Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

A new Jurassic theropod from China documents a transitional step in the macrostructure of feathers

  • Original Paper
  • Published:
The Science of Nature Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Genuine fossils with exquisitely preserved plumage from the Late Jurassic and Early Cretaceous of northeastern China have recently revealed that bird-like theropod dinosaurs had long pennaceous feathers along their hindlimbs and may have used their four wings to glide or fly. Thus, it has been postulated that early bird flight might initially have involved four wings (Xu et al. Nature 421:335–340, 2003; Hu et al. Nature 461:640–643, 2009; Han et al. Nat Commun 5:4382, 2014). Here, we describe Serikornis sungei gen. et sp. nov., a new feathered theropod from the Tiaojishan Fm (Late Jurassic) of Liaoning Province, China. Its skeletal morphology suggests a ground-dwelling ecology with no flying adaptations. Our phylogenetic analysis places Serikornis, together with other Late Jurassic paravians from China, as a basal paravians, outside the Eumaniraptora clade. The tail of Serikornis is covered proximally by filaments and distally by slender rectrices. Thin symmetrical remiges lacking barbules are attached along its forelimbs and elongate hindlimb feathers extend up to its toes, suggesting that hindlimb remiges evolved in ground-dwelling maniraptorans before being co-opted to an arboreal lifestyle or flight.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4
Fig. 5
Fig. 6
Fig. 7
Fig. 8

Similar content being viewed by others

Abbreviations

PMOL:

Palaeontological Museum of Liaoning

YFGP:

Yizhou Fossil and Geology Park

References

  • Agnolin FL, Novas FE (2013) Avian ancestors. In: Lohmann G, Mysak LA, Notholt J, Rabassa J, Unnithan V (eds) A review of the phylogenetic relationships of the theropods unenlagiidae, microraptoria, anchiornis and scansoriopterygidae. Springer, Netherlands

  • Apostolaki NE, Rayfield EJ, Barrett PM (2015) Osteological and soft-tissue evidence for pneumatization in the cervical column of the ostrich (Struthio camelus) and observations on the vertebral columns of non-volant, semi-volant and semi-aquatic birds. PLoS One 10:e0143834

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Barrows CW (1981) Roost selection by spotted owls: an adaptation to heat stress. Condor 83:302–309

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Barsbold R (1974) Saurornithoididae, a new family of small theropod dinosaurs from Central Asia and North America. Paleontol Pol 30:5–22

    Google Scholar 

  • Bartels T (2003) Variations in the morphology, distribution, and arrangement of feathers in domesticated birds. J Exp Zool 298B:91–108

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Baumel JJ (1993) Handbook of avian anatomy: nomina anatomica avium, 2nd ed. ed, Publications of the Nuttall Ornithological Club. The Nuttall Ornithological Club

  • Benson RB, Rich TH, Vickers-Rich P, Hall M (2012) Theropod fauna from Southern Australia indicates high polar diversity and climate-driven dinosaur provinciality. PLoS One 7:e37122

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Boles WE (1997) Hindlimb proportions and locomotion of Emuarius gidju (Patterson & Rich, 1987) (Aves: Casuaridae). Mem Qld Mus 41:235–240

    Google Scholar 

  • Bonde N, Christiansen P (2003) The detailed anatomy of Rhamphorhynchus: axial pneumaticity and its implications. Geol Soc Lond Spec Publ 217:217–232

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bramwell CD, Whitfield GR (1974) Biomechanics of Pteranodon. Philos Trans R Soc B 267:503–581

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Britt BB (1993) Pneumatic postcranial bones in dinosaurs and other archosaurs (PhD thesis). University of Calgary

  • Britt BB, Makovicky PJ, Gauthier J, Bonde N (1998) Postcranial pneumatization in Archaeopteryx. Nature 395:374–376

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Brown RE, Baumel JJ, Klemm R (1994) Anatomy of the propatagium: the great horned owl (Bulbo virginianus). J Morphol 219:205–224

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Butler RJ, Barrett PM, Gower DJ (2009) Postcranial skeletal pneumaticity and air-sacs in the earliest pterosaurs. Biol Lett 5:557–560

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Carney RM, Vinther J, Shawkey MD, D’Alba L, Ackermann J (2012) New evidence on the colour and nature of the isolated Archaeopteryx feather. Nat Commun 3. doi:10.1038/ncomms1642

  • Chiappe LM, Grimaldi DA, Wang X, Tedford RH, Nguyen T, Taylor BE (1999) Anatomy and systematics of the Confuciusornithidae (Theropoda, Aves) from the Late Mesozoic of northeastern China. American Museum of Natural History

