An embryonic enantiornithine bird and associated eggs from the cretaceous of Mongolia

Курочкин, Е. Н.; Chatterjee, Sankar; Mikhailov, Konstantin E.

doi:10.1134/s0031030113110087

Cited by 43 publications

(41 citation statements)

References 16 publications

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“…Mesozoic bird clutches and eggshell document open nesting as well (Mikhailov, Bray & Hirsch, 1996;Salvador & Fiorelli, 2011;Fernandez et al, 2013;Kurochkin, Chatterjee & Mikhailov, 2013).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 88%

The blue-green eggs of dinosaurs: How fossil metabolites provide insights into the evolution of bird reproduction

Wiemann

Yang

Sander

et al. 2015

Preprint

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Open-nesting birds use biological pigments in eggshell to camouflage their unhatched offspring, varying the colour to account for the nesting environment and location. The tetrapyrrolic pigments protoporphyrin (PP) and biliverdin (BV), which both participate in the haem metabolism, are responsible for the reddish brown of chicken eggs and the brilliant blue of robin and emu eggs. However, eggshell pigmentation correlates with the nest type in a wide range of avian species and suggests that coloured eggs are basal to the avian lineage, extending back to their non-avian dinosaur origins. Detecting preserved eggshell pigments could thus shed light on dinosaur nesting behaviour. Using HPLC separation coupled to ESI-Q-TOF mass spectrometry, we here provide the first record of the eggshell pigments PP and BV preserved in fossils from three different localities, in 66 million year-old oviraptorid eggshell (Macroolithus yaotunensis). These eggs were presumably laid in at least partially open nests by the oviraptorid Heyuannia huangi and camouflaged by an originally blue-greenish egg colouration. Such a blue-greenish eggshell pigmentation hints at increased paternal care in Heyuannia. Shell porosity measurements, preserved clutches and parental animals support an open nesting behaviour for oviraptorid dinosaurs. Furthermore, the detection of PP, together with supporting microscopic observations, represents the first evidence for cuticle preservation in fossil eggshell. Our study demonstrates that molecular biomarkers, such as preserved metabolites, can be used to trace the evolution of modern avian traits, and to provide insights into dinosaur reproductive biology and the preservation of endogenous organic matter in fossil vertebrates.

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“…Mesozoic bird clutches and eggshell document open nesting as well (Mikhailov, Bray & Hirsch, 1996;Salvador & Fiorelli, 2011;Fernandez et al, 2013;Kurochkin, Chatterjee & Mikhailov, 2013).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 88%

The blue-green eggs of dinosaurs: How fossil metabolites provide insights into the evolution of bird reproduction

Wiemann

Yang

Sander

et al. 2015

Preprint

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“…Although the "geckoid" eggshell fragments recovered from Romania Grigorescu and Csiki 2008;Vasile and Csiki 2011;Csiki-Sava et al 2015 have been tentatively assigned to squamates , the identical ornamentation and thickness of these fragments and MT I strongly suggest the same, closely related theropod affinities for the eggshell fragments from Romanian, Spanish, French, and Hungarian localities. This places MT I and the other two unnamed "geckoid/geckonoid" types among the thinnest fossil theropod eggshells reported to date, the thinness of which is only rivaled by the eggshells of the smallest avian eggs known from the Mesozoic record, such as those of enantiornithine birds (Sabath 1991;Fernández et al 2013;Kurochkin et al 2013;Zhang et al 2015). As most extant and fossil avian eggshells have smooth surface and a pronounced trilaminate microstructure (e.g., Mikhailov 1997;Schweitzer et al 2002), the avian nature of the strongly ornamented MT I with questionable presence of an EL is uncertain at best.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 94%

“…However, unlike oviraptorids which reveal only two structural layers, a ML and a continuous or squamatic layer (Norell et al 1994;Zelenitsky et al 1996;Weishampel et al 2008), MT V has a trilaminate microstructure with a third, external zone, similar to extant paleognath birds (Zelenitsky et al 1996;Mikhailov 1997;Zelenitsky and Modesto 2003) and fossil enantiornithines (Schweitzer et al 2002;Kurochkin et al 2013). Both the total eggshell thickness and the relative thickness of the three layers in MT V are approximately the same as described for the shells of enantiornithine bird eggs recovered from the Campanian (Upper Cretaceous) Río Colorado Formation, Argentina (Schweitzer et al 2002).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 97%

“…The single specimen of MT V discovered by thin sectioning lacks shell ornamentation and exhibits the so-called "ratite" type microstructure with a CL that characterizes the eggshell of extant and fossil paleognathous birds and other fossil maniraptoran dinosaurs, such as oviraptorids, the dromaeosaurid Deinonychus, enanthiornithine birds ("laevisoolithid" type), and some other "elongatoolithid" eggshell types of uncertain taxonomic identity but correlated with theropod dinosaurs (Hirsch and Quinn 1990;Norell et al 1994;Zelenitsky et al 1996Zelenitsky et al , 2000Mikhailov 1997;Zelenitsky and Hirsch 1997;Makovicky and Grellet-Tinner 2000;Schweitzer et al 2002;Zelenitsky and Modesto 2003;Grellet-Tinner and Makovicky 2006;Jin et al 2007;Patnaik et al 2009;Kurochkin et al 2013;Huh et al 2014). However, unlike oviraptorids which reveal only two structural layers, a ML and a continuous or squamatic layer (Norell et al 1994;Zelenitsky et al 1996;Weishampel et al 2008), MT V has a trilaminate microstructure with a third, external zone, similar to extant paleognath birds (Zelenitsky et al 1996;Mikhailov 1997;Zelenitsky and Modesto 2003) and fossil enantiornithines (Schweitzer et al 2002;Kurochkin et al 2013).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Collection of the thinnest: A unique eggshell assemblage from the Late Cretaceous vertebrate locality of Iharkút (Hungary)

