A New Enantiornitine Bird with Four Long Rectrices from the Early Cretaceous of Northern Hebei, China

Paraprotopteryx gracilis, a new enantiornithine bird from the Early Cretaceous Yixian Formation in Fengning, northern Hebei Province is erected, based on the following characters： Yshaped furcula with a long hypocleidum and a much narrow interclavicular angle, and the morphology of the sternum are different from other enantiornithines. Additionally, alular digit bearing the biggest manual claw extends distally to the distal end of the major metacarpal; the minor metacarpal is slender than the major metacarpal. Carpometacarpus only fused proximally; astragalus and calcaneum partially fused to one another but unfused to the tibia. This is the first record of Mesozoic birds in having four long rectrices, which may represent morphologically a secondary sexual character, an intermediate stage from elongated scale to branched feather, and possess functional advantage in supplementing the lifting surface to compensate the unskilled flight.     

A late Jurassic pterosaur (Reptilia, Pterodactyloidea) from northwestern Patagonia, Argentina

A small to medium-sized pterodactyloid pterosaur (wingspan approximately 1.10 m) from the Upper Jurassic (middle-late Tithonian) marine deposits of the Vaca Muerta Formation of Patagonia (Los Catutos area, central Neuquén Province, Argentina) is reported. The specimen lacks the skull but constitutes a nearly complete postcranial skeleton, which includes cervical and dorsal vertebrae; a few thoracic ribs; both pectoral girdles; the left pelvic girdle; a proximal right wing (humerus, ulna, and radius) and metacarpal IV; a left wing that lacks only wing phalanx four; and both hindlimbs, the right one without the foot. Ontogenetic features suggest that the new fossil corresponds to a relatively mature individual, probably a subadult. Observed characters support its assignment to the Archaeopteroactyloidea, a basal clade within the Pterodactyloidea. This specimen is the second pterosaur from Los Catutos and the most complete Jurassic pterosaur so far known from South America.     

记辽宁一新翼龙化石（喙嘴龙亚目）

记述了辽宁北票四合屯炒米甸子组中一新翼龙化石,该翼龙个体极小,两翼展开仅约４０ｃｍ。化石具有同形齿、长尾、极短的翼掌骨和非常发育的后肢第Ⅴ趾等特征,因而无疑可归入喙嘴龙亚目喙嘴龙科（Ｒｈａｍｐｈｏｒｈｙｎｃｈｉｄａｅ）,并代表一新属种弯齿树翼龙（Ｄｅｎｄｒｏｒｈｙｎｃｈｕｓｃｕｒｖｉｄｅｎ－ｔａｔｕｓｇｅｎ．ｅｔｓｐ．ｎｏｖ．）。该化石是我国及东亚晚侏罗世喙嘴龙类翼龙的首次记录,它的发现有力地表明包括中华龙鸟和孔子鸟在内的辽西四合屯化石层的地质时代应为晚侏罗世。     

New Material of Pterosaur Sinopterus （Reptilia： Pterosauria） from the Early Cretaceous Jiufotang Formation, Western Liaoning, China

1 Introduction The Jiufotang Formation is one of the most fossil- productive Early Cretaceous deposits of China. It overlies the famous Yixian Formation from which many important taxa were found (Ji et al., 2004; Chang et al., 2003; Zhou et al., 2003). In addition to other vertebrates, pterosaurs, the first flying reptiles in Earth history, are also abundant in the Jiufotang Formation. At present, nine species belonging to five genera have been reported from the Jiufotang Formation. The…     

