Mandibular morphology clarifies phylogenetic relationships near the origin of crown birds.

ABSTRACT:

Background

The phylogenetic relationships of fossil birds near the origin of the avian crown group remain debated, in part due to a limited amount of character evidence from incomplete fossils. The avian lower jaw provides a potentially rich source of additional character data, yet fusion of the individual bony elements composing the avian post-dentary complex has impeded efforts to explore its phylogenetic signal. Here, we use high-resolution µCT-scanning to separate the individual bony elements of the mandibles of several immature crown birds and key fossil taxa, and use those data to assess support for alternative phylogenetic hypotheses for fossils near the origin of crown birds.

Results

We find that evidence from Asteriornis fails to support interpretations of derived m

SUBMITTER: Crane AH 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12849110 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature