New paper on the integument of Archaeopteryx

["Thomas R. Holtz, Jr." <tholtz@geol.umd.edu>]

Greetings,

Here it is:
Christiansen, P., & N. Bonde. 2004. Body plumage in Archaeopteryx: a review,
and new evidence from the Berlin specimen. C. R. Palevol 3: 99-118.

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(okay, a lot of cut & pasting needed...)

Abstract:
The feathers of Archaeopteryx have been known for over 140 years, are the
most important reason for its fame and avian status. Previous analyses have
almost unanimously focused on the remiges and rectrices. Faint remains of
what appears to be body contour feathers are, however, present in the Berlin
specimen along the back, around the legs, and possibly anterior to the basal
part of the neck. Although noted by numerous previous authors every
reference to these feathers was anecdotal. Recent claims that body feathers
were once present but were mechanically removed appear unsubstantiated.
Rather, the Berlin Archaeopteryx has to this day the same regions more or
less intact as depicted on early drawings. The present study reveals that
the impressions are very different from preparation scratches, and are
consistent with body feathers. The counterslab corroborates this, and in
several cases both raches and barbs can be made out. The preserved body
feathers of the back and the legs evidently were considerably smaller than
the flight feathers, and clearly pennaceous in nature. The state of
preservation does not, however, permit secure inferences that these body
feathers necessarily resembled body contour feathers on most extant volant
birds, nor that such feathers were distributed all over the body, although
this is one possible scenario. Alternatively, the feathers on the back and
legs could have resembled more simple contour feathers with open vanes,
present in, for instance, ratites. Faint impressions at the base of the neck
may even represent `hair-like proto-feathers', and if so have been generated
from some sort of `proto-apteria', whereas the longer feathers with vanes on
back and legs grew from `proto-pterylae', corresponding to those areas with
the longest neoptiles (embryonic downs), the first feathers to appear in
embryos of several modern birds.

The authors advocate a minimal of a feather fringe, and quite likely a hind
"wing", for Archie (as have some members of this list!).


                Thomas R. Holtz, Jr.
                Vertebrate Paleontologist
Department of Geology           Director, Earth, Life & Time Program
University of Maryland          College Park Scholars
                College Park, MD  20742
http://www.geol.umd.edu/~tholtz/tholtz.htm
http://www.geol.umd.edu/~jmerck/eltsite
Phone:  301-405-4084    Email:  tholtz@geol.umd.edu
Fax (Geol):  301-314-9661       Fax (CPS-ELT): 301-405-0796