  • Chinsamy AT, Chiappe LM, Marugán-Lobón J, Gao C, Zhang F (2013) Gender identification of the Mesozoic bird Confuciusornis sanctus. Nat Commun 4:1381

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Christiansens P (1999) Long bone scalin and limb posture in non-avian theropods: evidence for differential allometry. J Vertebr Paleontol 19:666–680

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Choiniere JN, Xu X, Clark JM, Forster CA, Guo Y, Han F (2010) A basal Alvarezsauroid theropod from the Early Late Jurassic of Xinjiang, China. Science 327:571–574

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Chu Z, He H, Ramezani J, Bowring SA, Hu D-Y, Zhang L, Zheng S, Wang X, Zhou Z, Deng C, Guo J (2016) High precision U/Pb geochronology of the Jurassic Yanliao biota from Jianchang (western Liaoning Province, China): age constraints on the rise of feathered dinosaurs and eutherian mammals. Geochem Geophys Geosyst 17:3983–3992

  • Claessens LPAM, O’Connor PM, Unwin DM (2009) Respiratory evolution facilitated the origin of pterosaur flight and aerial gigantism. PLoS One 4:e4497

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Cope ED (1877) On a gigantic saurian from the Dakota Epoch of Colorado. Paleontol Bull 25:5–10

    Google Scholar 

  • Cubo J, Casinos A (2000) Incidence and mechanical significance of pneumatization in the long bones of birds. Zool J Linnean Soc 130:499–510

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Currey JD, Alexander RM (1985) The thickness of the walls of tubular bones. J Zool 206:453–468

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Currie PJ (2003) Allometric bgrowth in tyrannosaurids (Dinosauria: TTheropod) from the Upper Cretaceous of North American and Asia. Can J Earth Sci 40:651–665

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • D’Alba L, Van Hemert C, Spencer KA, Heidinger BJ, Gill L, Evans NP, Monaghan P, Handel CM, Shawkey MD (2014) Melanin-based color of plumage: role of condition and of feathers’ microstructure. Integr Comp Biol 54:633–644. doi:10.1093/icb/icu094

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Duncker HR (1971) The lung air-sac system of birds. Adv Anat Embryol Cell Biol 45:1–171

    Google Scholar 

  • Eaton GF (1910) Osteology of Pteranodon. Conn Acad Arts Sci Mem 2:1–38

    Google Scholar 

  • Fajardo RJ, Hernandez R, O’Connor PM (2007) Postcranial skeletal pneumaticity: a case study in the use of quantitative microCT to assess vertebral structure in birds. J Anat 211:138–147

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Feduccia A (1993) Evidence from claw geometry indicating arboreal habits of Archaeopteryx. Science 259:790–793

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Feduccia A, Czerkas SA (2015) Testing the neoflightless hypothesis: propatagium reveals flying ancestry of oviraptorosaurs. J Ornithol 156:1067. doi:10.1007/s10336-015-1190-9

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Forster CA (1998) The theropod ancestry of birds: new evidence from the late cretaceous of Madagascar. Science 279:1915–1919. doi:10.1126/science.279.5358.1915

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Foth C, Tischlinger H, Rauhut OWM (2014) New specimen of Archaeopteryx provides insights into the evolution of pennaceous feathers. Nature 511:79–82. doi:10.1038/nature13467

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Gatesy SM (1991) Hind limb scaling in birds and other theropods: implications for terrestrial locomotion. J Morphol 209:83–96

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gao C, Morschhauser EM, Varricchio DJ, Liu J, Zhao B (2012) A second soundly sleeping dragon: new anatomical details of the Chinese Troodontid Mei long with implications for phylogeny and taphonomy. PLoS One 7:e45203. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0045203

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Godefroit P, Cau A, Hu D, Escuillié F, Wenhao W, Dyke GJ (2013a) A Jurassic avialan dinosaur from China resolves the early phylogenetic history if birds. Nature 498:359–362. doi:10.1038/nature12168

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Godefroit P, Demuynck H, Dyke GJ, Hu D, Escuillié F, Claeys P (2013b) Reduced plumage and flight ability of a new Jurassic paravian theropod from China. Nat Commun 4. doi:10.1038/ncomms2389

  • Goloboff PA, Farris JS, Nixon KC (2008) TNT, a free program for phylogenetic analysis. Cladistics 24:774–786

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Han G, Chiappe LM, Ji S-A, Habib M, Turner AH, Chinsamy A, Liu X, Han L (2014) A new raptorial dinosaur with excetpionally long feathering provides insights into dromaeosaurid flight performance. Nat Commun 5:4382

