The furcula displays enormous morphological and structural diversity. Acting as an important origin for flight muscles involved in the downstroke, the form of this element has been shown to vary with flight mode. This study seeks to clarify the strength of this form-function relationship through the use of eigenshape morphometric analysis coupled with recently developed phylogenetic comparative...

OVER THE LAST 25 years, few topics in systematics and paleontology have been as divisively debated as the origin of birds (Padian and Chiappe 1998; Feduccia 1999a, b; Dalton 2000). For most of the middle of the twentieth century, G. Heilmann’s (1926) monumental analysis of the topic reigned unchallenged. Heilmann established definitively that birds are members of the Archosauria (the large rept...

A new genus of Isotomidae, Bellisotoma gen. n., is described. The new genus is a member of the Proisotoma genus complex and is characterized by a combination of having a bidentate mucro with wide dorsal lamellae that join clearly before the end of mucronal axis without forming a tooth and one strong ventral rib with basal notch that articulates with dens; having abundant chaetotaxy on both face...

Recent discoveries of basal dromaeosaurids from the Early Cretaceous Jiufotang and Yixian formations of Liaoning, China, add significant new information about the transition from non-avian dinosaurs to avians. Here we report on a new dromaeosaurid, Tianyuraptor ostromi gen. et sp. nov., from the Early Cretaceous Yixian Formation of western Liaoning, China, based on a nearly complete skeleton. T...

Data on the bionomics of Dryudella stigma (Panzer, 1809) in Poland are presented. The larva is described for first time a European , and second world with only D. immigrans before. egg stage lasts 2–3 days, larval 11–14 days. praepupal longest overwinters cocoon from mid-July to end May. female provisions an average seven bug nymphs per cell, mainly Aelia acuminata (Linnaeus, 1758) (Pentatomida...