Subject: new LARGE Chinese dinosaur with fibrous integments
Date: Thu, 27 May 1999 11:54:00 -0700
From: Betty Cunningham <bettyc@flyinggoat.com>
Newsgroups: sci.bio.paleontology, alt.dinosaur
(reposted from the dinosaur mailing list with minor edits from an original
post by Ralph Miller III-sorry Ralph)
The May 27, 1999 issue of _Nature_ features the above named paper, authored
by Xing Xu, Zhi-Lu Tang, and Xiao-Lin Wang, which describes a therizinosauroid
specimen, named _Beipiaosaurus inexpectus_, which is estimated to have a
length (in life) of 2.2 meters, and which features the remains of integumentary
filaments resembling those of _Sinosauropteryx prima_, which are up to 70 mm
in length (the average fiber length being 50 mm). The specimen, which was
discovered in 1996, is far from complete, but contains a number of articulated
bone pieces.
Quoting the first paragraph posted at <www.nature.com>:
"A therizinosauroid dinosaur with integumentary structures from China
Xing Xu, Zhi-Lu Tang, & Xiao-Lin Wang
Therizinosauroidea ('segnosaurs') are a little-known group of Asian dinosaurs
with an unusual combination of features that, until recently, obscured their
evolutionary relationships. Suggested affinities include Ornithischia,
Sauropodomorpha, Theropoda, and Saurischia _sedis mutabilis_. Here we
describe a new therizinosauroid from the Yixian formation (Early Cretaceous,
Liaoning, China). This new taxon provides fresh evidence that
therizinosauroids are nested within the coelurosaurian theropods. Our analysis
suggests that several specialized therizinosauroid characters, such as the
Sauropodomorpha-like tetradactyl pes, evolved independently within this group.
Most interestingly, this new dinosaur has integumentary filaments as in
_Sinosauropteryx_. This indicates that such feather-like structures may have
a broad distribution among non-avian theropods, and supports the hypothesis
that the filamentous integumentary structures may be homologous to the
feathers of birds.
Dinosauria Owen 1842
Theropoda Marsh 1881
Coelurosauria _sensu_ Gauthier 1986
Therizinosauroidea Russell and Dong 1993
_Beipiaosaurus inexpectus_ gen. et sp. nov.
Etymology. Beipiao: the city near the locality where the specimen was found;
saurus: lizard; inexpectus: referring to the surprising features in this
animal.
Holotype. IVPP V11559 (Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology &
Paleoanthropology, Beijing, China; see Fig.1)."
End quote. The reference is as follows:
XING XU et al: A therizinosauroid dinosaur with integumentary structures
from China_Nature_ 399, 350-354 (1999) _Letters to Nature_
A character matrix and list for phylogenetic analyses is available
on-line to subscribers as a supplement to the paper. (The paper is likewise
available on-line to subscribers at this time).
--
※ 發信站: 批踢踢實業坊(ptt.twbbs.org)
◆ From: 140.112.65.92