Prondvai

Botfalvai

Stein

et al. 2017

Central European Geology

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As a result of several years of screen-washing activity, a remarkable assemblage of eggshell fragments has been recovered from the Late Cretaceous vertebrate locality of Iharkút, Hungary. Detailed investigation of the assemblage by multiple visualization techniques (scanning electron microscopy, polarizing light microscopy, X-ray micro-computed tomography), quantitative morphometric analyses, and micro X-ray fluorescence spectrometry revealed a diverse composition of five different eggshell morphotypes (MT I-MT V) and three subcategories within the second morphotype (MT II/a, b, c), with MT I being by far the most abundant (83%) in the assemblage. MT I, MT III, and MT V represent theropod dinosaurian eggshells, whereas MT II and MT IV show characteristics of crocodilian and squamate eggshells, respectively. Hence, despite their fragmentary nature, these eggshells represent the first clear evidence that various sauropsid taxa had nesting sites near the ancient fluvial system of Iharkút. Besides the implied taxonomic diversity, two unique features add to the significance of this eggshell assemblage. First, it contains the thinnest rigid crocodilian (MT II/c) and squamate (MT IV) eggshells ever reported. Moreover, one of the identified theropod morphotypes, MT I, is also among the thinnest fossil dinosaurian eggshells, the thinness of which is only rivalled by the eggshells of the smallest Mesozoic avian eggs known to date. Second, the Iharkút eggshell assemblage consists exclusively of thin eggshells (≤300 μm), a condition unknown from any other fossil eggshell assemblages described to date. Combined with the knowledge acquired from skeletal remains, these peculiarities give additional insights into the paleoecology of the terrestrial sauropsid fauna once inhabiting the ancient island of Iharkút. Finally, the presence of well-preserved eggshells recovered from two different sites representing different depositional environments provides further evidence for previous taphonomic and sedimentological conclusions, and also expands our knowledge of the special conditions that allowed the preservation of these delicate eggshell fragments.

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“…The skull remains from Mongolia are mostly referred to Gobipteryx minuta, and are preserved in three dimensions but largely incomplete (Elzanowski 1977;Chiappe et al 2001); and recently, Kurochkin et al (2013) reported an embryonic enantiornithine from Mongolia with poorly preserved cranial bones. For skull material from Argentina, only one specimen, the holotype of Neuquenornis volans, preserves the frontal, parietal and occipital bones (Chiappe & Calvo 1994).…”

Section: Implications For Early Evolution Of Avian Cranial Morphologymentioning

confidence: 98%

A new small enantiornithine bird from the Jehol Biota, with implications for early evolution of avian skull morphology

Wang

2015

Journal of Systematic Palaeontology

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2015): A new small enantiornithine bird from the Jehol Biota, with implications for early evolution of avian skull morphology, Journal of Systematic Palaeontology, Enantiornithes is the most diverse Mesozoic avian clade. Approximately half of the known global diversity of Enantiornithes is from the Early Cretaceous Jehol Biota of China. The Jehol enantiornithines are usually articulated and complete, but the bones are overlain by each other and preserved in two dimensions, severely limiting the number of cranial characters that can be recognized. Here we describe a new enantiornithine bird, Pterygornis dapingfangensis gen. et sp. nov., from the Jehol Biota. The new taxon has a unique sternal morphology with an external rostral spine and a pair of craniolateral processes. Phylogenetic analysis resolves the new taxon in a derived position within Enantiornithes. The specimen is disarticulated with several exceptionally well-preserved cranial bones, including the jugal and quadratojugal, morphologies of which remain poorly understood for enantiornithines. Our results indicate that the quadratojugal is an inverted L-shaped element, morphologically similar to that of more basal birds Archaeopteryx bavarica, Jeholornis prima, Confuciusornis sanctus and Sapeornis chaoyangensis. Our findings also illustrate that the quadratojugal underwent large modifications with the reduction of the caudoventral and squamosal processes sequentially during early avian evolution, contributing to the refinement of the cranial kinesis in early birds.http://zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:384D11F5-1CD3-4447-B01E-58D320B42D49

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An embryonic enantiornithine bird and associated eggs from the cretaceous of Mongolia

Cited by 43 publications

References 16 publications

The blue-green eggs of dinosaurs: How fossil metabolites provide insights into the evolution of bird reproduction

The blue-green eggs of dinosaurs: How fossil metabolites provide insights into the evolution of bird reproduction

Collection of the thinnest: A unique eggshell assemblage from the Late Cretaceous vertebrate locality of Iharkút (Hungary)

A new small enantiornithine bird from the Jehol Biota, with implications for early evolution of avian skull morphology

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