Hostname: page-component-8448b6f56d-wq2xx Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-04-18T16:12:54.670Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

A new specimen of large-bodied basal Enantiornithine Bohaiornis from the Early Cretaceous of China and the inference of feeding ecology in Mesozoic birds

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  14 July 2015

Zhiheng Li ,
Zhonghe Zhou ,
Min Wang  and
Julia A. Clarke
Zhiheng Li
Affiliation:
Department of Geological Sciences, Jackson School of Geosciences, The University of Texas at Austin, 1 University Station C1100, Austin, Texas 78712, USA, ;
Zhonghe Zhou
Affiliation:
Key Laboratory of Vertebrate Evolutionary and Human Evolution, Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100044, China, ;
Min Wang
Affiliation:
Key Laboratory of Vertebrate Evolutionary and Human Evolution, Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100044, China, ;
Julia A. Clarke
Affiliation:
Department of Geological Sciences, Jackson School of Geosciences, The University of Texas at Austin, 1 University Station C1100, Austin, Texas 78712, USA, ;
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

A new specimen of Bohaiornis guoi from the Jiufotang Formation, comprising a nearly complete skeleton, sheds light on enantiornithine morphological variation and ecological specialization. The new specimen was collected from near Lamadong Village in Liaoning Province, which is the same area where the sub-adult holotype specimen was reported. It provides new information on the cranial and pectoral girdle anatomy of the species, e.g., broad nasal, strikingly robust acromion, medially curved acrocoracoid process. In contrast to the holotype, the newly referred specimen has small rounded stones in the thoracic region that in other extinct taxa has been interpreted as direct evidence of diet. Direct evidence of diet is so far unknown in other Enantiornithes. Specifically the lack of “stomach stones” or gastroliths in enantiornithines despite their excellent fossil record has been proposed to be related to their insectivorous diet as well as to their arboreal ecology. We hypothesize that cranial morphology as well as the number and shape of the preserved stones in Bohaiornis may be most consistent with a raptorial ecology previously unknown for Enantiornithes and considered rare for Avialae. While rostrum shape has a strong relationship to feeding ecology in living birds, in basal avialan birds most diversity is in dental morphology, number, and distribution of the teeth.

