Re: Birds of Russia and Mongolia

["Tim Williams" <twilliams_alpha@hotmail.com>]

Zoe Heraklides wrote:

> Evgeny Kurochkin was one of the authors of the paper in *Science* that
> claimed that Longisquama's plume-like appendages were feathers (or at least
> ancestral homologs of bird feathers). I don't actually belive it myself.


Make no mistake, the authors have stuck to their guns in asserting that 
_Longisquama_'s dorsal "integumentary appendages" are indeed feathers - 
rather than just scales or membranes.  This is in spite of the refutation of 
the feather identity by Hans-Dieter Sues and Robert Reisz (2000; _Nature_ 
408: 428) and unenthusiastic comments by ornithologist Richard Prum (in 
Stokstad, 2000; _Science_ 288: 2124-2125)

(I have this on good authority from one of the authors of the original paper 
[_Science_ 2000; 288: 2202-2205] who was a tad displeased with comments of 
mine regarding _Longisquama_'s position [or, the way I see it, lack of a 
position] in avian evolution.  The debate over _Longisquama's "feathers" may 
resurface soon in a high-circulation U.S. science journal.)


Tim


------------------------------------------------------------

Timothy J. Williams

USDA/ARS Researcher
Agronomy Hall
Iowa State University
Ames IA 50014

Phone: 515 294 9233
Fax:   515 294 3163

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