Reconstructing the dietary habits and trophic positions of the Longipterygidae (Aves: Enantiornithes) using neontological and comparative morphological methods

PeerJ

article

Alexander D. Clark¹  Han Hu²  Roger BJ Benson³  Jingmai K. O’Connor⁴ 

[1] Cincinnati Museum Center, Geier Collections & Research Center, Cincinnati;Department of Earth Sciences, University of Oxford;American Museum of Natural History;Field Museum of Natural History

关键词: Enantiornithines;    Longipterygidae;    Tooth morphology;    Paleoecology;    Paleoethology;   

DOI  :  10.7717/peerj.15139

学科分类：社会科学、人文和艺术（综合）

来源: Inra

【 摘 要 】

The Longipterygidae are a unique clade among the enantiornithines in that they exhibit elongate rostra (≥60% total skull length) with dentition restricted to the distal tip of the rostrum, and pedal morphologies suited for an arboreal lifestyle (as in other enantiornithines). This suite of features has made interpretations of this group’s diet and ecology difficult to determine due to the lack of analogous taxa that exhibit similar morphologies together. Many extant bird groups exhibit rostral elongation, which is associated with several disparate ecologies and diets (e.g., aerial insectivory, piscivory, terrestrial carnivory). Thus, the presence of rostral elongation in the Longipterygidae only somewhat refines trophic predictions of this clade. Anatomical morphologies do not function singularly but as part of a whole and thus, any dietary or ecological hypothesis regarding this clade must also consider other features such as their unique dentition. The only extant group of dentulous volant tetrapods are the chiropterans, in which tooth morphology and enamel thickness vary depending upon food preference. Drawing inferences from both avian bill proportions and variations in the dental morphology of extinct and extant taxa, we provide quantitative data to support the hypothesis that the Longipterygidae were animalivorous, with greater support for insectivory.

【 授权许可】

CC BY