RE: Did dinosaur wings evolve for breeding display?/Longisquama

[David Peters <davidpeters@att.net>]

Scott H. wrote:

>>I'm not sure Longisquama has any bearing at all; the only possible  
use of it would be to explore convergent evolution, but since we  
don't know for sure that the structures actually go to Longisquama,  
and if they do we aren't sure what they are used for, they really  
can't tell us anything about the origin of theropod wings.<<

Look at the predecessor taxa of Longisquama. Cosesaurus has a set of  
median dorsal segmented frills. They just grow longer in Longisquama.  
So, yes. they do belong to the skeleton.


Tim W. wrote:

>>Voigt et al. (2008) explicitly reject Sharov's interpretation, and  
claim that:
(1) there is no evidence for more than one row of appendages in the
_Longisquama_ type specimen; and (2) even assuming that the  
appendages were
paired, they would have performed poorly as airfoil-generating  
devices.  Voigt
et al. also reject the hypothesis that the _Longisquama_ appendages were
homologous to feathers.<<

Jaime and Tim and Voigt et al. are indeed correct, as Reisz and Sues  
published nearly a decade ago. So, what is new in the Voigt paper?  
Why was it written?

Peters 2002 discussed the evolution of wings in fenestrasaurs to  
pterosaurs for possible breeding display and more. A lot has been  
discovered since then, all of which enhances and supports this scenario.

David Peters
davidpeters@att.net

Reisz, R. and Sues, H-D. (2001) Longisquama does not have
feathers. Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology 21(Supplement
to No. 3), 92A.

Reisz. R. and H.-D. Sues. 2000. Palaeontology: The “feathers” of  
Longisquama. Nature 408:428.

Peters, D. 2002b. A New Model for the Evolution of the Pterosaur Wing  
– with a twist. - Historical Biology 15: 277–301.