FIGURE 4. Mounted slab of BMNHC PH823. Dotted lines encircle the areas that were reconstructed be... more FIGURE 4. Mounted slab of BMNHC PH823. Dotted lines encircle the areas that were reconstructed before acquisition of the specimen.
FIGURE 3. Mounted slab of BMNHC PH822. Dotted line encircles the area that was reconstructed befo... more FIGURE 3. Mounted slab of BMNHC PH822. Dotted line encircles the area that was reconstructed before acquisition of the specimen.
FIGURE 17. Simplified cladogram showing the reduced strict consensus topology of Dromaeosauridae ... more FIGURE 17. Simplified cladogram showing the reduced strict consensus topology of Dromaeosauridae by removing Pyroraptor aπer Turner et al. (2012)
Pterosaurs were a unique clade of flying reptiles that were contemporaries of dinosaurs in Mesozo... more Pterosaurs were a unique clade of flying reptiles that were contemporaries of dinosaurs in Mesozoic ecosystems. The Pterodactyloidea as the most species-diverse group of pterosaurs dominated the sky during Cretaceous time, but earlier phases of their evolution remain poorly known. Here, we describe a 160 Myr filter-feeding pterosaur from western Liaoning, China, representing the geologically oldest record of the Ctenochasmatidae, a group of exclusive filter feeders characterized by an elongated snout and numerous fine teeth. The new pterosaur took the lead of a major ecological transition in pterosaur evolution from fish-catching to filter-feeding adaptation, prior to the Tithonian (145–152 Myr) diversification of the Ctenochasmatidae. Our research shows that the rise of ctenochasmatid pterosaurs was followed by the burst of eco-morphological divergence of other pterodactyloid clades, which involved a wide range of feeding adaptations that considerably altered the terrestrial ecosystems of the Cretaceous world.
Integumentary patterns and colors can differentiate species, sexes, and life changes and can info... more Integumentary patterns and colors can differentiate species, sexes, and life changes and can inform on habitat and ecology. However, they are rarely preserved in the fossil record. Here, we report on an extremely well-preserved specimen of the Cretaceous bird Confuciusornis with unprecedented complexity, including small spots on the wings, crest, and throat. Morphological and chemical evidence suggest that these patterns are produced by melanin, but unusual preservation prevents assignment of specific colors. Based on comparisons with extant birds, these patterns were likely used for camouflage, although other functions including sexual signaling cannot be ruled out. Our data show that even more elaborate plumage patterns than the spangles in Anchiornis and stripes in Sinosauropteryx were present at a relatively early stage of avian evolution, showing the significance of coloration and patterning to feather evolution.
The Jurassic Yanliao theropods have offered rare glimpses of the early paravian evolution and par... more The Jurassic Yanliao theropods have offered rare glimpses of the early paravian evolution and particularly of bird origins, but, with the exception of the bizarre scansoriopterygids, they have shown similar skeletal and integumentary morphologies. Here we report a distinctive new Yanliao theropod species bearing prominent lacrimal crests, bony ornaments previously known from more basal theropods. It shows longer arm and leg feathers than Anchiornis and tail feathers with asymmetrical vanes forming a tail surface area even larger than that in Archaeopteryx. Nanostructures, interpreted as melanosomes, are morphologically similar to organized, platelet-shaped organelles that produce bright iridescent colours in extant birds. The new species indicates the presence of bony ornaments, feather colour and flight-related features consistent with proposed rapid character evolution and significant diversity in signalling and locomotor strategies near bird origins.
FIGURE 4. Mounted slab of BMNHC PH823. Dotted lines encircle the areas that were reconstructed be... more FIGURE 4. Mounted slab of BMNHC PH823. Dotted lines encircle the areas that were reconstructed before acquisition of the specimen.
FIGURE 3. Mounted slab of BMNHC PH822. Dotted line encircles the area that was reconstructed befo... more FIGURE 3. Mounted slab of BMNHC PH822. Dotted line encircles the area that was reconstructed before acquisition of the specimen.
FIGURE 17. Simplified cladogram showing the reduced strict consensus topology of Dromaeosauridae ... more FIGURE 17. Simplified cladogram showing the reduced strict consensus topology of Dromaeosauridae by removing Pyroraptor aπer Turner et al. (2012)
Pterosaurs were a unique clade of flying reptiles that were contemporaries of dinosaurs in Mesozo... more Pterosaurs were a unique clade of flying reptiles that were contemporaries of dinosaurs in Mesozoic ecosystems. The Pterodactyloidea as the most species-diverse group of pterosaurs dominated the sky during Cretaceous time, but earlier phases of their evolution remain poorly known. Here, we describe a 160 Myr filter-feeding pterosaur from western Liaoning, China, representing the geologically oldest record of the Ctenochasmatidae, a group of exclusive filter feeders characterized by an elongated snout and numerous fine teeth. The new pterosaur took the lead of a major ecological transition in pterosaur evolution from fish-catching to filter-feeding adaptation, prior to the Tithonian (145–152 Myr) diversification of the Ctenochasmatidae. Our research shows that the rise of ctenochasmatid pterosaurs was followed by the burst of eco-morphological divergence of other pterodactyloid clades, which involved a wide range of feeding adaptations that considerably altered the terrestrial ecosystems of the Cretaceous world.
Integumentary patterns and colors can differentiate species, sexes, and life changes and can info... more Integumentary patterns and colors can differentiate species, sexes, and life changes and can inform on habitat and ecology. However, they are rarely preserved in the fossil record. Here, we report on an extremely well-preserved specimen of the Cretaceous bird Confuciusornis with unprecedented complexity, including small spots on the wings, crest, and throat. Morphological and chemical evidence suggest that these patterns are produced by melanin, but unusual preservation prevents assignment of specific colors. Based on comparisons with extant birds, these patterns were likely used for camouflage, although other functions including sexual signaling cannot be ruled out. Our data show that even more elaborate plumage patterns than the spangles in Anchiornis and stripes in Sinosauropteryx were present at a relatively early stage of avian evolution, showing the significance of coloration and patterning to feather evolution.
The Jurassic Yanliao theropods have offered rare glimpses of the early paravian evolution and par... more The Jurassic Yanliao theropods have offered rare glimpses of the early paravian evolution and particularly of bird origins, but, with the exception of the bizarre scansoriopterygids, they have shown similar skeletal and integumentary morphologies. Here we report a distinctive new Yanliao theropod species bearing prominent lacrimal crests, bony ornaments previously known from more basal theropods. It shows longer arm and leg feathers than Anchiornis and tail feathers with asymmetrical vanes forming a tail surface area even larger than that in Archaeopteryx. Nanostructures, interpreted as melanosomes, are morphologically similar to organized, platelet-shaped organelles that produce bright iridescent colours in extant birds. The new species indicates the presence of bony ornaments, feather colour and flight-related features consistent with proposed rapid character evolution and significant diversity in signalling and locomotor strategies near bird origins.
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Papers by Quanguo Li