A taxonomic revision of the complex (Pterosauria, Tapejaridae) from the Early Cretaceous Jehol Biota, with the new genus .

Tapejarids are edentulous pterosaurs particularly abundant in the Chinese Jiufotang Formation, counting with over 10 described specimens and dozens of undescribed ones. A total of seven nominal tapejarid species (within two genera) have been proposed, though it is disputed how many of those are valid instead of sexual or ontogenetic morphs of fewer, or a single, species. However, detailed revisions of the matter are still lacking.

Cranial muscle reconstructions quantify adaptation for high bite forces in Oviraptorosauria.

Oviraptorosaurians are an unusual and probably herbivorous group of theropod dinosaurs that evolved pneumatised crania with robust, toothless jaws, apparently adapted for producing a strong bite. Using 3D retrodeformed skull models of oviraptorid oviraptorosaurians Citipati, Khaan, and Conchoraptor, along with the earliest diverging oviraptorosaurian, Incisivosaurus, we digitally reconstruct jaw adductor musculature and estimate bite force to investigate cranial function in each species. We model muscle length change during jaw opening to constrain optimal and maximum gape angles.

An exquisitely preserved theropod dinosaur embryo sheds light on avian-like prehatching postures.

Despite the discovery of many dinosaur eggs and nests over the past 100 years, articulated embryos are remarkably rare. Here we report an exceptionally preserved, articulated oviraptorid embryo inside an elongatoolithid egg, from the Late Cretaceous Hekou Formation of southern China. The head lies ventral to the body, with the feet on either side, and the back curled along the blunt pole of the egg, in a posture previously unrecognized in a non-avian dinosaur, but reminiscent of a late-stage modern bird embryo.

Macroevolutionary trends in theropod dinosaur feeding mechanics.

Theropod dinosaurs underwent some of the most remarkable dietary changes in vertebrate evolutionary history, shifting from ancestral carnivory to hypercarnivory and omnivory/herbivory, with some taxa eventually reverting to carnivory. The mandible is an important tool for food acquisition in vertebrates and reflects adaptations to feeding modes and diets. The morphofunctional modifications accompanying the dietary changes in theropod dinosaurs are not well understood because most of the previous studies focused solely on the cranium and/or were phylogenetically limited in scope, while studies that include multiple clades are usually based on linear measurements and/or discrete osteological characters.

Relatively low tooth replacement rate in a sauropod dinosaur from the Early Cretaceous Ruyang Basin of central China.

Tooth replacement rate is an important feature related to feeding mechanics and food choices for dinosaurs. However, only a few data points are available for sauropod dinosaurs, partially due to rarity of relevant fossil material. Four somphospondylan sauropod species have been recovered from the Lower Cretaceous Aptian-Albian Haoling Formation in the Ruyang Basin, Henan Province of central China, but no cranial material has been reported except for a single crown.

, a new anurognathid pterosaur from the Jurassic of China and comments on the group.

Anurognathids are an elusive group of diminutive, potentially arboreal pterosaurs. Even though their monophyly has been well-supported, their intrarelationships have been obscure, and their phylogenetic placement even more. In the present work, we present a new genus and species from the Middle-Late Jurassic Tiaojishan Formation, the third nominal anurognathid species from the Jurassic of China.

A new darwinopteran pterosaur reveals arborealism and an opposed thumb.

Pterosaurs, which lived during the Mesozoic, were the first known vertebrates to evolve powered flight. Arboreal locomotion has been proposed for some taxa, and even considered to have played a role in the origin of pterosaur flight. Even so, there is still need for comprehensive quantitative ecomorphological analyses.

The skull evolution of oviraptorosaurian dinosaurs: the role of niche partitioning in diversification.

Oviraptorosaurs are bird-like theropod dinosaurs that thrived in the final pre-extinction ecosystems during the latest Cretaceous, and the beaked, toothless skulls of derived species are regarded as some of the most peculiar among dinosaurs. Their aberrant morphologies are hypothesized to have been caused by rapid evolution triggered by an ecological/biological driver, but little is known about how their skull shapes and functional abilities diversified. Here, we use quantitative techniques to study oviraptorosaur skull form and mandibular function.

Functional anatomy of a giant toothless mandible from a bird-like dinosaur: Gigantoraptor and the evolution of the oviraptorosaurian jaw.

The Oviraptorosauria are a group of theropod dinosaurs that diverged from the typical carnivorous theropod diet. It includes two main lineages - Caenagnathidae and Oviraptoridae - that display a number of differences in mandibular morphology, but little is known about their functional consequences, hampering our understanding of oviraptorosaurian dietary evolution. This study presents the first in-depth description of the giant toothless mandible of Gigantoraptor, the only well-preserved stemward caenagnathid mandible.