Browsing by Author "Meng, Qingjin, 1962-"
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Item A new specimen of Microraptor (Theropoda, Dromaeosauridae) from the Lower Cretaceous of western Liaoning, China. (American Museum novitates, no. 3821)(American Museum of Natural History., 2014-12-22) Pei, Rui.; Li, Quanguo.; Meng, Qingjin, 1962-; Gao, Keqin, 1955-; Norell, Mark.Microraptor zhaoianus is known from several specimens collected in western Liaoning Province, China. However, several aspects of the morphology of Microraptor remain unknown or ambiguous due to poor preservation of the described specimens. A well-preserved new specimen of Microraptor zhaoianus is described in this study. This specimen preserves significant morphological details that are not present or are poorly preserved in the other Microraptor specimens including aspects of the skull, the rib cage, and the humerus. These new characters corroborate Microraptor as a member of the Dromaeosauridae as previously suggested and support the close relationship of troodontids and dromaeosaurids (Deinonychosauria). The morphology of the rib cage also suggests Microraptor and the early volant avialans very likely may have shared a similar mechanism to assist respiration.Item New specimens of Anchiornis huxleyi (Theropoda, Paraves) from the late Jurassic of northeastern China. (Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History, no. 411)(American Museum of Natural History., 2017-04-13) Pei, Rui.; Li, Quanguo.; Meng, Qingjin, 1962-; Norell, Mark.; Gao, Keqin, 1955-Four new specimens of Anchiornis huxleyi (PKUP V1068, BMNHC PH804, BMNHC PH822, and BMNHC PH823) were recently recovered from the late Jurassic fossil beds of the Tiaojishan Formation in northeastern China. These new specimens are almost completely preserved with cranial and postcranial skeletons. Morphological features of Anchiornis huxleyi have implications for paravian character evolution and provide insights into the relationships of major paravian lineages. Anchiornis huxleyi shares derived features with avialans, such as a straight nasal process of the premaxilla and the absence of an external mandibular fenestra in lateral view. However, Anchiornis huxleyi lacks several derived deinonychosaurian features, including a laterally exposed splenial and a specialized raptorial pedal digit II. Morphological comparisons strongly suggest Anchiornis is more closely related to avialans than to deinonychosaurians or troodontids. Anchiornis huxleyi exhibits many conservative paravian features, and closely resembles Archaeopteryx and other Jurassic paravians from Jianchang County, such as Xiaotingia and Eosinopteryx. The other Jianchang paravian, Aurornis xui, is likely a junior synonym of Anchiornis huxleyi.