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Houck MA, Gauthier JA, Strauss RE (1990) Allometric scaling in the earliest fossil bird Archaeopteryx lithographica. Science 247:195–198

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Hu D, Hou L, Zhang L, Xu X (2009) A pre-Archaeopteryx troodontid theropod from China with long feathers on the metatarsus. Nature 461:640–643

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Ji Q, Currie PJ, Norell MA, Ji S-A (1998) Two feathered dinosaurs from the northeastern China. Nature 393:753–761

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ji Q, Norell MA, Gao K, Ji S (2001) The distribution of integumentary structures in a feathered dinosaur. Nature 410:1084–1088

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Lefèvre U, Hu D, Escuillié F, Dyke G, Godefroit P (2014) A new long-tailed basal bird from the Lower Cretaceous of north-eastern China. Biol J Linn Soc 113:790–804. doi:10.1111/bij.12343

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Li Q, Gao K-Q, Meng Q, Clarke JA, Shawkey MD, D’Alba L, Pei R, Ellison M, Norell MA, Vinther J (2012) Reconstruction of Microraptor and the evolution of iridescent plumage. Science 335:1215–1219

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Li Q, Gao K-Q, Vinther J, Shawkey MD, Clarke JA, D’Alba L, Meng Q, Briggs DEG, Prum RO (2010) Plumage color patterns of an extinct dinosaur. Science 327:1369–1372

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Lindgren J, Sjövall P, Carney RM, Cincotta A, Uvdal P, Hutcheson SW, Gustafsson O, Lefèvre U, Escuillié F, Heimdal J, Engdahl A, Gren JA, Kear BP, Wakamatsu K, Yans J, Godefroit P (2015) Molecular composition and ultrastructure of Jurassic paravian feathers. Sci Rep 5. doi:10.1038/srep13520

  • Longrich NR, Vinther J, Meng Q, Li Q, Russell AP (2012) Primitive wing feather arrangement in Archaeopteryx lithographica and Anchiornis huxleyi. Curr Biol 22:2262–2267. doi:10.1016/j.cub.2012.09.052

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Lucas AM, Stettenheim PR (1972) Avian anatomy: integument, parts I. U.S. Agricultural Research Service, Washington D.C.

  • Makovicky PJ, Apesteguía S, Agnolin FL (2005) The earliest dromaeosaurid theropod from South America. Nature 473:1007–1011

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Makovicky PJ, Kobayashi Y, Currie PJ (2004) Ornithomimosauria. In: Weishampel DB, Dodson P, Osmólska (eds) The Dinosauria, 2nd edn. University of California Press, California, pp 135–150

  • Makovicky PJ, Norell MA (2004) Troodontidae. In: Weishampel DB, Dodson P, Osmolska H (eds) The Dinosauria, 2nd edn. University of California Press, California, pp 184–195

  • Manning PL, Margetts L, Johnson MR, Withers PJ, Sellers WI, Falkingham PL, Mummery PM, Barrett PM, Raymont DR (2009) Biomechanics of Dromaeosaurid dinosaur claws: application of X-ray microtomography, nanoindentation, and finite element analysis. Anat Rec 292:1397–1405

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Marsh OC (1877) Notice of new dinosaurian reptiles from the Jurassic formation. Am J Sci 14:514–516

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mayr G, Pohl B, Peters SD (2005) A well-preserved Archaeopteryx specimen with theropod features. Science 310:1483–1486

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Norell MA, Makovicky PJ (2004) Dromaeosauridae. In: Weishampel DB, Dodson P, Osmolska H (eds) The Dinosauria, 2nd edn. University of California Press, California, pp 184–195

  • Norell MA, Makovicky PJ (1999) Important features of the dromaeosaur skeleton. II. Information from newly collected specimens of Velociraptor mongoliensis. Am Mus Novit 3215:1–28

    Google Scholar 

  • Norell MA, Makovicky PJ, Bever GS, Balanoff AM, Clark JM, Barsbold R, Rowe TB (2009) A review of the Mongolian Cretaceous dinosaur Saurornithoides (Troodontidae: Theropoda). Am Mus Novit 3654:1–63

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • O’Connor J, Wang X, Sullivan C, Zheng X, Tubaro P, Zhang X, Zhou Z (2013) Unique caudal plumage of Jeholornis and complex tail evolution in early birds. Proc Natl Acad Sci 110:17404–17408. doi:10.1073/pnas.1316979110

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • O’Connor JK, Chang H (2015) Hindlimb feathers in paravians: primarily “wings” or ornaments? Biol Bull 42:616–621. doi:10.1134/S1062359015070079

