Gretcheniao sinensis gen. et sp. nov. (1 Viewer)

[Fred Ruhe]

Luis M. Chiappe, Meng Qingjin, Francisco Serrano, Trond Sigurdsen, Wang Min, Alyssa Bell, Liu Di, 2019

New Bohaiornis-like bird from the Early Cretaceous of China: enantiornithine interrelationships and flight performance

PeerJ. 7: e7846. doi:10.7717/peerj.7846

Abstract: https://peerj.com/articles/7846/

During the last decade, several Bohaiornis-like enantiornithine species—and numerous specimens—have been recognized from the celebrated Jehol Biota of northwestern China. In this paper, we describe the anatomy of another “bohaiornithid” species from the 125 million-year-old Yixian Formation of Liaoning Province, China. The new taxon differs from previously recognized “bohaiornithids” on a number of characters from the forelimb and shoulder girdle. We also provide a new phylogenetic framework for enantiornithine birds, which questions the monophyly of the previously recognized bohaiornithid clade and highlights ongoing challenges for resolving enantiornithine interrelationships. Additionally, we offer the first assessment of the flight properties of Bohaiornis-like enantiornithines. Our results indicate that while “bohaiornithids” were morphologically suited for flying through continuous flapping, they would have been unable to sustain prolonged flights. Such findings expand the flight strategies previously known for enantiornithines and other early birds.

Free pdf: https://peerj.com/articles/7846.pdf

Enjoy,

Fred

 

[l_raty]

Shouldn't all the Chinese names be the other way around ?

I mean, not "Chiappe LM, Qingjin M, Serrano F, Sigurdsen T, Min W, Bell A, Di L." as in the Cite this as box on the website, but rather "Chiappe LM, Meng Q, Serrano F, Sigurdsen T, Wang M, Bell A, Liu D."

 

[Fred Ruhe]

Shouldn't all the Chinese names be the other way around ?

I mean, not "Chiappe LM, Qingjin M, Serrano F, Sigurdsen T, Min W, Bell A, Di L." as in the Cite this as box on the website, but rather "Chiappe LM, Meng Q, Serrano F, Sigurdsen T, Wang M, Bell A, Liu D."

I have given the names of the authors as they are mentioned in the paper.

Fred

 

[Fred Ruhe]

SYSTEMATIC PALEONTOLOGY

Aves Linnaeus, 1758
Pygostylia Chiappe, 2002
Ornithothoraces Chiappe, 1995
Enantiornithes Walker, 1981
Gretcheniao sinensis gen. et sp. nov.

LSID: urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:3EE2342A-D3FC-413B-ACE9-583B66796A1C.

Holotype. BMNH Ph 829 (Beijing Museum of Natural History, Beijing, China). Nearly complete skeleton, largely exposed in ventral view, and contained in a single slab. Faint remnants of plumage are preserved as carbonized material, primarily around the neck and projecting from the distal portion of the left forelimb. A resin cast of the specimen is deposited in the collection of the Dinosaur Institute of the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County under the number LACM 7917/156630.

Etymology. Gretcheniao in recognition of Mrs. Gretchen Augustyn and her support to the Dinosaur Institute of the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County, and the Chinese character niăo, meaning “bird”; sinensis from “sino,” a term generally used in reference to China.

Geographic and Stratigraphic Provenance. BMNH Ph 829 was recovered from strata belonging to the Early Cretaceous Yixian Formation in Jianchang County, near Huludao City in Western Liaoning, China. The fossiliferous beds of the Yixian Formation have been dated at approximately 125 million-year-old (Swisher et al., 2002; He et al., 2004, 2006), corresponding to the Barremian Epoch of the Cretaceous.

Fred

Photo of the holotype of Gretcheniao sinensis (BMNHC Ph 829).

 

[njlarsen]

I have given the names of the authors as they are mentioned in the paper.

Fred

I am sure Laurent was criticizing the paper as it is visible on the website and not your post here.

Niels

 

[Fred Ruhe]

I am sure Laurent was criticizing the paper as it is visible on the website and not your post here.

Niels

I am sure you are right Niels, I only tried to explain why I used the author names as I did.

Fred

 

[l_raty]

I am sure Laurent was criticizing the paper as it is visible on the website and not your post here.

I was actually mainly reacting to the "Cite this as" box on the journal's website -- where the Chinese authors are suggested to be cited by their given name written in full, followed by an initial of [a transcription of] their family name. (Indeed, I was certainly not criticizing anything that you posted here, Fred.)

Although I was admittedly a bit surprised at first, I'd say on second thought that there is nothing wrong per se with how the names are given in the paper. But they are a mixed set of western names, given using western conventions (first name-[middle name initial]-last name), and of Chinese names, given using Chinese conventions (family name-given name). The same kind of thing was done, presumably fully deliberately, e.g., on the cover of [this book]. And why not...? However, if this is done, I think the components of the names should remain treated as what they are -- thus Birds of stone should be cited as "Chiappe & Meng 2016" (it is cited as such in the present paper); "Chiappe & Qingjin 2016" makes little sense.

Can we agree that the authorship of the names is: Chiappe, Meng, Serrano, Sigurdsen, Wang, Bell & Liu 2019 ?

 

[Fred Ruhe]

Can we agree that the authorship of the names is: Chiappe, Meng, Serrano, Sigurdsen, Wang, Bell & Liu 2019 ?

I fully agree Laurent.

Fred