A review of Late Cretaceous fossil birds from Hungary

We review the previously described Late Cretaceous (Santonian) bird remains from the Csehbánya Formation in the Bakony Mountains of Hungary, augmenting initial work by Ősi ( 2008 ), and add a number of newly collected fossils. All together, the eight fossil specimens so far collected from this site are important to our understanding of avian evolution because they document a large range of taxon body sizes from at least one major lineage (Enantiornithes) and come from a critically undersampled time period in the Cretaceous. Globally, very little fossil bird material has been collected from the middle stages of the Late Cretaceous, the Coniacian and Santonian; most known taxa are either Early Cretaceous (ca. 120 Ma) in age or are from the terminal Campanian and Maastrichtian (ca. 70–65 Ma). Indeed, one of the Csehbánya Formation fossil birds is recognized as a new taxon of large enantiornithine, an avisaurid apparently similar in its largely unfused foot morphology to the Argentine Soroavisaurus and to the North American Avisaurus. The Central European records reviewed in this paper highlight the wide distribution of some Late Cretaceous fossil birds, particularly avisaurid enantiornithines, and lead us to a brief discussion of avian biogeography at the end of the Mesozoic. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Cretornis hlavaci Frič, 1881 from the Upper Cretaceous of Czech Republic (Pterosauria,Azhdarchoidea)

Cretornis hlavaci Frič, 1881 from the Upper Cretaceous (Turonian) of Czech Republic is a valid taxon referred to Azhdarchoidea based on having a saddle-shaped humeral head, pneumatic foramen on proximal humerus present on anterior side and absent on posterior side, elongate deltopectoral crest with subparallel proximal and distal margins, pneumatic foramen absent on distal side of humerus, metacarpals I–III not articulated with carpus and displaced on anterodorsal side of wing metacarpal, and wing metacarpal much longer than humerus. Absence of a pneumatic foramen on posterior side of proximal humerus suggests attribution of Cretornis hlavaci to Neoazhdarchia. It has a unique construction of the distal ulna with a dorsal articulation surface placed distinctly proximal to the tuberculum shared only with the non-azhdarchid azhdarchoid Montanazhdarcho minor from the Campanian of North America. Cretornis hlavaci differs from the latter taxon by the structure of its humerus and distinctly longer wing metacarpal. It is more derived than “Tapejaridae” but shares with Azhdarchidae the deltopectoral crest of the humerus displaced distally from humeral head. Cretornis cannot be assigned to Azhdarchidae because of the oval cross section of the second wing phalanx. A unique rhombic outline of the distal humerus of Cretornis hlavaci is a possible autapomorphy for this taxon. Its wing span estimated as 1.5–1.6 m. This is the first taxon of non-azhdarchid pterosaurs known from the Upper Cretaceous of the Eastern Hemisphere.     

New Eoenantiornithid Bird from the Early Cretaceous Jiufotang Formation of Western Liaoning, China

1 Introduction Enantiornithes were the most blooming branch among the early birds and had distinct diversities. They flourished in the Early Cretaceous (Kurochkim, 1985; Chiappe, 1991; Sanz and Bonaparte, 1992; Boles, 1995; Elzanowski, 1995), and become extinct at the end of the Late Cretaceous. Lots of the birds have been reported in western Liaoning, China (Sereno and Rao, 1992; Zhou, 1995; Hou, 1996, 1997; Sanz and Chiappe, 1996; Sanz et al., 1997; Hou and Chen, 1999; Hou et al., 1…     

TJ-1模拟月壤承载特性室内试验研究

本研究自行设计加工了一套可以实现位移速率控制的加载装置,采用TJ-1模拟月壤为地基材料,把着陆器足垫作为基础进行了位移速率控制条件下的载荷模型试验,并采用了3种不同方法计算足垫基底的平均应力。通过对试验结果的分析对比得出以下主要结论：足垫的地基承载力和变形模量随加载速率大致呈线性增加,按足垫与地基的实际接触面积计算的极限承载力稍大于按足垫最大上口面积计算得到的地基承载力。考虑到安全储备建议采用按最大上口面积计算所得地基承载力。足垫基础下按实际接触面积计算得到的变形模量介于按足垫最小底面和最大上口面面积计算的结果之间。     

A New Genus and Species of Sapeornithidae from Lower Cretaceous in Western Liaoning, China