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • O’Connor PM (2006) Postcranial pneumaticity: an evaluation of soft-tissue influences on the postcranial skeleton and the reconstruction of pulmonary anatomy in archosaurs. J Morphol 267:1199–1226

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • O’Connor PM (2004) Pulmonary pneumaticity in the postcranial skeleton of extant Aves: a case study examining Anseriformes. J Morphol 261:141–161

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • O’Connor PM, Claessens LPAM (2005) Basic avian pulmonary design and flow-through ventilation in non-avian theropod dinosaurs. Nature 436:253–256

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Osborn HF (1924) Three new theropoda, protoceratops zone, Central Mongolia. Am Mus Novit 144:1–12

    Google Scholar 

  • Osmolska H, Currie PJ, Barsbold R (2004) Oviraptorosauria. In: Weishampel DB, Dodson P, Osmólska (eds) The Dinosauria, 2nd edn. University of California Press, California, pp 165–183

  • Ostrom JH (1969) Osteology of Deinonychus antirrhopus, an usual theropod from the Lower Cretaceous of Montana. Bull Peabody Mus Nat Hist 30:1–165

    Google Scholar 

  • Pike AVL, Maitland DP (2004) Scaling of bird claws. J Zool 262:73–81

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Prum RO, Brush AH (2012) The evolutionary origin and diversification of feathers. Q Rev Biol 77:261–295

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Seeley HG (1870) Remarks on Professor Owen’s monograph on Dimorphodon. Ann Mag Nat Hist 4:129–152

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sereno PC, Martinez RN, Wilson JA, Varrichio DJ, Alcober OA, Larsson HCE (2008) Evidence for avian intrathoracic air sacs in a new predatory dinosaur from Argentina. PLoS One 3:e3303

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Snively E, Russel AP, Powell GL (2004) Evolutionary morphology of the coelurosaurian arctometatarsus: descriptive, morphometric and phylogenetic approaches. Zool J Linnean Soc 142:525–553

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sullivan C, Wang Y, Hone DWE, Wang Y, Xu X, Zhang F (2014) The vertebrates of the Jurassic Daohugou Biota of northeastern China. J Vertebr Paleontol 34:243–280

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Upchurch P, Barrett PM, Dodson P (2004) Sauropoda. In: The Dinosauria, 2nd edn. California, pp 259–322

  • Wang X, Michael P, Zheng X, Kaye TG, Falk AR, Hartman SA, Xu X (2017) Basal paravian functional anatomy illuminated by high-detail body outline. Nat Commun 8:14576

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Wang X, O’Connor JK, Zheng X, Wang M, Hu H, Zhou Z (2014) Insights into the evolution of rachis dominated tail feathers of a new enantiornithines (Aves: Ornithothoraces). Biol J Linn Soc 113:805–819

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wedel MJ (2003) The evolution of vertebral pneumaticity in sauropod dinosaurs. J Vertebr Paleontol 23:344–357

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wedel MJ (2007) What pneumaticity tells us about “prosauropods”, and vice versa. Spec Pap Palaeontol 77:207–222

    Google Scholar 

  • Wellnhofer P (2009) Archaeopteryx: the icon of evolution. Verlag Dr. Friedrich Pfeil, München

  • Xu X, Currie PJ, Pittman M, Xing L, Meng Q, Lü J, Hu D, Yu C (2017) Mosaic evolution in an asymmetrically feathered troodontid dinosaur with transitional features. Nat Commun 8:14972

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Xu X, Guo Y (2009) The origin and early evolution of feathers: insights from recent paleontological and neontological data. Vertebr Palasiat 47:311–329

    Google Scholar 

  • Xu X, Norell MA (2004) A new troodontid dinosaur from China with avian-like sleeping posture. Nature 431:838–841

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Xu X, Qi Z, Norell M, Sullivan C, Hone D, Erickson G, Wang X, Han F, Guo Y (2009) A new feathered maniraptoran dinosaur fossil that fills a morphological gap in avian origin. Chin Sci Bull 54:430–435

    Google Scholar 

  • Xu X, Wu X-C (2001) Cranial morphology of Sinornithosaurus millenii Xu et al. 1999 (Dinosauria: Theropoda: Dromaeosauridae) from the Yixian Formation of Liaoning, China. Can J Earth Sci 38:1739–1752

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Xu X, You H, Du K, Han F (2011) An Archaeopteryx-like theropod from China and the origin of Avialae. Nature 475:465–470. doi:10.1038/nature10288

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Xu X, Zhang F (2005) A new maniraptoran dinosaur from China with long feathers on the metatarsus. Naturwissenschaften 92:173–177

