Dapingfangornis sentisorhinus, a small to medium-sized enantiornithine from the Lower Cretaceous Jiufotang Formation in Western Liaoning, China, stands as one of the earliest known enantiornithines with well-preserved ornamental tail feathers. However, the original holotype description was limited due to damage and matrix interference, which obscured crucial osteological details. Therefore, we provide an updated description of the holotype specimen of D. sentisorhinus with the aid of CT scanning to reveal new and revised osteological information. Furthermore, a phylogenetic analysis of newly acquired data situates Dapingfangornis within the Enantiornithes, closely aligned with Pterygornis and a few other taxa, which may represent a previously unrecognized clade of Early Cretaceous enantiornithines.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/ar.25341 | DOI Listing |
Ecol Evol
January 2025
Chongqing Key Laboratory of Vector Control and Utinization; Institute of Entomology and Molecular Biology, College of Life Sciences Chongqing Normal University Chongqing China.
The Muscomorpha is one of the most species-rich brachyceran groups in Diptera, with many species serving as important disease vectors; however, its high-level phylogenetic relationships have long been controversial and unsolved. This study comparatively analyzed the characteristics of mitogenomes of 131 species that represent 18 superfamilies in Muscomorpha, in which mitogenomes of 16 species have been newly sequenced and annotated, demonstrating that their gene composition, order, AT bias, length variation, and codon usage are consistent with documented dipteran mitogenomes. The phylogenetic topologies demonstrated that the robustness of Muscomorpha and major clades within Muscomorpha are monophyletic: Cyclorrhapha, Schizophora, and Calyptratae.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFJ Anat
January 2025
Department of Earth Sciences, University College London, London, UK.
Argochampsa krebsi is a gavialoid crocodylian from the early Paleogene of North Africa. Based on its recovered phylogenetic relationship with South American species, it has been inferred to have been capable of transoceanic dispersal, but potential anatomical correlates for a marine lifestyle have yet to be identified. Based on CT scans of a mostly complete and well-preserved skull, we reconstruct the endocranial anatomy of Argochampsa and compare it to that of other gavialoids.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFSci Rep
December 2024
Negaunee Integrative Research Center, Field Museum, 1400 S. Dusable Lake Shore Drive, Chicago, IL, 60605, USA.
Enantiornithes are the most successful early-diverging avian clade, their fossils revealing important information regarding the structure of Cretaceous avifaunas and the parallel refinement of flight alongside the ornithuromorph lineage that includes modern birds. The most diverse recognized family of Early Cretaceous enantiornithines is the Bohaiornithidae, known from the Jehol Biota in northeastern China. Members of this clade enhance our understanding of intraclade morphological diversity and elucidate the independent evolution of this unique lineage.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFJ Anat
December 2024
Museum of Paleontology and Department of Earth & Environmental Sciences, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA.
Unlike most herbivores, sauropod dinosaurs evolved simple teeth that were replaced rapidly. Sauropod craniodental morphology is conserved relative to that of many archosaur clades, but tooth breadth and replacement rate vary substantially. Two neosauropod clades, Titanosauria and Diplodocoidea, independently evolved both narrow-crowned teeth and high tooth replacement rates among a suite of other convergent features.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFMol Phylogenet Evol
December 2024
SNSB-Zoologische Staatssammlung München, Münchhausenstraße 21, D-81247 Munich, Germany; GeoBio-Center, Ludwig-Maximilians-University, Richard-Wagner-Straße 10, D-80333 Munich, Germany.
Disjunct distributions, characterised by spatially separated populations of related species, offer insights into historical biogeographic patterns and evolutionary processes. This study investigates the evolutionary history of the diving beetle subfamily Lancetinae through a phylogenomic approach incorporating ultraconserved elements (UCEs) and heritage genetic markers. Our findings support an early Miocene origin for Lancetinae, with subsequent diversification influenced by historical vicariance events and long-distance dispersal.
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