A flattened enantiornithine in mid-Cretaceous Burmese amber: morphology and preservation

doi:10.1016/j.scib.2018.01.019

	A flattened enantiornithine in mid-Cretaceous Burmese amber: morphology and preservation
	Fang, J; Li, G; Li G(黎刚); Bai, M; Chiappe, LM; McKellar, RC; Xing, LD; Tseng, KW; Zhang, J; Yang, HD
刊名	SCIENCE BULLETIN
	2018
卷号	63 期号:4 页码:235-243
关键词	Enantiornithes Juvenile Osteology Soft tissue preservation
ISSN号	2095-9273
DOI	10.1016/j.scib.2018.01.019
文献子类	Article
英文摘要	Cretaceous amber from Myanmar (similar to 99 Ma Burmese amber) has become a valuable supplement to the traditional skeletal record of small theropod dinosaurs preserved in sedimentary rocks, particularly for coelurosaurs and enantiornithines. The specimens recovered from this deposit preserve skeletal material and soft tissues in unmatched detail. This provides opportunities to study three-dimensional preservation of soft tissues, microstructure, and pigmentation patterns that are seldom available else-where in the fossil record. Ultimately, this line of research provides insights into life stages that are difficult to preserve, the ecology and appearance of the groups involved, and the evolutionary-development of structures such as feathers. Here we describe the most recent discovery from Burmese amber, an articulated skeleton of an enantiornithine bird. This individual has been sectioned along the coronal plane, providing a unique view inside multiple body regions. Osteological observations and plumage patterns support placement within the Enantiornithes, and suggest that the animal may have been a juvenile at the time of death. The specimen has a complex taphonomic history that includes exposure at the surface of a resin flow prior to encapsulation, and may include scavenging by some of the insects trapped within the same amber piece. The chemical composition observed along surface exposures and shallowly buried regions of the body indicate that the specimen has not undergone significant exchange with its surroundings. High iron concentrations are present in regions that preserve soft tissues as carbon films, and calcium distribution corresponds to regions where bones breach the surface of the amber. (C) 2018 Science China Press. Published by Elsevier B.V. and Science China Press. All rights reserved.
电子版国际标准刊号	2095-9281
WOS关键词	PLUMAGE ; BIRD
WOS研究方向	Science & Technology - Other Topics
语种	英语
CSCD记录号	CSCD:6190459
WOS记录号	WOS:000425946900008
内容类型	期刊论文
源URL	[http://ir.ihep.ac.cn/handle/311005/285675]
专题	高能物理研究所_实验物理中心高能物理研究所_多学科研究中心
通讯作者	Li G(黎刚)
作者单位	中国科学院高能物理研究所
推荐引用方式 GB/T 7714	Fang, J,Li, G,Li G,et al. A flattened enantiornithine in mid-Cretaceous Burmese amber: morphology and preservation[J]. SCIENCE BULLETIN,2018,63(4):235-243.
APA	Fang, J.,Li, G.,黎刚.,Bai, M.,Chiappe, LM.,...&O'Connor, JK.(2018).A flattened enantiornithine in mid-Cretaceous Burmese amber: morphology and preservation.SCIENCE BULLETIN,63(4),235-243.
MLA	Fang, J,et al."A flattened enantiornithine in mid-Cretaceous Burmese amber: morphology and preservation".SCIENCE BULLETIN 63.4(2018):235-243.