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Xu X, Zheng X, Sullivan C, Wang X, Xing L, Wang Y, Zhang X, O’Connor JK, Zhang F, Pan Y (2015) A bizarre Jurassic maniraptoran theropod with preserved evidence of membranous wings. Nature 521:70–73

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Xu X, Zheng X, You H (2010) Exceptional dinosaur fossils show ontogenetic development of early feathers. Nature 464:1338–1341

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Xu X, Zhou Z, Wang X, Kuang X, Zhang F, Du X (2003) Four winged dinosaurs from China. Nature 421:335–340

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Zhang F, Zhou Z, Dyke G (2006) Feathers and ‘feather-like’ integumentary structures in Liaoning birds and dinosaurs. Geol J 41:395–404

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zhang F, Zhou Z, Xu X, Wang X (2002) A juvenile coelurosaurian theropod from China indicates arboreal habits. Naturwissenschaften 89:394–398

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Zhao X-J, Currie PJ (1993) A large crested theropod from the Jurassic of Xinjiang, People’s Republic of China. Can J Earth Sci 30:2027–2036

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zheng X, O’Connor JK, Huchzermeyer F, Wang X, Wang Y, Wang M, Zhou Z (2013a) Preservation of ovarian follicles reveals early evolution of avian reproductive behaviour. Nature 495:507–511. doi:10.1038/nature11985

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Zheng X, Xu X, You H, Zhao Q, Dong Z (2010) A short-armed dromaeosaurid from the Jehol group of China with implications for early dromaeosaurid evolution. Proc R Soc Lond B 277:211–217

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zheng X, Zhou Z, Wang X, Zhang F, Wang Y, Wei G, Wang S, Xu X (2013b) Hind wings in basal birds and the evolution of leg feathers. Science 339:1309–1312

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Zhou Z, Zhang F (2002) A long-tailed, seed-eating bird from the Early Cretaceous of China. Nature 418:1754–1756

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

This work was supported by a grant (BL/36/62) to P.G. from the SPP Politique scientifique (Belgium), by FRIA Grants to U.L. and A.Ci. from the F.R.S.-FNRS and by grants to H.D. from the National Natural Science Foundation of China (41172026) and the Natural Science Foundation (201102199). Photographs were taken by Thierry Hubin (RBINS). The use of TNT was kindly permitted by the Willi Hennig Society. The genus name was found after the preliminary expertise of the specimen by Danielle Dhouailly (Université Joseph Fourier). We thank each reviewer that spent time and made efforts in order to improve the final version of our paper. We would also like to thank Emily Willoughby who painted the life reconstruction of Serikornis sungei.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Geology, University of Liège, allée du 6 Août B18-B20, 4000, Liège, Belgium

    Ulysse Lefèvre

  2. Earth and Life History O.D, Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences, rue Vautier 29, 1000, Brussels, Belgium

    Ulysse Lefèvre, Aude Cincotta & Pascal Godefroit

  3. Earth, Life and Environmental Sciences Department, Alma Mater Studiorum, Bologna University, via Zamboni 67, 40126, Bologna, Italy

    Andrea Cau

  4. Geological and Palaeontological Museum “G. Capellini”, via Zamboni 63, 40126, Bologna, Italy

    Andrea Cau

  5. Department of Geology, University of Namur, rue de Bruxelles 61, 5000, Namur, Belgium

    Aude Cincotta

  6. Paleontological Institute, Shenyang Normal University, 253 North Huanghe Street, Shenyang, 110034, China

    Dongyu Hu

  7. Key Laboratory for Evolution of past Life in Northeast Asia, Ministry of Land and Resources (Shenyang Normal University), Shenyang, 110034, China

    Dongyu Hu

  8. Department Biological Sciences, University of Cape Town, Private Bag X3, Rondebosch, 7701, South Africa

    Anusuya Chinsamy

  9. Eldonia, Avenue des Portes Occitanes 9, 3800, Gannat, France

    François Escuillié

Authors
  1. Ulysse Lefèvre
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Andrea Cau
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Aude Cincotta
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Dongyu Hu
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Anusuya Chinsamy
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  6. François Escuillié
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  7. Pascal Godefroit
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Ulysse Lefèvre.

Additional information

Communicated by: Sven Thatje

Electronic supplementary material

ESM 1

(DOC 90341 kb)

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Lefèvre, U., Cau, A., Cincotta, A. et al. A new Jurassic theropod from China documents a transitional step in the macrostructure of feathers. Sci Nat 104, 74 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00114-017-1496-y

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Revised:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00114-017-1496-y

Keywords

Search

Navigation