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Smith KT. Paleontology: It's a bird, it's a plane, it's Oculudentavis! Curr Biol 2021; 31:R950-R952. [PMID: 34375597 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2021.06.017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
Few animals have experienced such jarring taxonomic whiplash as has Oculudentavis, a tiny tetrapod preserved in amber. A new specimen of this perplexing lineage now shows that it is a lizard unlike any ever discovered.
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Affiliation(s)
- Krister T Smith
- Department of Messel Research and Mammalogy, Senckenberg Research Institute, and Faculty of Biological Sciences, Goethe University, 60325 Frankfurt am Main, Germany.
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Bolet A, Stanley EL, Daza JD, Arias JS, Čerňanský A, Vidal-García M, Bauer AM, Bevitt JJ, Peretti A, Evans SE. Unusual morphology in the mid-Cretaceous lizard Oculudentavis. Curr Biol 2021; 31:3303-3314.e3. [PMID: 34129826 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2021.05.040] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/20/2020] [Revised: 03/22/2021] [Accepted: 05/18/2021] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Oculudentavis khaungraae was described based on a tiny skull trapped in amber. The slender tapering rostrum with retracted narial openings, large eyes, and short vaulted braincase led to its identification as the smallest avian dinosaur on record, comparable to the smallest living hummingbirds. Despite its bird-like appearance, Oculudentavis showed several features inconsistent with its original phylogenetic placement. Here, we describe a more complete specimen that demonstrates Oculudentavis is actually a bizarre lizard of uncertain position. The new specimen is described as a new species within the genus Oculudentavis. The new interpretation and phylogenetic placement highlight a rare case of convergent evolution in skull proportions but apparently not in morphological characters. Our results re-affirm the importance of Myanmar amber in yielding unusual taxa from a forest ecosystem rarely represented in the fossil record.
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Affiliation(s)
- Arnau Bolet
- Institut Català de Paleontologia Miquel Crusafont, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain; School of Earth Sciences, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK
| | - Edward L Stanley
- Department of Natural History, Florida Museum of Natural History, Gainesville, FL, USA
| | - Juan D Daza
- Department of Biological Sciences, Sam Houston State University, Huntsville, TX, USA.
| | - J Salvador Arias
- Unidad Ejecutora Lillo (CONICET - Fundación Miguel Lillo), San Miguel, de Tucumán, Tucumán, Argentina
| | - Andrej Čerňanský
- Department of Ecology, Laboratory of Evolutionary Biology, Faculty of Natural Sciences, Comenius University in Bratislava, Bratislava, Slovakia
| | - Marta Vidal-García
- Department of Cell Biology & Anatomy, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada
| | - Aaron M Bauer
- Department of Biology and Center for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Stewardship, Villanova University, Villanova, PA, USA
| | - Joseph J Bevitt
- Australian Centre for Neutron Scattering, Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation, Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Adolf Peretti
- GRS Gemresearch Swisslab AG and Peretti Museum Foundation, Meggen, Switzerland
| | - Susan E Evans
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, University College London, London, UK
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Dubois A. ‘Retraction' of taxonomic papers: the meaning of the word ‘issued’ and related ones in zoological nomenclature. ZOOSYSTEMA 2020. [DOI: 10.5252/zoosystema2020v42a26] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/05/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Alain Dubois
- Institut de Systématique, Evolution, Biodiversité (ISYEB), Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle CNRS, Sorbonne Université, EPHE, Université des Antilles Reptiles & Amphibiens, CP 30, 25 rue Cuvier 75005 Paris (France)
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