(s)
- Robin Kundrata
- Department of Zoology, Faculty of Science, Palacky University, 17. Listopadu 50, 77146 Olomouc, Czech Republic; (G.P.); (J.H.)
| | - Gabriela Packova
- Department of Zoology, Faculty of Science, Palacky University, 17. Listopadu 50, 77146 Olomouc, Czech Republic; (G.P.); (J.H.)
| | - Kristaps Kairišs
- Department of Biosystematics, Institute of Life Sciences and Technology, Daugavpils University, Vienības 13, 5401 Daugavpils, Latvia; (K.K.); (A.B.)
| | - Andris Bukejs
- Department of Biosystematics, Institute of Life Sciences and Technology, Daugavpils University, Vienības 13, 5401 Daugavpils, Latvia; (K.K.); (A.B.)
| | - Johana Hoffmannova
- Department of Zoology, Faculty of Science, Palacky University, 17. Listopadu 50, 77146 Olomouc, Czech Republic; (G.P.); (J.H.)
| | - Stephan M. Blank
- Senckenberg Deutsches Entomologisches Institut, Eberswalder Strasse 90, 15374 Müncheberg, Germany;
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8
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Successful extraction of insect DNA from recent copal inclusions: limits and perspectives. Sci Rep 2021; 11:6851. [PMID: 33767248 PMCID: PMC7994385 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-86058-9] [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: 06/06/2020] [Accepted: 03/01/2021] [Indexed: 01/31/2023] Open
Abstract
Insects entombed in copal, the sub-fossilized resin precursor of amber, represent a potential source of genetic data for extinct and extant, but endangered or elusive, species. Despite several studies demonstrated that it is not possible to recover endogenous DNA from insect inclusions, the preservation of biomolecules in fossilized resins samples is still under debate. In this study, we tested the possibility of obtaining endogenous ancient DNA (aDNA) molecules from insects preserved in copal, applying experimental protocols specifically designed for aDNA recovery. We were able to extract endogenous DNA molecules from one of the two samples analyzed, and to identify the taxonomic status of the specimen. Even if the sample was found well protected from external contaminants, the recovered DNA was low concentrated and extremely degraded, compared to the sample age. We conclude that it is possible to obtain genomic data from resin-entombed organisms, although we discourage aDNA analysis because of the destructive method of extraction protocols and the non-reproducibility of the results.
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9
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Grimaldi DA, Vea IM. Insects with 100 million-year-old dinosaur feathers are not ectoparasites. Nat Commun 2021; 12:1469. [PMID: 33674573 PMCID: PMC7935990 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-021-21751-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/19/2019] [Accepted: 02/10/2021] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- David A Grimaldi
- Division of Invertebrate Zoology, American Museum of Natural History, New York, NY, USA.
| | - Isabelle M Vea
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA.
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10
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Skoracki M, Kosicki JZ, Hromada M. Unusual parasite from an enigmatic host – a new group of mites infesting feather quills of the hoatzin. THE EUROPEAN ZOOLOGICAL JOURNAL 2021. [DOI: 10.1080/24750263.2020.1849437] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/22/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- M. Skoracki
- Department of Animal Morphology, Faculty of Biology, Adam Mickiewicz University, Poznań Poland
- Laboratory and Museum of Evolutionary Ecology, Department of Ecology, Faculty of Humanities and Natural Sciences, University of Presov, Prešov, Slovakia
| | - J. Z. Kosicki
- Department of Avian Biology and Ecology, Faculty of Biology, Adam Mickiewicz University, Poznań Poland
| | - M. Hromada
- Laboratory and Museum of Evolutionary Ecology, Department of Ecology, Faculty of Humanities and Natural Sciences, University of Presov, Prešov, Slovakia
- Faculty of Biological Sciences, University of Zielona Góra, Zielona Góra, Poland
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11
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Kundrata R, Bukejs A, Prosvirov AS, Hoffmannova J. X-ray micro-computed tomography reveals a unique morphology in a new click-beetle (Coleoptera, Elateridae) from the Eocene Baltic amber. Sci Rep 2020; 10:20158. [PMID: 33214585 PMCID: PMC7677381 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-76908-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/31/2020] [Accepted: 11/04/2020] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Beetle fossils are a rich source of information about the palaeodiversity and evolutionary history of the order Coleoptera. Despite the increasing rate of fossil research on click-beetles (Coleoptera: Elateridae), the most diverse group in the superfamily Elateroidea, their fossil record has remained largely unstudied. This may be caused by the combination of their rather uniform external morphology and the suboptimal state of preservation and visibility in most fossil specimens. Here, we used X-ray micro-computed tomography to reconstruct the morphology of an interesting click-beetle from Eocene Baltic amber, which had some principal diagnostic characters obscured by opaque bubbles and body position. Our results suggest that the newly described Baltelater bipectinatus gen. et sp. nov. belongs to tribe Protelaterini within subfamily Lissominae. Since Protelaterini have a predominantly Gondwanan distribution, our discovery is of a great importance for the historical biogeography of the group. Very distinctive are the bipectinate antennae with 11 antennomeres and with rami beginning on antennomere IV, which are not found in any recent Elateridae. The discovery of a new click-beetle lineage from European Eocene amber sheds further light on the palaeodiversity and historical diversification of the family as well as on the composition of the extinct amber forest ecosystem.
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Affiliation(s)
- Robin Kundrata
- Department of Zoology, Faculty of Science, Palacky University, 17. listopadu 50, 771 46, Olomouc, Czech Republic.
| | - Andris Bukejs
- Institute of Life Sciences and Technologies, Daugavpils University, Vienības 13, Daugavpils, 5401, Latvia
| | - Alexander S Prosvirov
- Department of Entomology, Faculty of Biology, Moscow State University, Leninskie gory 1/12, Moscow, Russia, 119234
| | - Johana Hoffmannova
- Department of Zoology, Faculty of Science, Palacky University, 17. listopadu 50, 771 46, Olomouc, Czech Republic
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12
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Wang S, Chang WL, Zhang Q, Ma M, Yang F, Zhuo D, Hans HIC, Yang R, Wu P, Habib M, Juan WT, Chuong CM. Variations of Mesozoic feathers: Insights from the morphogenesis of extant feather rachises. Evolution 2020; 74:2121-2133. [PMID: 32614075 DOI: 10.1111/evo.14051] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/05/2019] [Revised: 06/21/2020] [Accepted: 06/27/2020] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
The rachises of extant feathers, composed of dense cortex and spongy internal medulla, are flexible and light, yet stiff enough to withstand the load required for flight, among other functions. Incomplete knowledge of early feathers prevents a full understanding of how cylindrical rachises have evolved. Bizarre feathers with unusually wide and flattened rachises, known as "rachis-dominated feathers" (RDFs), have been observed in fossil nonavian and avian theropods. Newly discovered RDFs embedded in early Late Cretaceous Burmese ambers (about 99 million year ago) suggest the unusually wide and flattened rachises mainly consist of a dorsal cortex, lacking a medulla and a ventral cortex. Coupled with findings on extant feather morphogenesis, known fossil RDFs were categorized into three morphotypes based on their rachidial configurations. For each morphotype, potential developmental scenarios were depicted by referring to the rachidial development in chickens, and relative stiffness of each morphotype was estimated through functional simulations. The results suggest rachises of RDFs are developmentally equivalent to a variety of immature stages of cylindrical rachises. Similar rachidial morphotypes documented in extant penguins suggest that the RDFs are not unique to Mesozoic theropods, although they are likely to have evolved independently in extant penguins.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shuo Wang
- Department of Pathology, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California, 90033
| | - Wei-Ling Chang
- Integrative Stem Cell Center, China Medical University Hospital, Taichung, 40447, Taiwan
| | - Qiyue Zhang
- College of Life Sciences, Nankai University, Tianjin, 300071, China
| | - Menglu Ma
- Laboratory of Vertebrate Evolution, College of Life Sciences, Capital Normal University, Beijing, 100048, China
| | - Feng Yang
- Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Imaging Technology, Capital Normal University, Beijing, 100048, China
| | - De Zhuo
- Beijing Xiachong Amber Museum, Beijing, 100083, China
| | - Harn I-Chen Hans
- Department of Pathology, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California, 90033
- International Research Center of Wound Repair and Regeneration, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan, 70101, Taiwan
| | - Rui Yang
- Laboratory of Vertebrate Evolution, College of Life Sciences, Capital Normal University, Beijing, 100048, China
| | - Ping Wu