Type
Research Article
Information
Journal of Paleontology , Volume 88 , Issue 1 , January 2014 , pp. 99 - 108
Copyright
Copyright © The Paleontological Society 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Albuquerque, J. L. B. 1982. Observations on the use of rangle by the Peregrine Falcon (Falco peregrinus tundrius) wintering in southern Brazil. Raptor Research, 16:91–92.Google Scholar
Bhullar, B. A., Marugán-Lobón, J., Racimo, F., Bever, G. S., Rowe, T. B., Norell, M. A., and Abzhanov, A. 2012. Birds have paedomorphic dinosaur skulls. Nature, 487:223–226.Google Scholar
Chiappe, L. M. 1991. Cretaceous avian remains from Patagonia shed new light on the early radiation of birds. Alcheringa, 15:333–338.Google Scholar
Chiappe, L. M. 1995. The phylogenetic position of the Cretaceous birds of Argentina: Enantiornithes and Patagopteryx deferrariisi . Cour Forsch Senckenberg, 181:55–63.Google Scholar
Chiappe, L. M. and Calvo, J. O. 1994. Neuquenornis volans, a new Late Cretaceous bird (Enantiornithes: Avisauridae) from Patagonia, Argentina. Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology, 14:230–246.Google Scholar
Chiappe, L. M., Ji, S., Ji, Q., and Norell, M. A. 1999. Anatomy and systematics of the Confuciusornithidae (Aves) from the Mesozoic of Northeastern China. American Museum Novitates, 242:1–89.Google Scholar
Chiappe, L. M. and Walker, C. A. 2002. Skeletal morphology and systematics of the Cretaceous Euenantiornithes (Ornithothoraces: Enantiornithes), p. 240–267. In Chiappe, L. M. and Witmer, L. M. (eds.), Mesozoic Birds: Above the Heads of Dinosaurs. University of California Press, Berkeley, California.Google Scholar
Clarke, J. 2004. Morphology, phylogenetic taxonomy, and systematics of Ichthyornis and Apatornis (Avialae: Ornithurae). Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History, 286:1–179.Google Scholar
Clarke, J., Zhou, Z., and Zhang, F. 2006. Insight into the evolution of avian flight from a new clade of Early Cretaceous ornithurines from China and the morphology of Yixianornis grabaui . Journal of Anatomy, 208:287–308.Google Scholar
Dalsätt, J., Zhou, Z., Zhang, F., and Ericson, P. 2006. Food remains in Confuciusornis sanctus suggest a fish diet. Naturwissenschaften, 93:444–446.Google Scholar
Gauthier, J. 1986. Saurischian monophyly and the origin of birds, p. 1–55. In Padian, K. (eds.), The Origin of Birds and the Evolution of Flight. Memoirs California Academy of Sciences 8.Google Scholar
Gauthier, J. and De Queiroz, K. 2001. Feathered dinosaurs, flying dinosaurs, crown dinosaurs and the name ‘Aves', p. 7–41. In Gauthier, J. and Gall, L. F. (eds.), New Perspectives on the Origin and Early Evolution of Birds: Proceedings of the International Symposium in Honor of John H. Ostrom. Peabody Museum (Natural History), New Haven.Google Scholar
Gill, F. B. 2007. Ornithology (3rd edition). W. H. Freeman, New York, 720 p.Google Scholar
Gionfriddo, J. P. and Best, L. B. 1996. Grit-use patterns in North American birds: the influence of diet, body size, and gender. The Wilson Bulletin, 108:685–696.Google Scholar
He, H. Y., Wang, X., Zhou, Z., Wang, F., Boven, A., Shi, G., and Zhu, R. 2004. Timing of the Jiufotang Formation (Jehol Group) in Liaoning, northeastern China, and its implications. Geophysical Research Letters, 31:L12605.Google Scholar
Hou, L. 1994. A late Mesozoic bird from Inner Mongolia. Vertebrata Palasiatica, 32:258–266.Google Scholar
Hou, L. 1997a. A carinate bird from the Upper Jurassic of western Liaoning, China. Chinese Science Bulletin, 42:413–417.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hou, L. 1997b. Mesozoic Birds of China. The Phoenix Valley Provincial Aviary of Taiwan. In Chinese, translated by Will Downs, Bilby Research Center, Northern Arizona University, 137 p.Google Scholar
Hou, L., Chiappe, L. M., Zhang, F., and Chuong, C. 2004. New Early Cretaceous fossil from China documents a novel trophic specialization for Mesozoic birds. Naturwissenschaften, 91:22–25.Google Scholar
Hou, L., Martin, L. D., Zhou, Z., and Feduccia, A. 1999. Archaeopteryx to opposite birds—missing link from the Mesozoic of China. Vertebrata PalAsiatica, 37:88–95.Google Scholar
Hou, D., Li, L., Hou, L., and Xu, X. 2011. A new Enantiornithine bird from the Lower Cretaceous of Western Liaoning. Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology, 31:154–161.Google Scholar
Hu, D., Xu, X., Hou, L., and Sullivan, C. 2012. A new enantiornithine bird from the Lower Cretaceous of Western Liaoning, China, and its implications for early avian evolution. Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology, 32:639–645.Google Scholar
Ji, Q. 2004. Mesozoic Jehol Biota of Western Liaoning, China. Geological Publishing House, Beijing, 375 p.Google Scholar
Lamanna, M. C., You, H., Harris, J. D., Chiappe, L. M., Ji, S., Lü, J., and Ji, Q. 2006. A partial skeleton of an enantiornithine bird from the Early Cretaceous of northwestern China. Acta Palaeontologica Polonica, 51:423–434.Google Scholar
