Bolet, A;
Stanley, EL;
Daza, JD;
Arias, JS;
Čerňanský, A;
Vidal-García, M;
Bauer, AM;
... Evans, SE; + view all
(2021)
Unusual morphology in the mid-Cretaceous lizard Oculudentavis.
Current Biology
10.1016/j.cub.2021.05.040.
(In press).
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Abstract
Oculudentavis khaungraae was described based on a tiny skull trapped in amber. The slender tapering rostrum with retracted narial openings, large eyes, and short vaulted braincase led to its identification as the smallest avian dinosaur on record, comparable to the smallest living hummingbirds. Despite its bird-like appearance, Oculudentavis showed several features inconsistent with its original phylogenetic placement. Here, we describe a more complete specimen that demonstrates Oculudentavis is actually a bizarre lizard of uncertain position. The new specimen is described as a new species within the genus Oculudentavis. The new interpretation and phylogenetic placement highlight a rare case of convergent evolution in skull proportions but apparently not in morphological characters. Our results re-affirm the importance of Myanmar amber in yielding unusual taxa from a forest ecosystem rarely represented in the fossil record.
| Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Title: | Unusual morphology in the mid-Cretaceous lizard Oculudentavis |
| Open access status: | An open access version is available from UCL Discovery |
| DOI: | 10.1016/j.cub.2021.05.040 |
| Publisher version: | http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.2021.05.040 |
| Language: | English |
| Additional information: | © 2021 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Inc. 1 This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/). |
| Keywords: | burmite, dinosaur, lizard, HRCT, synchrotron, Myanmar, comparative anatomy, phylogenetic analyses, osteology, Cretaceous |
| UCL classification: | UCL UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Life Sciences UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Life Sciences > Div of Biosciences UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Life Sciences > Div of Biosciences > Cell and Developmental Biology |
| URI: | https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/10129824 |
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