- Department of Pathology, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California, 90033
| | - Michael Habib
- Department of Pathology, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California, 90033
- Los Angeles County Museum of Natural History, Los Angeles, California, 90007
| | - Wen-Tau Juan
- Integrative Stem Cell Center, China Medical University Hospital, Taichung, 40447, Taiwan
- Department of Biomedical Imaging and Radiological Science, China Medical University, Taichung, 40402, Taiwan
| | - Cheng-Ming Chuong
- Department of Pathology, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California, 90033
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13
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Haug JT, Schädel M, Baranov VA, Haug C. An unusual 100-million-year old holometabolan larva with a piercing mouth cone. PeerJ 2020; 8:e8661. [PMID: 32280565 PMCID: PMC7134054 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.8661] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/22/2019] [Accepted: 01/29/2020] [Indexed: 12/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Holometabola is a hyperdiverse group characterised by a strong morphological differentiation between early post-embryonic stages (= larvae) and adults. Adult forms of Holometabola, such as wasps, bees, beetles, butterflies, mosquitoes or flies, are strongly differentiated concerning their mouth parts. The larvae most often seem to retain rather plesiomorphic-appearing cutting-grinding mouth parts. Here we report a new unusual larva preserved in Burmese amber. Its mouth parts appear beak-like, forming a distinct piercing mouth cone. Such a morphology is extremely rare among larval forms, restricted to those of some beetles and lacewings. The mouth parts of the new fossil are forward oriented (prognathous). Additionally, the larva has distinct subdivisions of tergites and sternites into several sclerites. Also, the abdomen segments bear prominent protrusions. We discuss this unusual combination of characters in comparison to the many different types of holometabolan larvae. The here reported larva is a new addition to the 'unusual zoo' of the Cretaceous fauna including numerous, very unusual appearing forms that have gone extinct at the Cretaceous-Palaeogene boundary.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joachim T. Haug
- Department of Biology II, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Planegg-Martinsried, Germany
- GeoBio-Center at LMU, München, Germany
| | - Mario Schädel
- Department of Biology II, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Planegg-Martinsried, Germany
| | - Viktor A. Baranov
- Department of Biology II, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Planegg-Martinsried, Germany
| | - Carolin Haug
- Department of Biology II, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Planegg-Martinsried, Germany
- GeoBio-Center at LMU, München, Germany
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14
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Hummingbird-sized dinosaur from the Cretaceous period of Myanmar. Nature 2020; 579:245-249. [PMID: 32161388 DOI: 10.1038/s41586-020-2068-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/12/2019] [Accepted: 01/22/2020] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
Skeletal inclusions in approximately 99-million-year-old amber from northern Myanmar provide unprecedented insights into the soft tissue and skeletal anatomy of minute fauna, which are not typically preserved in other depositional environments1-3. Among a diversity of vertebrates, seven specimens that preserve the skeletal remains of enantiornithine birds have previously been described1,4-8, all of which (including at least one seemingly mature specimen) are smaller than specimens recovered from lithic materials. Here we describe an exceptionally well-preserved and diminutive bird-like skull that documents a new species, which we name Oculudentavis khaungraae gen. et sp. nov. The find appears to represent the smallest known dinosaur of the Mesozoic era, rivalling the bee hummingbird (Mellisuga helenae)-the smallest living bird-in size. The O. khaungraae specimen preserves features that hint at miniaturization constraints, including a unique pattern of cranial fusion and an autapomorphic ocular morphology9 that resembles the eyes of lizards. The conically arranged scleral ossicles define a small pupil, indicative of diurnal activity. Miniaturization most commonly arises in isolated environments, and the diminutive size of Oculudentavis is therefore consistent with previous suggestions that this amber formed on an island within the Trans-Tethyan arc10. The size and morphology of this species suggest a previously unknown bauplan, and a previously undetected ecology. This discovery highlights the potential of amber deposits to reveal the lowest limits of vertebrate body size.
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15
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Barthel HJ, Fougerouse D, Geisler T, Rust J. Fluoridation of a lizard bone embedded in Dominican amber suggests open-system behavior. PLoS One 2020; 15:e0228843. [PMID: 32101553 PMCID: PMC7043737 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0228843] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/03/2019] [Accepted: 01/23/2020] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Vertebrate fossils embedded in amber represent a particularly valuable paleobiological record as amber is supposed to be a barrier to the environment, precluding significant alteration of the animals' body over geological time. The mode and processes of amber preservation are still under debate, and it is questionable to what extent original material may be preserved. Due to their high value, vertebrates in amber have never been examined with analytical methods, which means that the composition of bone tissue in amber is unknown. Here, we report our results of a study on a left forelimb from a fossil Anolis sp. indet. (Squamata) that was fully embedded in Miocene Dominican amber. Our results show a transformation of the bioapatite to fluorapatite associated with a severe alteration of the collagen phase and the formation of an unidentified carbonate. These findings argue for a poor survival potential of macromolecules in Dominican amber fossils.
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Affiliation(s)
- H Jonas Barthel
- Paleontology Section, Institute of Geosciences, RheinischeFriedrich-Wilhelms-Universität Bonn, Bonn, Germany
| | - Denis Fougerouse
- School of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Curtin University, Perth, Australia
| | - Thorsten Geisler
- Geochemistry/Petrology Section, Institute of Geosciences, RheinischeFriedrich-Wilhelms-Universität Bonn, Bonn, Germany
| | - Jes Rust
- Paleontology Section, Institute of Geosciences, RheinischeFriedrich-Wilhelms-Universität Bonn, Bonn, Germany
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16
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Poust AW, Gao C, Varricchio DJ, Wu J, Zhang F. A new microraptorine theropod from the Jehol Biota and growth in early dromaeosaurids. Anat Rec (Hoboken) 2020; 303:963-987. [DOI: 10.1002/ar.24343] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/25/2018] [Revised: 10/29/2019] [Accepted: 11/13/2019] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Ashley W. Poust
- Department of Integrative Biology and Museum of PaleontologyUniversity of California Berkeley California
- San Diego Museum of Natural History San Diego California
| | - Chunling Gao
- Dalian Natural History Museum Dalian Liaoning People's Republic of China
| | | | - Jianlin Wu
- First Affiliated Hospital of Dalian Medical University Dalian Liaoning People's Republic of China
| | - Fengjiao Zhang
- Dalian Natural History Museum Dalian Liaoning People's Republic of China
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17
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Filamentous Integuments in Nonavialan Theropods and Their Kin: Advances and Future Perspectives for Understanding the Evolution of Feathers. THE EVOLUTION OF FEATHERS 2020. [DOI: 10.1007/978-3-030-27223-4_5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
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18
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Gao T, Yin X, Shih C, Rasnitsyn AP, Xu X, Chen S, Wang C, Ren D. New insects feeding on dinosaur feathers in mid-Cretaceous amber. Nat Commun 2019; 10:5424. [PMID: 31822675 PMCID: PMC6904634 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-019-13516-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/30/2019] [Accepted: 11/13/2019] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Due to a lack of Mesozoic fossil records, the origins and early evolution of feather-feeding behaviors by insects are obscure. Here, we report ten nymph specimens of a new lineage of insect, Mesophthirus engeli gen et. sp. nov. within Mesophthiridae fam. nov. from the mid-Cretaceous (ca. 100 Mya) Myanmar (Burmese) amber. This new insect clade shows a series of ectoparasitic morphological characters such as tiny wingless body, head with strong chewing mouthparts, robust and short antennae having long setae, legs with only one single tarsal claw associated with two additional long setae, etc. Most significantly, these insects are preserved with partially damaged dinosaur feathers, the damage of which was probably made by these insects' integument-feeding behaviors. This finding demonstrates that feather-feeding behaviors of insects originated at least in mid-Cretaceous, accompanying the radiation of feathered dinosaurs including early birds.
