Reinterpretation of a previously described Jehol bird clarifies early trophic evolution in the Ornithuromorpha.

ABSTRACT: STM35-3 from the Yixian Formation is the only Early Cretaceous ornithuromorph preserving direct evidence of granivory. The crop contains numerous seeds and the preservation of gastroliths presumably within the ventriculus indicates this diet was paired with the presence of a gastric mill as in living granivorous birds. STM35-3 was originally referred to Hongshanornis longicresta, member of a diverse clade of small, basal ornithuromorphs with elongate hindlimbs known as the Hongshanornithidae. Hindlimb proportions suggest that hongshanornithids were wading birds, an ecological inference somewhat in conflict with direct evidence suggesting Hongshanornis fed on seeds. However, close inspection of STM35-3 reveals that the specimen represents a new species not closely related to h

SUBMITTER: Zheng X 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5805944 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature