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Sosiak CE, Borowiec ML, Barden P. Retraction: An Eocene army ant. Biol Lett 2023; 19:20230059. [PMID: 36946135 PMCID: PMC10031430 DOI: 10.1098/rsbl.2023.0059] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/23/2023] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Christine E Sosiak
- Federated Department of Biological Sciences, New Jersey Institute of Technology, Newark, NJ 07102-1982, USA
| | - Marek L Borowiec
- Department of Agricultural Biology and C. P. Gillette Museum of Arthropod Diversity, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, USA
| | - Phillip Barden
- Federated Department of Biological Sciences, New Jersey Institute of Technology, Newark, NJ 07102-1982, USA
- Division of Invertebrate Zoology, American Museum of Natural History, New York, NY, USA
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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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