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Affiliation(s)
- Taiping Gao
- College of Life Sciences and Academy for Multidisciplinary Studies, Capital Normal University, 105 Xisanhuanbeilu Haidian District, 100048, Beijing, China.
| | - Xiangchu Yin
- Northwest Institute of Plateau Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 23 Xinning Road, 810008, Xining, China
| | - Chungkun Shih
- College of Life Sciences and Academy for Multidisciplinary Studies, Capital Normal University, 105 Xisanhuanbeilu Haidian District, 100048, Beijing, China.,Department of Paleobiology, National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC, 20013-7012, USA
| | - Alexandr P Rasnitsyn
- A. A. Borissiak Palaeontological Institute, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia, 117647.,Natural History Museum, Cromwell Road, London, SW7 5BD, UK
| | - Xing Xu
- Key Laboratory of Vertebrate Evolution and Human Origins, Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 100044, Beijing, China.,Center for Excellence in Life and Paleoenvironment, Chinese Academy of Science, Beijing, China
| | - Sha Chen
- College of Life Sciences and Academy for Multidisciplinary Studies, Capital Normal University, 105 Xisanhuanbeilu Haidian District, 100048, Beijing, China
| | - Chen Wang
- School of Health Administration and Education, Capital Medical University, No.10 Xitoutiao, You An Men, 100069, Beijing, China
| | - Dong Ren
- College of Life Sciences and Academy for Multidisciplinary Studies, Capital Normal University, 105 Xisanhuanbeilu Haidian District, 100048, Beijing, China.
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19
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A direct association between amber and dinosaur remains provides paleoecological insights. Sci Rep 2019; 9:17916. [PMID: 31784622 PMCID: PMC6884503 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-019-54400-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/25/2019] [Accepted: 11/08/2019] [Indexed: 11/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Hadrosaurian dinosaurs were abundant in the Late Cretaceous of North America, but their habitats remain poorly understood. Cretaceous amber is also relatively abundant, yet it is seldom found in direct stratigraphic association with dinosaur remains. Here we describe an unusually large amber specimen attached to a Prosaurolophus jaw, which reveals details of the contemporaneous paleoforest and entomofauna. Fourier-transform Infrared spectroscopy and stable isotope composition (H and C) suggest the amber formed from resins exuded by cupressaceous conifers occupying a coastal plain. An aphid within the amber belongs to Cretamyzidae, a Cretaceous family suggested to bark-feed on conifers. Distinct tooth row impressions on the amber match the hadrosaur’s alveolar bone ridges, providing some insight into the taphonomic processes that brought these remains together.
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20
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Hirano T, Asato K, Yamamoto S, Takahashi Y, Chiba S. Cretaceous amber fossils highlight the evolutionary history and morphological conservatism of land snails. Sci Rep 2019; 9:15886. [PMID: 31685840 PMCID: PMC6828811 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-019-51840-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/21/2019] [Accepted: 10/08/2019] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Other than hard bones and shells, it is rare for soft tissues to fossilize, but occasionally they are well-preserved in amber. Here, we focus on both modern and fossilized species of the land snail superfamily Cyclophoroidea. Phylogenetic relationships within the Cyclophoroidea were previously studied using extant species, but timing of divergence within the group remains unclear. In addition, it is difficult to observe morphological traits such as the chitinous operculum and periostracum of fossil snails due to their poor preservation potential. Here we describe nine species including a new genus and five new species of well-preserved fossil cyclophoroideans from the mid-Cretaceous Burmese amber. These fossils include not only the shell, but also the chitinous operculum and periostracum, soft body, and excrements. We present the first estimation of divergence time among cyclophoroidean families using fossil records and molecular data, suggesting extreme morphological conservatism of the Cyclophoroidea for nearly 100 million years.
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Affiliation(s)
- Takahiro Hirano
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Idaho, Moscow, USA.
| | - Kaito Asato
- Faculty of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Tsukuba, Ibaraki, Japan
| | - Shûhei Yamamoto
- Integrative Research Center, Field Museum of Natural History, Chicago, USA
| | - Yui Takahashi
- Muroto Geopark Promotion Committee, Muroto Global Geopark Center, Kochi, Japan
| | - Satoshi Chiba
- Center for Northeast Asian Studies, Tohoku University, Miyagi, Japan.,Graduate school of Life Sciences, Tohoku University, Miyagi, Japan
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21
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Xing L, McKellar RC, O'Connor JK, Niu K, Mai H. A mid-Cretaceous enantiornithine foot and tail feather preserved in Burmese amber. Sci Rep 2019; 9:15513. [PMID: 31664115 PMCID: PMC6820775 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-019-51929-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/20/2019] [Accepted: 10/10/2019] [Indexed: 01/25/2023] Open
Abstract
Since the first skeletal remains of avians preserved in amber were described in 2016, new avian remains trapped in Cretaceous-age Burmese amber continue to be uncovered, revealing a diversity of skeletal and feather morphologies observed nowhere else in the Mesozoic fossil record. Here we describe a foot with digital proportions unlike any previously described enantiornithine or Mesozoic bird. No bones are preserved in the new specimen but the outline of the foot is recorded in a detailed skin surface, which is surrounded by feather inclusions including a partial rachis-dominated feather. Pedal proportions and plumage support identification as an enantiornithine, but unlike previous discoveries the toes are stout with transversely elongated digital pads, and the outer toe appears strongly thickened relative to the inner two digits. The new specimen increases the known diversity and morphological disparity among the Enantiornithes, hinting at a wider range of habitats and behaviours. It also suggests that the Burmese amber avifauna was distinct from other Mesozoic assemblages, with amber entrapment including representatives from unusual small forms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lida Xing
- State Key Laboratory of Biogeology and Environmental Geology, China University of Geosciences, Beijing, 100083, China.
- School of the Earth Sciences and Resources, China University of Geosciences, Beijing, 100083, China.
- Yingliang Stone Nature History Museum, Nan'an, 362300, China.
| | - Ryan C McKellar
- Royal Saskatchewan Museum, Regina, Saskatchewan, S4P 4W7, Canada.
- Biology Department, University of Regina, Regina, Saskatchewan, S4S 0A2, Canada.
- Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, University of Kansas, 1501 Crestline Drive - Suite 140, Lawrence, Kansas, 66045, USA.
| | - Jingmai K O'Connor
- Key Laboratory of Vertebrate Evolution and Human Origins of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology, Beijing, 100044, China
| | - Kecheng Niu
- Yingliang Stone Nature History Museum, Nan'an, 362300, China
| | - Huijuan Mai
- Yunnan Key Laboratory for Palaeobiology, Yunnan University, Kunming, Yunnan, 650091, China
- MEC International Laboratory for Palaeobiology and Palaeoenvironment, Yunnan University, Kunming, Yunnan, 650091, China
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22
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Neubauer TA, Xing L, Jochum A. Land Snail with Periostracal Hairs Preserved in Burmese Amber. iScience 2019; 20:567-574. [PMID: 31611056 PMCID: PMC6834951 DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2019.09.034] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/02/2019] [Revised: 09/03/2019] [Accepted: 09/23/2019] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Excellently preserved fossils often provide important insights into evolutionary histories and adaptations to environmental change in Earth's biogeologic record. Mid-Cretaceous Burmese amber, for example, is a proven reservoir for spectacular findings. Here we document the first record of a fossil land snail with periostracal hairs preserved in amber. We interpret the development of hairs as an adaptation to the tropical forest environment, serving as a mechanism to increase adhesion of the snail to plants during foraging while collecting and transporting seeds in the process. The present record coincides with a major global radiation of angiosperms, a main food resource for terrestrial snails. As such, the expansion of flowering plants likely triggered this evolutionary adaptation and, thus, the diversification of land snails in the Cretaceous. We document the oldest fossil record of a hairy land snail The hairs are interpreted as adaptation to a tropical forest environment Hairs are suggested to increase adhesion to plants during foraging The adaptation was potentially caused by the coeval radiation of flowering plants
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Affiliation(s)
- Thomas A Neubauer
- Department of Animal Ecology & Systematics, Justus Liebig University, 35392 Giessen, Germany; Naturalis Biodiversity Center, 2300 RA Leiden, the Netherlands.
