謎めいた恐竜の先駆者は,ペテロサウリアの起源のギャップを埋める

Martín D Ezcurra^1,2, Sterling J Nesbitt³, Mario Bronzati⁴

¹Sección Paleontología de Vertebrados CONICET-Museo Argentino de Ciencias Naturales 'Bernardino Rivadavia', Buenos Aires, Argentina. martindezcurra@yahoo.com.ar.

Nature

|December 10, 2020

まとめ

飛べない恐竜の先駆けであるラガーペチドは,最も近い親類であると特定されています. この発見は進化の大きなギャップを埋め飛行前に進化した重要な特徴を示しています

科学分野:

古生物学
脊椎動物の進化
中世生態系

背景:

ペテロサウルスはメソゾーイク時代の動力飛行を成し遂げた最初の脊椎動物でした
プテロサウルスの進化の起源は長い間謎に包まれていました
初期のプテロサウルとその仮説的な親類の間には重要な形態学的ギャップが存在します.

研究の目的:

プテロサウルスの未解決の起源を解明するために
ペトロサウルスの姉妹群を特定するために
ペトロサウルスの体構造に繋がる進化の段階を理解するために

主な方法:

最近発見された保存された頭蓋骨の分析
脆弱な頭蓋骨のマイクロコンピュータトモグラフィー (マイクロCT) スキャン
信頼性の高い骨格の検査

主要な成果:

カーソリアルの非飛行性恐竜の前身であるラガーペチドは,プテロサウルスの姉妹群として識別されている.
多くの骨格のシナポモルフィーがラガーペティドとプテロサウルスの間で共有されていることが発見されました.
感覚能力の向上に関連した神経解剖学的特徴は,飛行前のラガーペティドに存在しています.

結論:

この研究は,プテロサウルとその最も近い親類の間の時間的および形態学的ギャップを大幅に縮小します.
証拠は,鳥類のアルコサウルスのライン内のプテロサウルスの配置を強化します.
重要な感覚的適応は飛翔の進化前にプテロサウルに進化しました

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