Sapeornithidae is a basal pygostylian family of Early Cretaceous primitive birds, in which only one genus and species, Sapeornis chaoyangensis, was reported before. This paper deals with a new genus and species of this family, Didactylornis jii gen. et sp. nov., which was unearthed from the Early Cretaceous Jiufotang Formation in western Liaoning. According to our phylogenetic analyses, both Didactylornis gen. nov. and Sapeornis form a sister group, which is basal to the clade formed by Confuciusornis and all the more derived birds, and more closely related to the short-tailed pygostylian birds than to the long-tailed avialian birds. The early history of pygostylian birds is poorly documented except for the studies of Confuciusornis and Sapeornis. The discovery ofDidactylornisjii gen. et sp. nov. adds the new material for the study on the early evolution of birds.     

A new bird track,Koreanaornis lii ichnosp. nov., from the Lower Cretaceous Hekou Group in the Lanzhou-Minhe Basin,Gansu, Northwest China,and implications for Early Cretaceous avian diversity

There are a growing number of Early Cretaceous avian tracks and trackways from around the world, with Asia (China and Korea) having the largest reported number and diversity of Mesozoic avian traces to date, and these new discoveries are increasing the Early Cretaceous avian ichnodivesrity of Laurasia. Here we report on a new Lower Cretaceous avian track locality in the Guanshan area, Yongjing County, Gansu Province, northwest China, and on a novel ichnospecies of Koreanaornis, Koreanaornis lii ichnosp. nov. Koreananornis lii is distinct from other Koreanaornipodidae in that it possesses a consistently wider digit divarication than previously described tridactyl tracks, and possess a short, small, posteromedially oriented hallux that displays a different orientation than that seen in Koreanaornis hamanensis. The lack of linear and angular data reported for digit I traces of many avian ichnotaxa has the potential to give misleading results in multivariate statistical analyses. Also, the wide divarication of Koreanaornis lii causes the ichnotaxon to not group with other Koreanornipodidae in multivariate analyses, but with Ignotornidae. Despite the results of the analyses, K. lii is morphologically distinct from these ichnotaxa. The results demonstrate that relying solely on multivariate statistical analyses without careful examination of footprint morphology will result in erroneous ichnospecies groupings. While new vertebrate ichnotaxa discoveries from Asia may support the hypotheses of the presence of a unique and endemic Asian vertebrate ichnofauna during the Cretaceous, the recent discovery of skeletal remains interpreted to be of a volant wading bird from the Early Cretaceous, and recent reports of tracks from volant avians, could suggest that flighted avians of the shore- and wading bird ecotypes could have had a Laurasian-wide distribution during the Early Cretaceous. However, strong convergence in foot morphology of shore- and wading birds suggests that avian ichnotaxa found in both present-day Asia and North America may have been made by birds endemic to eastern and western Laurasia during the Early Cretaceous.     

中国中生代鸟类研究概述

对最近轰动世界的我国中生代鸟类化石的系统结果表明,中国是目前中生代早期鸟类化石产地和化石发现最多的地区,从晚侏罗世到早白垩世存在两个亚纲的鸟类分子,晰鸟亚纳（Sauriurae)和今鸟亚纲（Ornithurae),鸟类从爬行动物分化出来不久即分为两大支系向前演化,孔子鸟（Confuciusornis)和辽宁鸟（Liaoningornis)的发现证明,始祖鸟（Archaeopteryx)只是鸟类进化的一个旁支,不是最早的鸟类,孔子鸟代表鸟类向飞行进行的主流,辽宁鸟是目前今鸟亚纲最早的代表,鸟类在进化过程中渐变和突变同时并存,鸟类的历史应大大向前推移。     