| | - Lida Xing
- State Key Laboratory of Biogeology and Environmental Geology, China University of Geosciences, Beijing 100083, China; School of the Earth Sciences and Resources, China University of Geosciences, Beijing 100083, China.
| | - Adrienne Jochum
- Naturhistorisches Museum der Burgergemeinde Bern, 3005 Bern, Switzerland; Institute of Ecology and Evolution, University of Bern, 3012 Bern, Switzerland; Senckenberg Forschungsinstitut und Naturmuseum, 60325 Frankfurt am Main, Germany
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23
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Jiang T, Szwedo J, Wang B. A unique camouflaged mimarachnid planthopper from mid-Cretaceous Burmese amber. Sci Rep 2019; 9:13112. [PMID: 31511621 PMCID: PMC6739471 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-019-49414-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/11/2019] [Accepted: 08/13/2019] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Predation is a major driving force for the evolution of functional forms. Avoidance of visual predators has resulted in different kinds of anti-predator defences, such as: camouflage, crypsis, disruptive coloration, and masquerade or mimesis. Camouflage is one of the forms involving shape, colouration, structure and behaviour when the visual pattern and orientation of an animal can determine whether it lives or dies. Inferring the behaviour and function of an ancient organism from its fossilised remains is a difficult task, but in many cases it closely resembles that of its descendants on uniformitarian grounds. Here we report and discuss examples of morphological and behavioural traits involving camouflage named recently as a flatoidinisation syndrome, shown by the inclusion of a planthopper in mid-Cretaceous Burmese amber. We found a new genus and species of an extinct Cretaceous planthopper family Mimarachnidae showing peculiar complex morphological adaptations to camouflage it on tree bark. Due to convergence, it resembles an unrelated tropiduchid planthopper from Eocene Baltic amber and also a modern representatives of the planthopper family Flatidae. Flattening of the body, the horizontal position of the tegmina at repose, tegmina with an undulating margin and elevated, wavy longitudinal veins, together with colouration and more sedentary behavioral traits enable these different insects to avoid predators. Our discovery reveals flatoidinisation syndrome in mid-Cretaceous Burmese amber which may provide insights into the processes of natural selection and evolution in this ancient forest.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tian Jiang
- China University of Geosciences (Beijing), No. 29 Xueyuan Road, Haidian district, Beijing, 100083, China
- State Key Laboratory of Palaeobiology and Stratigraphy, Nanjing Institute of Geology and Palaeontology and Center for Excellence in Life and Paleoenvironment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 39 East Beijing Road, Nanjing, 210008, China
| | - Jacek Szwedo
- State Key Laboratory of Palaeobiology and Stratigraphy, Nanjing Institute of Geology and Palaeontology and Center for Excellence in Life and Paleoenvironment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 39 East Beijing Road, Nanjing, 210008, China.
- Laboratory of Evolutionary Entomology and Museum of Amber Inclusions, Department of Invertebrate Zoology and Parasitology, Faculty of Biology, University of Gdańsk, 59, Wita Stwosza St., PL80-308, Gdańsk, Poland.
| | - Bo Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Palaeobiology and Stratigraphy, Nanjing Institute of Geology and Palaeontology and Center for Excellence in Life and Paleoenvironment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 39 East Beijing Road, Nanjing, 210008, China
- Key Laboratory of Zoological Systematics and Evolution, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100101, China
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24
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Havstad JC, Smith NA. Fossils with Feathers and Philosophy of Science. Syst Biol 2019; 68:840-851. [PMID: 30753719 PMCID: PMC6701454 DOI: 10.1093/sysbio/syz010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/08/2018] [Revised: 02/05/2019] [Accepted: 02/06/2019] [Indexed: 01/14/2023] Open
Abstract
The last half century of paleornithological research has transformed the way that biologists perceive the evolutionary history of birds. This transformation has been driven, since 1969, by a series of exciting fossil discoveries combined with intense scientific debate over how best to interpret these discoveries. Ideally, as evidence accrues and results accumulate, interpretive scientific agreement forms. But this has not entirely happened in the debate over avian origins: the accumulation of scientific evidence and analyses has had some effect, but not a conclusive one, in terms of resolving the question of avian origins. Although the majority of biologists have come to accept that birds are dinosaurs, there is lingering and, in some quarters, strident opposition to this view. In order to both understand the ongoing disagreement about avian origins and generate a prediction about the future of the debate, here we use a revised model of scientific practice to assess the current and historical state of play surrounding the topic of bird evolutionary origins. Many scientists are familiar with the metascientific scholars Sir Karl Popper and Thomas Kuhn, and these are the primary figures that have been appealed to so far, in prior attempts to assess the dispute. But we demonstrate that a variation of Imre Lakatos's model of progressive versus degenerative research programmes provides a novel and productive assessment of the debate. We establish that a refurbished Lakatosian account both explains the intractability of the dispute and predicts a likely outcome for the debate about avian origins. In short, here, we offer a metascientific tool for rationally assessing competing theories-one that allows researchers involved in seemingly intractable scientific disputes to advance their debates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joyce C Havstad
- Department of Philosophy, Oakland University, 146 Library Drive, Rochester, MI 48309, USA
| | - N Adam Smith
- Campbell Geology Museum, Clemson University, 140 Discovery Lane, Clemson SC 29634, USA
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25
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Persons WS, Currie PJ. Feather evolution exemplifies sexually selected bridges across the adaptive landscape. Evolution 2019; 73:1686-1694. [PMID: 31359437 DOI: 10.1111/evo.13795] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/24/2019] [Accepted: 06/17/2019] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
Over the last two decades, paleontologists have pieced together the early evolutionary history of feathers. Simple hair-like feathers served as insulating pelage, but the first feathers with complex branching structures and a plainer form evolved for the purpose of sexual display. The evolution of these complex display feathers was essential to the later evolution of flight. Feathers illustrate how sexual selection can generate complex novel phenotypes, which are then available for natural selection to modify and direct toward novel functions. In the longstanding metaphor of the adaptive landscape, sexual selection is a means by which lineages resting on one adaptive peak may gradually bridge a gap to another peak, without the landscape itself being first altered by environmental changes.
