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Re: Microraptor specimen described



Paper now posted in open access at the AMNH link:


http://digitallibrary.amnh.org/dspace/handle/2246/6570

On Mon, Dec 22, 2014 at 8:33 AM, Ben Creisler <bcreisler@gmail.com> wrote:
> Ben Creisler
> bcreisler@gmail.com
>
>
> A new paper. The open access version is not yet posted on the AMNH site.
>
>
> Rui Pei, Quanguo Li, Qingjin Meng, Ke-Qin Gao, and Mark A. Norell (2014)
> A New Specimen of Microraptor (Theropoda: Dromaeosauridae) from the
> Lower Cretaceous of Western Liaoning, China.
> American Museum Novitates Number 3821: 1-28
> doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1206/3821.1
> http://www.bioone.org/doi/abs/10.1206/3821.1
> open access link (when posted):
> http://digitallibrary.amnh.org/dspace/handle/2246/9
>
> Microraptor zhaoianus is known from several specimens collected in
> western Liaoning Province, China. However, several aspects of the
> morphology of Microraptor remain unknown or ambiguous due to poor
> preservation of the described specimens. A well-preserved new specimen
> of Microraptor zhaoianus is described in this study. This specimen
> preserves significant morphological details that are not present or
> are poorly preserved in the other Microraptor specimens including
> aspects of the skull, the rib cage, and the humerus. These new
> characters corroborate Microraptor as a member of the Dromaeosauridae
> as previously suggested and support the close relationship of
> troodontids and dromaeosaurids (Deinonychosauria). The morphology of
> the rib cage also suggests Microraptor and the early volant avialans
> very likely may have shared a similar mechanism to assist respiration.