中国发现世界上最原始的鸟类化石：华美金凤鸟（新属、新种）

始祖鸟的发现被认为是19世纪最重要的科学发现之一,迄今为止共发现了7枚保存骨骼、羽毛印痕的化石标本和1枚单根羽毛化石标本。由于始祖鸟既显示了明显的爬行动物的特征又保存了精美的羽毛,140多年来人们一直将其作为介于恐龙与鸟类之间的“中间环节”(“missing link”),但更倾向认为它是世界上最古老的鸟,或鸟类的始祖。由于始祖鸟化石稀少,加之地理分布十分局限,长期以来国际上一直围绕鸟类起源问题展开了激烈的争论,提出了各种各样的假说。直到20世纪90年代,在中国辽西晚中生代地层中发现了大量长羽毛的恐龙和原始鸟类化石,有力地支持了鸟类起源于小型兽脚类恐龙的学术观点,使赫 140多年前提出的“假说”成为当今国际科学界占主流地位的学说和理论,基本解决了长期困扰国际科学界的鸟类起源问题,遗憾的是,在过去的几年中,中国一直没有发现与德国始祖鸟十分接近或与德国始祖鸟处于同样进化水平的原始鸟类化石,这种缺憾使我们难以对鸟类定义问题进行深入的研究和探讨,2002年,笔者等在中国辽西早白垩世断层中发现了2种初鸟类化石,即中华神州鸟和东方吉祥鸟。通过比较解剖学研究和支序分析,这2种初鸟类要比始祖鸟略微进步一些,在研究鸟类的早期演化方面具有重要意义;但仍然难以对鸟类定义问题作进一步研究。本文首次报道了一件采自中国河北省丰宁县龙凤山桥头组的初鸟类化石——华美金凤鸟（新属、新种）(Jinfengopteryx elegans gen.et sp.nov),与其共生的化石有Lycoptera davidi,Peipiaosteus pani,yanosteus longidorsalis（鱼类）;Jibeinia luanhera,Protopteryx fengningensis(鸟类）;Ephemeropsis trisetalis(昆虫）及少量植物。支序分析表明,华美金凤鸟处于初鸟类谱系树的基部,比始祖鸟略微原始,与后者为姊妹群关系。奔龙等兽脚类恐龙是它们的外类群。金凤鸟、始祖鸟是中华神州鸟等原始鸟类的外类群。这说明华美金凤鸟处在恐龙向鸟类演化过程中一个非常关键的位置,是世界上迄今所发现的最原始的初鸟类。华美金凤鸟的发现在研究鸟类起源、恐龙-鸟类的系统关系等方面具有重要的科学意义。     

Enantiornithine Bird with Diapsidian Skull and Its Dental Development in the Early Cretaceous in Liaoning, China

A Iarge number of enantiornithine birds are discovered from the Early Cretaceous Jiufutang Formation in western Liaoning, China. They are all small-sized birds with a few small teeth. The enantiornithine bird from the Jiufutang Formation in the Shangheshou area, Chaoyang, Liaoning Province reported in this paper is the largest individual known in all enantiornithine birds of the Early Cretaceous. However, its teeth possess a feature of pseudoheterodont. Some different development stages of the new teeth substitute the earlier stages and the stages of development are preserved in this specimen. This development pattern is similar to that of Archaeopteryx and alligator but not dinosaur. A well-developed postorbital was also preserved in the skull, which was a diapsidian skull like that of Confuciusornis. Additionally, the distinctive preservation of its prefrontal distinguishes it from other enantiornithine birds of the Early Cretaceous.     

Enantiornithine Birds in China

A brief introduction to the morphology, flight, size, habits, diet, feathers and systematic paleontology of fossil enantiornithine birds known from the Mesozoic of China is provided. Enantiornithine birds were the dominant land birds of the Mesozoic (245–65 Myr). Although they show great morphological differences from modern birds, their diversification in many respects mimics that of the modern land bird radiation and the reasons for their extinction at the end-Cretaceous remain a mystery.     