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Affiliation(s)
- W Scott Persons
- Mace Brown Museum of Natural History, College of Charleston, Charleston, South Carolina, 29424
| | - Philip J Currie
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, T6G 2E9, Canada
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26
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Schweitzer MH, Schroeter ER, Cleland TP, Zheng W. Paleoproteomics of Mesozoic Dinosaurs and Other Mesozoic Fossils. Proteomics 2019; 19:e1800251. [PMID: 31172628 DOI: 10.1002/pmic.201800251] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/11/2018] [Revised: 05/07/2019] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
Molecular studies have contributed greatly to our understanding of evolutionary processes that act upon virtually every aspect of living organisms. However, these studies are limited with regard to extinct organisms, particularly those from the Mesozoic because fossils pose unique challenges to molecular workflows, and because prevailing wisdom suggests no endogenous molecular components can persist into deep time. Here, the power and potential of a molecular approach to Mesozoic fossils is discussed. Molecular methods that have been applied to Mesozoic fossils-including iconic, non-avian dinosaurs- and the challenges inherent in such analyses, are compared and evaluated. Taphonomic processes resulting in the transition of living organisms from the biosphere into the fossil record are reviewed, and the possible effects of taphonomic alteration on downstream analyses that can be problematic for very old material (e.g., molecular modifications, limitations of on comparative databases) are addressed. Molecular studies applied to ancient remains are placed in historical context, and past and current studies are evaluated with respect to producing phylogenetically and/or evolutionarily significant data. Finally, some criteria for assessing the presence of endogenous biomolecules in very ancient fossil remains are suggested as a starting framework for such studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mary Higby Schweitzer
- Department of Biological Sciences, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, 27695, NC.,North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences, Raleigh, NC.,Museum of the Rockies, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT.,Department of Geology, Lund University, Sölvegatan 12, SE-223 62, Lund, Sweden
| | - Elena R Schroeter
- Department of Biological Sciences, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, 27695, NC
| | - Timothy P Cleland
- Museum Conservation Institute, Smithsonian Institution, Suitland, 20746, MD
| | - Wenxia Zheng
- Department of Biological Sciences, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, 27695, NC
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27
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Lambertz M. Phylogenetic placement, developmental trajectories and evolutionary implications of a feathered dinosaur tail in Mid-Cretaceous amber. Curr Biol 2019; 27:R215-R216. [PMID: 28324734 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2017.01.029] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
In a recent report in Current Biology, Xing and colleagues [1] present a small fragment of a vertebrate tail preserved in amber that bears integumentary appendages (DIP-V-15103, Dexu Institute of Paleontology, Chaozhou, China; Figure 1). Following several analyses using cutting-edge technology the authors conclude that: the tail belongs to a non-avian theropod dinosaur (non-avialan according to the authors, but non-avian used synonymously here); the dinosaur most likely was a member of the Coelurosauria, possibly even Maniraptora; and, the integumentary appendages are feathers that support a barbule-first evolutionary pattern for feathers. DIP-V-15103 is indeed an intriguing specimen with potential implications for contributing to understanding the evolution of feathers among dinosaurs, which remains a current and undoubtedly controversial topic [2,3]. However, I would like to raise several concerns about the available evidence for the phylogenetic hypothesis concerning the placement of DIP-V-15103 as concluded by Xing and colleagues [1], and furthermore discuss the developmental trajectories predicted by them in light of their far-reaching evolutionary implications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Markus Lambertz
- Institut für Zoologie, Rheinische Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität Bonn, 53115 Bonn, Germany. Sektion Herpetologie, Zoologisches Forschungsmuseum Alexander Koenig, 53113 Bonn, Germany.
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28
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Stoev P, Moritz L, Wesener T. Dwarfs under dinosaur legs: a new millipede of the order Callipodida (Diplopoda) from Cretaceous amber of Burma. Zookeys 2019; 841:79-96. [PMID: 31148918 PMCID: PMC6529722 DOI: 10.3897/zookeys.841.34991] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/29/2019] [Accepted: 04/23/2019] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
The entire Mesozoic Era is rather poor in millipede (class Diplopoda) fossils, with less than a dozen species being taxonomically described. Here, we describe the first fossil millipede of the order Callipodida, Burmanopetaluminexpectatum gen. nov. et sp. nov., found in early Cenomanian amber of Burma, 98.79±0.62 Mya. The species possesses a number of morphological traits that exclude it from all extant suborders, and Burmanopetalidea suborder nov. and Burmanopetalidae fam. nov. are here erected to accommodate it. The new suborder can be recognized by the following unique characters: pleurotergal setae absent; telson with a specific spatulate shape twice the size of the penultimate body ring; hypoproct devoid of setae; and eyes composed of five well-separated ommatidia. While the callipodidan habitus seems to have remained generally unchanged for at least 99 million years, pleurotergal and hypoproctal setation, as well as the complexity of eyes in ground-dwelling forms may have evolved recently in the order. As B.inexpectatum gen. nov. et sp. nov. is the first true callipodidan in the fossil record, the minimum age of Callipodida is thus at least 99 Mya.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pavel Stoev
- National Museum of Natural History, Sofia, Tsar Osvoboditel Blvd. 1, Sofia 1000, BulgariaNational Museum of Natural HistorySofiaBulgaria
- Pensoft Publishers, Sofia, BulgariaPensoft PublishersSofiaBulgaria
| | - Leif Moritz
- Zoological Research Museum Alexander Koenig (ZFMK), Leibniz Institute for Animal Biodiversity, Adenauerallee 160, D-53113, Bonn, GermanyZoological Research Museum Alexander Koenig, Leibniz Institute for Animal BiodiversityBonnGermany
| | - Thomas Wesener
- Zoological Research Museum Alexander Koenig (ZFMK), Leibniz Institute for Animal Biodiversity, Adenauerallee 160, D-53113, Bonn, GermanyZoological Research Museum Alexander Koenig, Leibniz Institute for Animal BiodiversityBonnGermany
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Bauer AM. Gecko Adhesion in Space and Time: A Phylogenetic Perspective on the Scansorial Success Story. Integr Comp Biol 2019; 59:117-130. [DOI: 10.1093/icb/icz020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Abstract
An evolutionary perspective on gecko adhesion was previously hampered by a lack of an explicit phylogeny for the group and of robust comparative methods to study trait evolution, an underappreciation for the taxonomic and structural diversity of geckos, and a dearth of fossil evidence bearing directly on the origin of the scansorial apparatus. With a multigene dataset as the basis for a comprehensive gekkotan phylogeny, model-based methods have recently been employed to estimate the number of unique derivations of the adhesive system and its role in lineage diversification. Evidence points to a single basal origin of the spinulate oberhautchen layer of the epidermis, which is a necessary precursor for the subsequent elaboration of a functional adhesive mechanism in geckos. However, multiple gains and losses are implicated for the elaborated setae that are necessary for adhesion via van der Waals forces. The well-supported phylogeny of gekkotans has demonstrated that convergence and parallelism in digital design are even more prevalent than previously believed. It also permits the reexamination of previously collected morphological data in an explicitly evolutionary context. Both time-calibrated trees and recently discovered amber fossils that preserve gecko toepads suggest that a fully-functional adhesive apparatus was not only present, but also represented by diverse architectures, by the mid-Cretaceous. Further characterization and phylogenetically-informed analyses of the other components of the adhesive system (muscles, tendons, blood sinuses, etc.) will permit a more comprehensive reconstruction of the evolutionary pathway(s) by which geckos have achieved their structural and taxonomic diversity. A phylogenetic perspective can meaningfully inform functional and performance studies of gecko adhesion and locomotion and can contribute to advances in bioinspired materials.
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Affiliation(s)
- A M Bauer
- Department of Biology, Villanova University, 800 Lancaster Avenue, Villanova, PA 19085, USA
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Xing L, McKellar RC, O'Connor JK, Bai M, Tseng K, Chiappe LM. A fully feathered enantiornithine foot and wing fragment preserved in mid-Cretaceous Burmese amber. Sci Rep 2019; 9:927. [PMID: 30700773 PMCID: PMC6353931 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-018-37427-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/01/2018] [Accepted: 11/30/2018] [Indexed: 11/08/2022] Open
Abstract
Over the last three years, Burmese amber (~99 Ma, from Myanmar) has provided a series of immature enantiornithine skeletal remains preserved in varying developmental stages and degrees of completeness. These specimens have improved our knowledge based on compression fossils in Cretaceous sedimentary rocks, adding details of three-dimensional structure and soft tissues that are rarely preserved elsewhere. Here we describe a remarkably well-preserved foot, accompanied by part of the wing plumage. These body parts were likely dismembered, entering the resin due to predatory or scavenging behaviour by a larger animal. The new specimen preserves contour feathers on the pedal phalanges together with enigmatic scutellae scale filament (SSF) feathers on the foot, providing direct analogies to the plumage patterns observed in modern birds, and those cultivated through developmental manipulation studies. Ultimately, this connection may allow researchers to observe how filamentous dinosaur 'protofeathers' developed-testing theories using evolutionary holdovers in modern birds.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lida Xing
- State Key Laboratory of Biogeology and Environmental Geology, China University of Geosciences, Beijing, 100083, China
- School of the Earth Sciences and Resources, China University of Geosciences, Beijing, 100083, China
| | - Ryan C McKellar
- Royal Saskatchewan Museum, Regina, Saskatchewan, S4P 4W7, Canada.
