A basal troodontid from the Early Cretaceous of China
Abstract
Troodontid dinosaurs form one of the most avian-like dinosaur groups. Their phylogenetic position is hotly debated, and they have been allied with almost all principal coelurosaurian lineages. Here we report a basal troodontid dinosaur, Sinovenator changii gen. et sp. nov., from the lower Yixian Formation of China. This taxon has several features that are not found in more derived troodontids, but that occur in dromaeosaurids and avialans. The discovery of Sinovenator and the examination of character distributions along the maniraptoran lineage indicate that principal structural modifications toward avians were acquired in the early stages of maniraptoran evolution.
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The maxillary ascending process of DLXH 1218 extends posterodorsally at an angle of approximately 45° to the ventral margin of the maxilla, an angle considerably greater than in other troodontids (e.g., approximately 36° in Sinovenator; approximately 6° in Saurornithoides).
“It extends posterodorsally at an angle of ∼45° to the ventral margin of the maxilla, an angle considerably greater than in other troodontids (for example, ∼36° in Sinovenator9; ∼6° in Saurornithoides31).”
From Mosaic evolution in an asymmetrically feathered troodontid dinosaur with transitional features (2017) · cites this paper as [9]
Previously, four troodontid species have been reported from the Lower Cretaceous Jehol Group: Mei long, Sinovenator changii, Sinusonasus magnodens and Jinfengopteryx elegans.
“Previously, four troodontid species have been reported from the Lower Cretaceous Jehol Group: Mei long10, Sinovenator changii9, Sinusonasus magnodens11 and Jinfengopteryx elegans13.”
From Mosaic evolution in an asymmetrically feathered troodontid dinosaur with transitional features (2017) · cites this paper as [9]
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References 23 · Cited by 234
- Authors
- Xu, X., Norell, M. A., Wang, X.-L., Makovicky, P. J., & Wu, X.-C.
- Affiliations
- Chinese Academy of Sciences (CN)
- American Museum of Natural History (US)
- Field Museum of Natural History (US)
- Canadian Museum of Nature (CA)
- Corresponding author
- Xu, Xing
- Venue
- Nature
- Published
- 2002-02
- Volume
- 415
- Issue
- 6873
- Pages
- 780-784
- ISSN
- 0028-0836 (ISSN-L)
- 1476-4687
- OpenAlex
- W1997975216
- Cited by
- 234
- References
- 23
- Citations by year
- 2026: 11 · 2025: 13 · 2024: 8 · 2023: 7 · 2022: 3 · 2021: 14 · 2020: 15 · 2019: 10 · 2018: 18 · 2017: 10 · 2016: 3 · 2015: 8 · 2014: 8 · 2013: 8 · 2012: 7
- FWCI
- 13.82
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Licence
- www.springer.com/tdm (tdm)
- Locations
- Nature (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- RePEc: Research Papers in Economics (submittedVersion)
- Topics
- Physical Sciences › Earth and Planetary Sciences › Paleontology › Paleontology and Evolutionary Biology
- Physical Sciences › Earth and Planetary Sciences › Paleontology › Evolution and Paleontology Studies
- Life Sciences › Agricultural and Biological Sciences › Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics › Fossil Insects in Amber
- Keywords
- Yixian Formation, Lower Cretaceous, new genus and species, dinosaur phylogeny, character distribution
- MeSH terms
- Animals, Birds, Bone and Bones, China, Biological Evolution, Fossils, Models, Biological, Phylogeny, Skull, Dinosaurs
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