From: Tommy Tyrberg <tommy.tyrberg@norrkoping.mail.telia.com> Reply-To: tommy.tyrberg@norrkoping.mail.telia.com To: Subject: New paper Date: Sun, 10 Dec 2006 19:42:26 +0100
I don't think anybody has mentioned this yet:
Chiappe, L. M., Suzuki, S., Dyke, G.J., Watabe, M., Tsogtbaatar & Barsbold, R. 2006. A new enantiornithine bird from the Late Cretaceous of the Gobi Desert. Journal of Systematic Palaeontology (online preprint)
does this have any skeleton pics online? *curious*
We report on a new species of enantiornithine bird from the Late Cretaceous of the Mongolian Gobi Desert, which adds to
themeager record of birds from the latest part of the Mesozoic in this region. The exceptional, three-dimensional bones of the
newfossil increase the known anatomical diversity of enantiornithine birds, providing information about previously
unreported morphologies such as a pneumatised furcula. Several synapomorphies nest the new bird within an enantiornithine
clade of proficient fliers, but the anatomy and proportions of its flight apparatus imply significant aerodynamic restrictions.
The combination of phylogeny and our functional interpretation suggests that this new fossil bird is a representative of a
flightless lineage. This discovery thus provides the first evidence of a trend towards more limited flying capabilities
among Enantiornithes, a group of Cretaceous birds otherwise believed to be represented by competent fliers.
The species name isn't mentioned in the abstract: Elsornis keni.
Tommy tyrberg