- Biology Department, University of Regina, Regina, Saskatchewan, S4S 0A2, Canada.
- Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, 1501 Crestline Drive - Suite 140, University of Kansas, Lawrence, Kansas, 66045, USA.
| | - Jingmai K O'Connor
- Key Laboratory of Vertebrate Evolution and Human Origins of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology, Beijing, 100044, China.
| | - Ming Bai
- Key Laboratory of Zoological Systematics and Evolution, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100101, China
| | - Kuowei Tseng
- Department of Exercise and Health Science, University of Taipei, Taipei, 11153, China
| | - Luis M Chiappe
- Dinosaur Institute, Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County, Los Angeles, CA, 90007, USA
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The Weevil Fauna Preserved in Burmese Amber—Snapshot of a Unique, Extinct Lineage (Coleoptera: Curculionoidea). DIVERSITY-BASEL 2018. [DOI: 10.3390/d11010001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Only a few weevils have been described from Burmese amber, and although most have been misclassified, they show unusual and specialised characters unknown in extant weevils. In this paper, we present the results of a study of a much larger and more diverse selection of Burmese amber weevils. We prepared all amber blocks to maximise visibility of structures and examined these with high-magnification light microscopy as well as CT scanning (selected specimens). We redescribe most previously described taxa and describe 52 new species in 26 new genera, accompanied by photographs. We compare critical characters of these weevils with those of extant taxa and outline the effects of distortion on their preservation and interpretation. We conclude that only two weevil families are thus far represented in Burmese amber, Nemonychidae and a newly recognised family, Mesophyletidae, which appears closely related to Attelabidae but cannot be accommodated in this family. The geniculate antennae and long rostrum with exodont mandibles of most Mesophyletidae indicate that they were highly specialised phytophages of early angiosperms preserved in the amber, likely ovipositing in flowers or seeds. This weevil fauna appears to represent an extinct mid-Cretaceous ecosystem and fills a critical gap in the fossil record of weevils.
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Liu Q, Lu X, Zhang Q, Chen J, Zheng X, Zhang W, Liu X, Wang B. High niche diversity in Mesozoic pollinating lacewings. Nat Commun 2018; 9:3793. [PMID: 30224679 PMCID: PMC6141599 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-018-06120-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/11/2018] [Accepted: 08/06/2018] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Niche diversity of pollinating insects plays a vital role in maintaining extant terrestrial ecosystems. A key dimension of pollination niches refers to the insect proboscis length that commonly matches the floral tube length. Here we describe new kalligrammatid lacewings (an iconic Mesozoic pollinating insect lineage) from late Cretaceous Burmese amber and Mesozoic sediments in China. Kalligrammatids display complex configurations of elongate mouthpart elements consisting of well-developed maxillae, labium and their palps. The mouthpart lengths vary among species, from 0.6 to 18.0 mm, suggesting corresponding variability in the floral tube lengths of Mesozoic plants. With the diversification of pollinating habits, the kalligrammatids presented highly divergent traits related to chemical communication and defence mechanisms. Together with other Mesozoic long-proboscid insects, these fossils not only reveal the high niche diversity of Mesozoic pollinating insects but also highlight the diversity of Mesozoic pollinator-dependent plants prior to the rise of angiosperms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qing Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Palaeobiology and Stratigraphy, Center for Excellence in Life and Paleoenvironment, Nanjing Institute of Geology and Palaeontology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 210008, Nanjing, China
| | - Xiumei Lu
- Department of Entomology, China Agricultural University, 100193, Beijing, China
| | - Qingqing Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Palaeobiology and Stratigraphy, Center for Excellence in Life and Paleoenvironment, Nanjing Institute of Geology and Palaeontology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 210008, Nanjing, China
| | - Jun Chen
- State Key Laboratory of Palaeobiology and Stratigraphy, Center for Excellence in Life and Paleoenvironment, Nanjing Institute of Geology and Palaeontology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 210008, Nanjing, China
- Institute of Geology and Paleontology, Linyi University, 276000, Linyi, China
| | - Xiaoting Zheng
- Institute of Geology and Paleontology, Linyi University, 276000, Linyi, China
| | - Weiwei Zhang
- Three Gorges Entomological Museum, P.O. Box 4680, 400015, Chongqing, China
| | - Xingyue Liu
- Department of Entomology, China Agricultural University, 100193, Beijing, China.
| | - Bo Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Palaeobiology and Stratigraphy, Center for Excellence in Life and Paleoenvironment, Nanjing Institute of Geology and Palaeontology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 210008, Nanjing, China.
- Key Laboratory of Zoological Systematics and Evolution, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Science, 100101, Beijing, China.
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Xing L, Caldwell MW, Chen R, Nydam RL, Palci A, Simões TR, McKellar RC, Lee MSY, Liu Y, Shi H, Wang K, Bai M. A mid-Cretaceous embryonic-to-neonate snake in amber from Myanmar. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2018; 4:eaat5042. [PMID: 30035227 PMCID: PMC6051735 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.aat5042] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/05/2018] [Accepted: 06/27/2018] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
We present the first known fossilized snake embryo/neonate preserved in early Late Cretaceous (Early Cenomanian) amber from Myanmar, which at the time, was an island arc including terranes from Austral Gondwana. This unique and very tiny snake fossil is an articulated postcranial skeleton, which includes posterior precloacal, cloacal, and caudal vertebrae, and details of squamation and body shape; a second specimen preserves a fragment of shed skin interpreted as a snake. Important details of skeletal ontogeny, including the stage at which snake zygosphene-zygantral joints began to form along with the neural arch lamina, are preserved. The vertebrae show similarities to those of fossil Gondwanan snakes, suggesting a dispersal route of Gondwanan faunas to Laurasia. Finally, the new species is the first Mesozoic snake to be found in a forested environment, indicating greater ecological diversity among early snakes than previously thought.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lida Xing
- State Key Laboratory of Biogeology and Environmental Geology, China University of Geosciences, Beijing 100083, China
- School of the Earth Sciences and Resources, China University of Geosciences, Beijing 100083, China
| | - Michael W. Caldwell
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta T6G 2E9, Canada
| | - Rui Chen
- Key Laboratory of Zoological Systematics and Evolution, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
| | - Randall L. Nydam
- Department of Anatomy, Midwestern University, Glendale, AZ 85308, USA
| | - Alessandro Palci
- South Australian Museum, North Terrace, Adelaide, South Australia 5000, Australia
- College of Science and Engineering, Flinders University, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia
| | - Tiago R. Simões
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta T6G 2E9, Canada
| | - Ryan C. McKellar
- Royal Saskatchewan Museum, Regina, Saskatchewan S4P 4W7, Canada
- Biology Department, University of Regina, Regina, Saskatchewan S4S 0A2, Canada
| | - Michael S. Y. Lee
- South Australian Museum, North Terrace, Adelaide, South Australia 5000, Australia
- College of Science and Engineering, Flinders University, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia
| | - Ye Liu
- Key Laboratory of Zoological Systematics and Evolution, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
- Paleo-diary Museum of Natural History, Beijing 100097, China
| | | | - Kuan Wang
- Paleo-diary Museum of Natural History, Beijing 100097, China
| | - Ming Bai
- Key Laboratory of Zoological Systematics and Evolution, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
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The earliest direct evidence of frogs in wet tropical forests from Cretaceous Burmese amber. Sci Rep 2018; 8:8770. [PMID: 29904068 PMCID: PMC6002357 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-018-26848-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/10/2018] [Accepted: 05/16/2018] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Frogs are a familiar and diverse component of tropical forests around the world. Yet there is little direct evidence from the fossil record for the antiquity of this association. We describe four fossil frog specimens from mid-Cretaceous (~99 mya) amber deposits from Kachin State, Myanmar for which the associated fauna provides rich paleoenvironmental context. Microcomputed tomographic analysis provides detailed three-dimensional anatomy for these small frogs, which is generally unavailable for articulated anurans in the Mesozoic. These crown-group anuran specimens provide the earliest direct evidence for anurans in a wet tropical forest. Based on a distinct combination of skeletal characters, at least one specimen has clear similarities to living alytoid frogs as well as several Mesozoic taxa known from the Jehol Biota in China. Whereas many Mesozoic frogs are from seasonal and mesic paleoenvironments, these fossils provide the earliest direct evidence of anurans in wet tropical forests.
