New Bohaiornis -like bird from the Early Cretaceous of China: enantiornithine interrelationships and flight performance

PeerJ

article

Luis M. Chiappe¹  Meng Qingjin²  Francisco Serrano¹  Trond Sigurdsen¹  Wang Min⁵  Alyssa Bell¹  Liu Di² 

[1] Dinosaur Institute;Beijing Museum of Natural History;Spanish Royal Academy of Sciences;Department of Biological Sciences, University of Southern California;Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology

关键词: Evolution of flight;    Jehol Biota;    Birds;    Enantiornithes;    Cretaceous;   

DOI  :  10.7717/peerj.7846

学科分类：社会科学、人文和艺术（综合）

来源: Inra

【 摘 要 】

During the last decade, several Bohaiornis-like enantiornithine species—and numerous specimens—have been recognized from the celebrated Jehol Biota of northwestern China. In this paper, we describe the anatomy of another “bohaiornithid” species from the 125 million-year-old Yixian Formation of Liaoning Province, China. The new taxon differs from previously recognized “bohaiornithids” on a number of characters from the forelimb and shoulder girdle. We also provide a new phylogenetic framework for enantiornithine birds, which questions the monophyly of the previously recognized bohaiornithid clade and highlights ongoing challenges for resolving enantiornithine interrelationships. Additionally, we offer the first assessment of the flight properties of Bohaiornis-like enantiornithines. Our results indicate that while “bohaiornithids” were morphologically suited for flying through continuous flapping, they would have been unable to sustain prolonged flights. Such findings expand the flight strategies previously known for enantiornithines and other early birds.

【 授权许可】

CC BY