Liaoning reptiles (was Re: Unenlagia and Sinornithosaurus)

["Ralph W. Miller III" <gbabcock@best.com>]

Ben Creisler bh480@scn.org wrote:

> The ABC article about Sinornithosaurus
> (http://abcnews.go.com/sections/science/DailyNews/dinofeath
> ers990916.html) quotes Larry Martin, who claims (again!)
> the feather-like fibers are only subcutaneous connective
> tissue. He says he wants to see fossils of lizards and
> other critters from Liaoning in case they show
> similar "feathers"--proving that the halos are not
> external integument. It is my understanding, though, that
> the Chinese have found fossils of lizards and other small
> beasties from Liaoning that do NOT show a halo of feather-
> like integument. Some of these discoveries have not been
> widely discussed in the West, but include a weird long-
> necked aquatic diapsid (choristoderan?) as I recall.
> Anyone have more info?

I don't have much info, but I have in front of me small color photos of
fossil reptiles from the Yixian Formation, which were apparently taken
by David Bubier of the Academy of Natural Sciences (Philadelphia) during
his participation as photographer on the "dream team" which went to
China to investigate _Sinosauropteryx prima_ and other fossils.  The
"aquatic reptile" can be seen on pp. 48-49 of _Discover_, January 1998
in Ann Gibbons' article, "Cretaceous Pompeii."  This reptile and a
"lizard" can be seen on pages 34 and 36 of _Dinosaurs Invade
Philadelphia_, a souvenir guidebook which accompanied the March 1998
opening of the revamped Dinosaur Hall at the Academy of Natural
Sciences, and Dinofest.  The photographs are quite small, but do not
reveal (to my eyes) any fossilized filaments.

Of course, looking at these small pictures does not constitute a proper
diagnosis.  On the other hand, Larry Martin surely saw these and other
specimens in person, and no doubt would have mentioned it if these
fossils, or the fossils of fish, for that matter, exhibited filaments
such as those seen on _Sinosauropteryx_ or _Sinornithosaurus_.  Given
the presence of preserved filamentous structures on five genera of
non-avian theropod (and countless birds) and the absence of these
structures on the non-dinosaur (and non-avian) specimens, Mr. Martin's
hypothesis would not appear to be supported by the evidence at hand, and
will remain speculative unless the "feathered turtles" which he proposes
are discovered.  Perhaps Alan Brush would have something to say about
this.

-- Ralph W. Miller III       gbabcock@best.com