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36
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Avian tail ontogeny, pygostyle formation, and interpretation of juvenile Mesozoic specimens. Sci Rep 2018; 8:9014. [PMID: 29899503 PMCID: PMC5997987 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-018-27336-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/27/2018] [Accepted: 05/23/2018] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
The avian tail played a critical role in the evolutionary transition from long- to short-tailed birds, yet its ontogeny in extant birds has largely been ignored. This deficit has hampered efforts to effectively identify intermediate species during the Mesozoic transition to short tails. Here we show that fusion of distal vertebrae into the pygostyle structure does not occur in extant birds until near skeletal maturity, and mineralization of vertebral processes also occurs long after hatching. Evidence for post-hatching pygostyle formation is also demonstrated in two Cretaceous specimens, a juvenile enantiornithine and a subadult basal ornithuromorph. These findings call for reinterpretations of Zhongornis haoae, a Cretaceous bird hypothesized to be an intermediate in the long- to short-tailed bird transition, and of the recently discovered coelurosaur tail embedded in amber. Zhongornis, as a juvenile, may not yet have formed a pygostyle, and the amber-embedded tail specimen is reinterpreted as possibly avian. Analyses of relative pygostyle lengths in extant and Cretaceous birds suggests the number of vertebrae incorporated into the pygostyle has varied considerably, further complicating the interpretation of potential transitional species. In addition, this analysis of avian tail development reveals the generation and loss of intervertebral discs in the pygostyle, vertebral bodies derived from different kinds of cartilage, and alternative modes of caudal vertebral process morphogenesis in birds. These findings demonstrate that avian tail ontogeny is a crucial parameter specifically for the interpretation of Mesozoic specimens, and generally for insights into vertebrae formation.
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37
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Saitta ET, Clapham C, Vinther J. Experimental subaqueous burial of a bird carcass and compaction of plumage. PALAONTOLOGISCHE ZEITSCHRIFT 2018; 92:727-732. [PMID: 30524148 PMCID: PMC6244563 DOI: 10.1007/s12542-018-0411-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/23/2017] [Accepted: 05/04/2018] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
'Exceptional fossils' of dinosaurs preserving feathers have radically changed the way we view their paleobiology and the evolution of birds. Understanding how such soft tissues preserve is imperative to accurately interpreting the morphology of fossil feathers. Experimental taphonomy has been integral to such investigations. One such experiment used a printing press to mimic compaction, done subaerially and without sediment burial, and concluded that the leaking of bodily fluid could lead to the clumping of feathers by causing barbs to stick together such that they superficially resemble simpler, less derived, filamentous structures. Here we use a novel, custom-built experimental setup to more accurately mimic subaqueous burial and compaction under low-energy, fine-grain depositional environments applicable to the taphonomic settings most plumage-preserving 'exceptional fossils' are found in. We find that when submerged and subsequently buried and compacted, feathers do not clump together and they maintain their original arrangement. Submersion in fluid in and of itself does not lead to clumping of barbs; this would only occur upon pulling feathers out from water into air. Furthermore, sediment encases the feathers, fixing them in place during compaction. Thus, feather clumping that leads to erroneously plesiomorphic morphological interpretations may not be a taphonomic factor of concern when examining fossil feathers. Our current methodology is amenable to further improvements that will continue to more accurately mimic subaqueous burial and compaction, allowing for various hypothesis testing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Evan T. Saitta
- School of Earth Sciences, University of Bristol, Wills Memorial Building, Queens Rd, Bristol, BS8 1RJ UK
- Integrative Research Center, Section of Earth Sciences, Field Museum of Natural History, 1400 S. Lake Shore Dr., Chicago, IL 60605 USA
| | - Charles Clapham
- School of Earth Sciences, University of Bristol, Wills Memorial Building, Queens Rd, Bristol, BS8 1RJ UK
| | - Jakob Vinther
- School of Earth Sciences, University of Bristol, Wills Memorial Building, Queens Rd, Bristol, BS8 1RJ UK
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Bristol, Life Sciences Building, Tyndall Avenue, Bristol, BS8 1TQ UK
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38
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Xing L, O'Connor JK, McKellar RC, Chiappe LM, Bai M, Tseng K, Zhang J, Yang H, Fang J, Li G. A flattened enantiornithine in mid-Cretaceous Burmese amber: morphology and preservation. Sci Bull (Beijing) 2018; 63:235-243. [PMID: 36659012 DOI: 10.1016/j.scib.2018.01.019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/11/2017] [Revised: 01/02/2018] [Accepted: 01/03/2018] [Indexed: 01/21/2023]
Abstract
Cretaceous amber from Myanmar (∼99 Ma Burmese amber) has become a valuable supplement to the traditional skeletal record of small theropod dinosaurs preserved in sedimentary rocks, particularly for coelurosaurs and enantiornithines. The specimens recovered from this deposit preserve skeletal material and soft tissues in unmatched detail. This provides opportunities to study three-dimensional preservation of soft tissues, microstructure, and pigmentation patterns that are seldom available elsewhere in the fossil record. Ultimately, this line of research provides insights into life stages that are difficult to preserve, the ecology and appearance of the groups involved, and the evolutionary-development of structures such as feathers. Here we describe the most recent discovery from Burmese amber, an articulated skeleton of an enantiornithine bird. This individual has been sectioned along the coronal plane, providing a unique view inside multiple body regions. Osteological observations and plumage patterns support placement within the Enantiornithes, and suggest that the animal may have been a juvenile at the time of death. The specimen has a complex taphonomic history that includes exposure at the surface of a resin flow prior to encapsulation, and may include scavenging by some of the insects trapped within the same amber piece. The chemical composition observed along surface exposures and shallowly buried regions of the body indicate that the specimen has not undergone significant exchange with its surroundings. High iron concentrations are present in regions that preserve soft tissues as carbon films, and calcium distribution corresponds to regions where bones breach the surface of the amber.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lida Xing
- State Key Laboratory of Biogeology and Environmental Geology, China University of Geosciences, Beijing 100083, China; School of the Earth Sciences and Resources, China University of Geosciences, Beijing 100083, China
| | - Jingmai K O'Connor
- Key Laboratory of Vertebrate Evolution and Human Origins of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology, Beijing 100044, China
| | - Ryan C McKellar
- Royal Saskatchewan Museum, Regina, Saskatchewan S4P 4W7, Canada; Biology Department, University of Regina, Regina, Saskatchewan S4S 0A2, Canada; Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Kansas, Lawrence 66045, USA.
| | - Luis M Chiappe
- Dinosaur Institute, Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County, Los Angeles 90007, USA
| | - Ming Bai
- Key Laboratory of Zoological Systematics and Evolution, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
| | - Kuowei Tseng
- Department of Exercise and Health Science, University of Taipei, Taipei 11153, China
| | - Jie Zhang
- Institute of High Energy Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Haidong Yang
- Key Laboratory of Zoological Systematics and Evolution, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
| | - Jun Fang
- School of the Earth Sciences and Resources, China University of Geosciences, Beijing 100083, China
| | - Gang Li
- Institute of High Energy Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China.