Mayr, G., Pohl, B., and Peters, D. S. 2005. A well-preserved Archaeopteryx specimen with theropod features. Science, 310:1483–1483.Google Scholar
McLelland, J. 1979. Digestive system, p. 69–92. In King, A. S. and McLelland, J. (eds.), Form and Function in Birds, Academic Press, San Diego, California.Google Scholar
Morschhauser, E., Varricchio, D. J., Gao, C., Liu, J., Wang, X., Cheng, X., and Meng, Q. 2009. Anatomy of the Early Cretaceous bird Rapaxavis pani, a new species from Liaoning Province, China. Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology, 29:545–554.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Norell, M. A. and Clarke, J. A. 2001. Fossil that fills a critical gap in avian evolution. Nature, 409:181–184.Google Scholar
O'Connor, J. K. 2012. A revised look at Liaoningornis longidigitris (Aves). Vertebrata PalAsiatica, 50:25–37.Google Scholar
O'Connor, J. K. and Chiappe, L. M. 2011. A revision of enantiornithine (Aves: Ornithothoraces) skull morphology. Journal of Systematic Palaeontology, 9:135–157.Google Scholar
O'Connor, J. K., Chiapppe, L. M., Gao, C., and Zhao, B. 2011a. Anatomy of the Early Cretaceous enantiornithine bird Rapaxavis pani . Acta Palaeontologica Polonica, 56:463–475.Google Scholar
O'Connor, J. K. and Dyke, G. 2010. A reassessment of Sinornis santensis and Cathayornis yandica (Aves: Enantiornithes), p. 7–20. In Boles, W. E. and Worthy, T. H. (eds.), Proceedings of the VII International Meeting of the Society of Avian Paleontology and Evolution, Records of the Australian Museum 62.Google Scholar
O'Connor, J. K., Gao, K., and Chiappe, L. M. 2010a. A New Ornithuromorph (Aves: Ornithothoraces) Bird from the Jehol Group indicative of higher-level diversity. Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology, 30:311–321.Google Scholar
O'Connor, J. K., Sun, C., Xu, X., Wang, X., and Zhou, Z. 2012. A new species of Jeholornis with complete caudal integument. Historical Biology, 24:29–41.Google Scholar
O'Connor, J. K., Wang, X., Chiappe, L. M., Gao, C., Meng, Q., Chengand, X., and Liu, J. 2009. Phylogenetic support for a specialized clade of Cretaceous enantiornithine birds with information from a new species. Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology, 29:188–204.Google Scholar
O'Connor, J. K., Zhang, Y., Chiappe, L. M., Meng, Q., Li, Q., and Liu, D. 2013. A new enantiornithine from the Yixian Formation with the first recognized avian enamel specialization. Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology, 33:1–12.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
O'Connor, J. K., Zhou, Z., and Xu, X. 2011b. Additional specimen of Microraptor provides unique evidence of dinosaurs preying on birds. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, U.S.A., 49:19662–19665.Google Scholar
O'Connor, J. K., Zhou, Z., and Zhang, F. 2010b. A reappraisal of Boluochia zhengi (Aves: Enantiornithes) and a discussion of intraclade diversity in the Jehol avifauna, China. Journal of Systematic Palaeontology, 9:51–63.Google Scholar
Potter, E. F. 1983. Ingestion of grit by wood warblers. The Chat, 47:103–104.Google Scholar
Sanz, J. L., Chiappe, L. M., Pérez-Moreno, B. P., Buscalioni, A. D., Moratalla, J. J., Ortega, F., and Poyato-Ariza, F. J. 1996. An Early Cretaceous bird from Spain and its implications for the evolution of avian flight. Nature, 382:442–445.Google Scholar
Schmitz, L. 2009. Quantitative estimates of visual performance features in fossil birds. Journal of Morphology, 270:759–773.Google Scholar
Storer, R. W. 1971. Adaptive Radiation of Birds, p. 149–188. In Farner, D. S. and King, J. R. (eds.), Avian Biology, Vol. I. Academic Press.Google Scholar
Sues, H. D. 1977. The skull of Velociraptor mongoliensis, a small Cretaceous theropod dinosaur from Mongolia. Paläontologische Zeitschrift, 51:173–184.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Swofford, D. L. 2003. PAUP∗. Phylogenetic Analysis Using Parsimony (∗ and Other Methods). Sinauer Associates, Sunderland.Google Scholar
You, H., O'Connor, J. K., Chiappe, L. M., and Ji, Q. 2005. A new fossil bird from the Early Cretaceous of Gansu Province, northwestern China. Historical Biology, 17:7–14.Google Scholar
Wang, S. E. and Ji, Q. 2009. Lithostratigraphy and biostratigraphy features of Zhangjiakou Formation and Dabeigou Formation and its significance for stratigraphic subdivision and correlation in the Northeast Asia. Geological Bulletin of China, 7:821–828.Google Scholar
Walker, C. A. 1981. New subclass of birds from the Cretaceous of South America. Nature, 292:51–53.Google Scholar
Wang, X., O'Connor, J. K., Zhao, B., Chiappe, L.M., Gao, C., and Cheng, X. 2010. New species of Enantiornithes (Aves: Ornithothoraces) from the Qiaotou Formation in northern Hebei, China. Acta Geologica Sinica, 84:247–256.Google Scholar
