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The oldest record of ornithuromorpha from the early cretaceous of China - PubMed

  • ️Thu Jan 01 2015

The oldest record of ornithuromorpha from the early cretaceous of China

Min Wang et al. Nat Commun. 2015.

Abstract

Ornithuromorpha is the most inclusive clade containing extant birds but not the Mesozoic Enantiornithes. The early evolutionary history of this avian clade has been advanced with recent discoveries from Cretaceous deposits, indicating that Ornithuromorpha and Enantiornithes are the two major avian groups in Mesozoic. Here we report on a new ornithuromorph bird, Archaeornithura meemannae gen. et sp. nov., from the second oldest avian-bearing deposits (130.7 Ma) in the world. The new taxon is referable to the Hongshanornithidae and constitutes the oldest record of the Ornithuromorpha. However, A. meemannae shows few primitive features relative to younger hongshanornithids and is deeply nested within the Hongshanornithidae, suggesting that this clade is already well established. The new discovery extends the record of Ornithuromorpha by five to six million years, which in turn pushes back the divergence times of early avian lingeages into the Early Cretaceous.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no competing financial interests.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1. Holotype of Archaeornithura meemannae gen. et sp. nov., STM7-145.

(a) Main slab; (b) counter slab. Anatomical abbreviations: al, alular digit; ba, basicranium; co, coracoid; cv, cervical vertebrae; d I–IV, pedal digit I–IV; fe, femur; fi, fibula; fu, furcula; hu, humerus; ma, major digit; mi, minor digit; pr, primary remiges; pu, pubis; ra, radius; re, rectrices; sc, scapula; st, sternum; ti, tibiotarsus; tm, tarsometatarsus; ul, ulna. Scale bars, 10 mm.

Figure 2
Figure 2. Pectoral girdle and sternum of Archaeornithura meemannae gen. et sp. nov., in comparison with other hongshanornithids.

(a) STM7-163, counter slab (zyphoid process of the sternum is outlined by a dash line); (b) STM7-145, main slab; (c) photograph and (d) line drawing of STM7-145, counter slab. Line drawing (not scaled) of furcula and sternum of other hongshanornithids: (e) Hongshanornis longicresta; (f) Longicrusavis houi; (g) Tianyuornis cheni; (h) Parahongshanornis chaoyangensis. Anatomical abbreviations: ca, carina; co, coracoid; cv, cervical vertebrae; fu, furcula; hy, hypocleidium; lt, lateral trabecula of the sternum; ne, supracoracoidal nerve foramen; pc, procoracoid process; sc, scapula; sl, sternocoracoidal process; st, sternum; uc, uncinate process; zp, zyphoid process of the sternum. Scale bars, 5 mm.

Figure 3
Figure 3. Detail anatomy of Archaeornithura meemannae gen. et sp. nov.

(a) Photograph and (b) line drawing of the left wing, STM7-145, counter slab; (c) line drawing of hands of other hongshanornithids (not scaled; from left): Hongshanornis longicresta, Longicrusavis houi, Tianyuornis cheni, Parahongshanornis chaoyangensis; (d) STM7-163, counter slab; (e) STM7-163, main slab; (f) feet, STM7-163, main slab. Anatomical abbreviations: al, alular digit; am, alular metacarpal; ca, caudal vertebrae (six vertebrae counted); del, deltopectoral crest; d I–IV, pedal digit I–IV; hu, humerus; is, ischium; ma, major digit; mam, major metacarpal; mi, minor digit; mim, minor metacarpal; mt I, metatarsal I; pb, pubic boot; pu, pubis; py, pygostyle; ra, radius; sp, supracondylar process; ti, tibiotarsus; tm, tarsometatarsus; ul, ulna. Scale bars, 10 mm (a,f), 5 mm (d,e).

Figure 4
Figure 4. Plumage of Archaeornithura meemannae gen. et sp. nov.

(a) Left wing, STM-7-145, main slab; (b) right wing, STM-7-145, main slab; (c) covert feathers over the skull and neck, STM 7-163, counter slab; (d) alular feathers on the left alular digit, STM7-163, main slab. Abbreviations: af, alular feather; dc, dorsal coverts; pr, primary remiges; re, rectrices. Scale bars, 10 mm (a–c), 5 mm (d).

Figure 5
Figure 5. Cladogram showing the systematic position of Archaeornithura meemannae among Mesozoic birds.

Bootstrap and bremer values are labelled to the corresponding nodes in normal and bold italic formats, respectively.

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