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Negro JJ, Finlayson C, Galván I. Melanins in Fossil Animals: Is It Possible to Infer Life History Traits from the Coloration of Extinct Species? Int J Mol Sci 2018; 19:ijms19020230. [PMID: 29360744 PMCID: PMC5855542 DOI: 10.3390/ijms19020230] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/19/2017] [Revised: 01/17/2018] [Accepted: 01/22/2018] [Indexed: 01/31/2023] Open
Abstract
Paleo-colour scientists have recently made the transition from describing melanin-based colouration in fossil specimens to inferring life-history traits of the species involved. Two such cases correspond to counter-shaded dinosaurs: dark-coloured due to melanins dorsally, and light-coloured ventrally. We believe that colour reconstruction of fossils based on the shape of preserved microstructures—the majority of paleo-colour studies involve melanin granules—is not without risks. In addition, animals with contrasting dorso-ventral colouration may be under different selection pressures beyond the need for camouflage, including, for instance, visual communication or ultraviolet (UV) protection. Melanin production is costly, and animals may invest less in areas of the integument where pigments are less needed. In addition, melanocytes exposed to UV radiation produce more melanin than unexposed melanocytes. Pigment economization may thus explain the colour pattern of some counter-shaded animals, including extinct species. Even in well-studied extant species, their diversity of hues and patterns is far from being understood; inferring colours and their functions in species only known from one or few specimens from the fossil record should be exerted with special prudence.
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Affiliation(s)
- Juan J Negro
- Department of Evolutionary Ecology, Doñana Biological Station-CSIC, 41092 Sevilla, Spain.
| | - Clive Finlayson
- The Gibraltar Museum, Gibraltar GX11 1AA, UK.
- Department of Anthropology, University of Toronto, Scarborough, ON M1C 1A4, Canada.
| | - Ismael Galván
- Department of Evolutionary Ecology, Doñana Biological Station-CSIC, 41092 Sevilla, Spain.
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A gigantic marine ostracod (Crustacea: Myodocopa) trapped in mid-Cretaceous Burmese amber. Sci Rep 2018; 8:1365. [PMID: 29358761 PMCID: PMC5778021 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-018-19877-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/16/2017] [Accepted: 01/09/2018] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
The mid-Cretaceous Burmese amber (~99 Ma, Myanmar), widely known for exquisite preservation of theropods, also yields microfossils, which can provide important contextual information on paleoenvironment and amber formation. We report the first Cretaceous ostracod in amber—the gigantic (12.9 mm) right valve of an exclusively marine group (Myodocopa: Myodocopida) preserved in Burmese amber. Ostracods are usually small (0.5–2 mm), with well-calcified carapaces that provide an excellent fossil record extending to at least the Ordovician (~485 million years ago), but they are rarely encountered in amber. The new specimen effectively doubles the age of the ostracod amber record, offering the first representative of the Myodocopa, a weakly calcified group with a poor fossil record. Its carapace morphology is atypical and likely plesiomorphic. The preserved valve appears to be either a moulted exuvium or a dead and disarticulated specimen, and subsequent resin flows contain forest floor inclusions with terrestrial arthropods, i.e., fragmentary remains of spiders, and insect frass. These features resolve an enigmatic taphonomic pathway, and support a marginal marine setting for resin production.
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Bertolesi GE, McFarlane S. Seeing the light to change colour: An evolutionary perspective on the role of melanopsin in neuroendocrine circuits regulating light-mediated skin pigmentation. Pigment Cell Melanoma Res 2018; 31:354-373. [PMID: 29239123 DOI: 10.1111/pcmr.12678] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/20/2017] [Accepted: 12/05/2017] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
Melanopsin photopigments, Opn4x and Opn4m, were evolutionary selected to "see the light" in systems that regulate skin colour change. In this review, we analyse the roles of melanopsins, and how critical evolutionary developments, including the requirement for thermoregulation and ultraviolet protection, the emergence of a background adaptation mechanism in land-dwelling amphibian ancestors and the loss of a photosensitive pineal gland in mammals, may have helped sculpt the mechanisms that regulate light-controlled skin pigmentation. These mechanisms include melanopsin in skin pigment cells directly inducing skin darkening for thermoregulation/ultraviolet protection; melanopsin-expressing eye cells controlling neuroendocrine circuits to mediate background adaptation in amphibians in response to surface-reflected light; and pineal gland secretion of melatonin phased to environmental illuminance to regulate circadian and seasonal variation in skin colour, a process initiated by melanopsin-expressing eye cells in mammals, and by as yet unknown non-visual opsins in the pineal gland of non-mammals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gabriel E Bertolesi
- Hotchkiss Brain Institute, Alberta Children's Hospital Research Institute, Department of Cell Biology and Anatomy, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada
| | - Sarah McFarlane
- Hotchkiss Brain Institute, Alberta Children's Hospital Research Institute, Department of Cell Biology and Anatomy, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada
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parasitised feathered dinosaurs as revealed by Cretaceous amber assemblages. Nat Commun 2017; 8:1924. [PMID: 29233973 PMCID: PMC5727220 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-017-01550-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 57] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/19/2017] [Accepted: 09/27/2017] [Indexed: 11/08/2022] Open
Abstract
Ticks are currently among the most prevalent blood-feeding ectoparasites, but their feeding habits and hosts in deep time have long remained speculative. Here, we report direct and indirect evidence in 99 million-year-old Cretaceous amber showing that hard ticks and ticks of the extinct new family Deinocrotonidae fed on blood from feathered dinosaurs, non-avialan or avialan excluding crown-group birds. A †Cornupalpatum burmanicum hard tick is entangled in a pennaceous feather. Two deinocrotonids described as †Deinocroton draculi gen. et sp. nov. have specialised setae from dermestid beetle larvae (hastisetae) attached to their bodies, likely indicating cohabitation in a feathered dinosaur nest. A third conspecific specimen is blood-engorged, its anatomical features suggesting that deinocrotonids fed rapidly to engorgement and had multiple gonotrophic cycles. These findings provide insight into early tick evolution and ecology, and shed light on poorly known arthropod-vertebrate interactions and potential disease transmission during the Mesozoic.
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Xing L, McKellar RC, Xu X, Li G, Bai M, Persons WS, Miyashita T, Benton MJ, Zhang J, Wolfe AP, Yi Q, Tseng K, Ran H, Currie PJ. Response to: Phylogenetic placement, developmental trajectories and evolutionary implications of a feathered dinosaur tail in Mid-Cretaceous amber. Curr Biol 2017; 27:R216-R217. [PMID: 28324735 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2017.02.023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
In his correspondence, Markus Lambertz [1] raises some concerns about the phylogenetic placement and feather development of DIP-V-15103, the amber-entombed tail section that we recently reported [2] as fragmentary remains of a non-pygostylian coelurosaur (likely within the basal part of Coelurosauria). We here would like to respond to these concerns.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lida Xing
- State Key Laboratory of Biogeology and Environmental Geology, China University of Geosciences, Beijing 100083, China; School of the Earth Sciences and Resources, China University of Geosciences, Beijing, 100083, China.
| | - Ryan C McKellar
- Royal Saskatchewan Museum, Regina, Saskatchewan, S4P 4W7, Canada; Biology Department, University of Regina, Regina, Saskatchewan, S4S 0A2, Canada.
| | - Xing Xu
- Key Laboratory of Vertebrate Evolution and Human Origins, Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100044, China
| | - Gang Li
- Institute of High Energy Physics, Chinese Academy of Science, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Ming Bai
- Key Laboratory of Zoological Systematics and Evolution, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100101, China
| | - W Scott Persons
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, T6G 2E9, Canada
| | - Tetsuto Miyashita
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, T6G 2E9, Canada
| | - Michael J Benton
- School of Earth Sciences, University of Bristol, Bristol, BS8 1RJ, UK
| | - Jianping Zhang
- School of the Earth Sciences and Resources, China University of Geosciences, Beijing, 100083, China
| | - Alexander P Wolfe
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, T6G 2E9, Canada
| | - Qiru Yi
- Institute of High Energy Physics, Chinese Academy of Science, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Kuowei Tseng
- Department of Exercise and Health Science, University of Taipei, Taipei 11153, China; Department of Geology, Chinese Culture University, Taipei 11114, China
| | - Hao Ran
- Key Laboratory of Ecology of Rare and Endangered Species and Environmental Protection, Ministry of Education, Guilin 541004, China
| | - Philip J Currie
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, T6G 2E9, Canada
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Affiliation(s)
- Stephen L. Brusatte
- School of GeoSciences, University of Edinburgh, Grant Institute, James Hutton Road, Edinburgh EH9 3FE, UK
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