基于形态对比和统计分析的中生代鸟类栖息行为的识别和判断

鸟类栖息行为是鸟类重要的生活习性,与鸟类后肢骨骼的形态结构之间存在密切的适应演化关系,而中生代鸟类栖息行为的分析推断也是古鸟类学研究的热点。文中通过对大量现生鸟类的后肢骨骼系统进行形态学对比、统计学分析,分别以后肢3块骨骼的长度变化、跗跖骨远端跖骨滑车的特征差异、第Ⅲ趾趾节长度变化规律和第Ⅲ脚爪爪弧的弧度大小为研究对象,并与其对应的栖息行为分别进行分析判断,然后将判断特征和有效变量运用于中生代鸟类栖息行为的推理中。通过系统的分析研究,对中生代鸟类的栖息行为得出如下的推断:大量基干鸟类的栖息习性是以攀援为主,只有少数可以树栖生活,反鸟类的栖息习性十分接近树栖鸟类,今鸟类的栖息行为兼有树栖、地栖的习性。     

Sr/Sr isotope fingerprinting of Scottish and Icelandic migratory shorebirds

Biosphere Sr isotope composition data from Iceland and Scotland suggest that terrestrially feeding birds from these two countries will have significantly different ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr isotope composition in their tissues. The aim of this study is to test if these differences can be measured within the bone and feather of migratory wading birds, who feed terrestrially as juveniles, thus providing a provenance tool for these birds.     

Taphonomy and abundance of birds from the Lower Eocene Fur Formation of Denmark

The pattern, pace and extent of the evolutionary radiation of modern birds (Neornithes) by the end‐Cretaceous (65 Ma) has long been debated. Well‐dated, taphonomically understood and phylogenetically constrained fossil birds from both sides of the Cretaceous–Paleogene (K–Pg) boundary are required to quantify the shape of this radiation, but have largely been lacking. Here we report on a large collection of fossil birds from the Lower Eocene of Denmark (ca. 54 Ma) that includes three‐dimensionally preserved, articulated specimens from carbonate concretions as well as skeletal imprints and feathers. These birds are from a marine diatomite sequence (the Fur Formation), a low‐energy deep‐water preservational environment unique to the Cretaceous and Paleogene avian fossil record. We present taphonomic and palaeoecological information gleaned from these birds that in combination with phylogenetic data have implications for unravelling avian survivorship across the K–Pg boundary as well as for the pattern of the neornithine evolutionary radiation. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

中国辽西早白垩世义县组始无齿翼龙新材料

根据新材料,对始无齿翼龙的特征进行了修订:中部颈椎体没有神经棘;肱骨三角嵴的长度与肱骨长度之比率约为0.25;翼掌骨的长度与第二翼指骨的长度几乎相等;第二翼指骨与第一翼指骨的长度之比率约为0.76.始无齿翼龙的新标本与正型稍微不同,可能由个体发育所引起.     

Fukuititan nipponensis, A New Titanosauriform Sauropod from the Early Cretaceous Tetori Group of Fukui Prefecture,Japan

<正>A titanosauriform dinosaur:Fukuititan nipponensis gen.et sp.nov.is erected based on the incomplete skeleton.It is characterized by elongated asymmetric tooth crown with a weak or absent labial groove and without lingual concavity;stalk-like epipophysis of cervical vertebra;the transverse width of the proximal end of the humerus approximately 32%of the humerus length;metacarpal longer,approximately 48%of the radius and the distal end of the ischia slightly expanded.It represents the first relatively complete titanosauriform skeleton found from Japan.The discovery of Fukuititan indicates that the diversity and geographical distribution of Titanosauriformes are much higher than the previous thought.     

A New Boreopterid Pterodactyloid Pterosaur from the Early Cretaceous Yixian Formation of Liaoning Province, Northeastern China

<正>A new boreopterid pterosaur:Zhenyuanopterus longirostris gen.et sp.nov.from the Yixian Formation of western Liaoning is erected,based on the complete skeleton with a skull and lower jaws preserved.It is characterized by:a large boreopterid pterosaur with a high number of teeth,where the anterior teeth are much larger than posterior ones;the length of the dorsal + sacral vertebrae is nearly half the length of the skull;ratio of the length of the humerus to metacarpal IV is approximately 91%and the,humerus,femur and third wing phalanx are all equal in length and the feet are specially small.It represents the largest boroepterid pterosaur discovered from western Liaoning and its surrounding areas so far