Wings, O. 2004. Identification, distribution, and function of gastroliths in dinosaurs and extant birds with emphasis on ostriches (Struthio camelus). Unpublished Ph.D. dissertation, Rheinischen Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität, Bonn, 187 p.Google Scholar
Wings, O. 2007. A review of gastrolith function with implications for fossil vertebrates and a revised classification. Acta Palaeontologica Polonica, 52:1–16.Google Scholar
Wings, O. and Sander, P. M. 2007. No gastric mill in sauropod dinosaurs: new evidence from analysis of gastrolith mass and function in ostriches. Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 274:635–640.Google Scholar
Zanno, L. E. and Makovicky, P. J. 2011. Herbivorous ecomorphology and specialization patterns in theropod dinosaur evolution. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, U.S.A., 108:232–237.Google Scholar
Zhang, F. and Zhou, Z. 2000. A primitive enantiornithine bird and the origin of feathers. Science, 290:1955–1959.Google Scholar
Zhang, F., Zhou, Z., Hou, L., and Gu, G. 2001. Early diversification of birds: evidence from a new opposite bird. Chinese Science Bulletin, 46:945–950.Google Scholar
Zheng, X., Zhang, Z., and Hou, L. 2007. A new enantiornithine bird with four long rectrices from the Early Cretaceous of northern Hebei, China. Acta Geologica Sinica, 81:703–708.Google Scholar
Zheng, X., Martin, L. D., Zhou, Z., Burnham, D. A., Zhang, F., and Miao, D. 2011. Fossil evidence of avian crops from the Early Cretaceous of China. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 108:15904–15907.Google Scholar
Zhou, Z. 1995. Discovery of a new enantiornithine bird from the Early Cretaceous of Liaoning, China. Vertebrata PalAsiatica, 33:99–113. (In Chinese) Google Scholar
Zhou, Z. 2002. A New and primitive enantiornithine bird from the Early Cretaceous of China. Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology, 22:49–57.Google Scholar
Zhou, Z. 2006. Evolutionary radiation of the Jehol Biota: Chronological and ecological perspectives. Geological Journal, 41:377–393.Google Scholar
Zhou, Z., Chiappe, L. M., and Zhang, F. 2005. Anatomy of the Early Cretaceous bird Eoenantiornis buhleri (Aves: Enantiornithes) from China. Canadian Journal of Earth Sciences, 42:1331–1338.Google Scholar
Zhou, Z., Clarke, J. A., and Zhang, F. 2002. Archaeoraptor's better half. Nature, 420:285.Google Scholar
Zhou, Z., Clarke, J. A., and Zhang, F. 2004. Gastroliths in Yanornis: An indication of the earliest radical diet-switching and gizzard plasticity in the lineage leading to living birds? Naturwissenschaften, 91:571–574.Google Scholar
Zhou, Z., Clarke, J. A., and Zhang, F. 2008. Insight into diversity, body size, and morphological evolution from the largest Early Cretaceous enantiornithine bird. Journal of Anatomy, 212:565–577.Google Scholar
Zhou, Z. and Hou, L. 2002. The discovery and study of Mesozoic birds in China, p. 160–183. In Chiappe, L. M. and Witmer, L. M. (eds.), Mesozoic Birds: Above the Heads of Dinosaurs. University of California Press, Berkeley, California.Google Scholar
Zhou, Z., Jin, F., and Zhang, J. 1992. Preliminary report on a Mesozoic bird from Liaoning, China. Chinese Science Bulletin, 37:1365–1368.Google Scholar
Zhou, Z. and Zhang, F. 2001. Two new ornithurine birds from the Early Cretaceous of western Liaoning, China. Chinese Science Bulletin, 46:1258–1264.Google Scholar
Zhou, Z. and Zhang, F. 2002. A long-tailed, seed-eating bird from the Early Cretaceous of China. Nature, 418:405–409.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Zhou, Z. and Zhang, F. 2003a. Jeholornis compared to Archaeopteryx, with a new understanding of the earliest avian evolution. Naturwissenschaften, 90:220–225.Google Scholar
Zhou, Z. and Zhang, F. 2003b. Anatomy of the primitive bird Sapeornis chaoyangensis from the Early Cretaceous of Liaoning, China. Canadian Journal of Earth Sciences, 40:731–747.Google Scholar
Zhou, Z. and Zhang, F. 2005. Discovery of a new ornithurine bird and its implication for Early Cretaceous avian radiation. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, U.S.A., 102:18998–19002.Google Scholar
Zhou, Z. and Zhang, F. 2006a. Mesozoic birds of China—a synoptic review. Vertebrata Palasiatica, 44:74–98.Google Scholar
Zhou, Z. and Zhang, F. 2006b. A beaked basal ornithurine bird (Aves, Ornithurae) from the Lower Cretaceous of China. Zoologica Scripta, 35:363–373.Google Scholar
Zhou, Z., Zhang, F., and Li, Z. 2009. A new basal ornithurine bird (Jianchangornis microdonta gen. et sp. nov.) from the Lower Cretaceous of China. Vertebrata Palasiatica, 47:299–310.Google Scholar
Supplementary material: File

Li et al. supplementary material

Li et al. supplementary material 1

Download Li et al. supplementary material(File)
File 28.2 KB
Supplementary material: File

Li et al. supplementary material

Li et al. supplementary material 2

Download Li et al. supplementary material(File)
File 74.9 KB