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. 2019 Feb 1:7:e6239.
doi: 10.7717/peerj.6239. eCollection 2019.

The rise of feathered dinosaurs: Kulindadromeus zabaikalicus, the oldest dinosaur with 'feather-like' structures

Aude Cincotta  1   2   3 , Ekaterina B Pestchevitskaya  4 , Sofia M Sinitsa  5 , Valentina S Markevich  6 , Vinciane Debaille  7 , Svetlana A Reshetova  5 , Irina M Mashchuk  8 , Andrei O Frolov  8 , Axel Gerdes  9 , Johan Yans  2 , Pascal Godefroit  1
Affiliations

The rise of feathered dinosaurs: Kulindadromeus zabaikalicus, the oldest dinosaur with 'feather-like' structures

Aude Cincotta et al. PeerJ. .

Abstract

Diverse epidermal appendages including grouped filaments closely resembling primitive feathers in non-avian theropods, are associated with skeletal elements in the primitive ornithischian dinosaur Kulindadromeus zabaikalicus from the Kulinda locality in south-eastern Siberia. This discovery suggests that "feather-like" structures did not evolve exclusively in theropod dinosaurs, but were instead potentially widespread in the whole dinosaur clade. The dating of the Kulinda locality is therefore particularly important for reconstructing the evolution of "feather-like" structures in dinosaurs within a chronostratigraphic framework. Here we present the first dating of the Kulinda locality, combining U-Pb analyses (LA-ICP-MS) on detrital zircons and monazites from sedimentary rocks of volcaniclastic origin and palynological observations. Concordia ages constrain the maximum age of the volcaniclastic deposits at 172.8 ± 1.6 Ma, corresponding to the Aalenian (Middle Jurassic). The palynological assemblage includes taxa that are correlated to Bathonian palynozones from western Siberia, and therefore constrains the minimum age of the deposits. The new U-Pb ages, together with the palynological data, provide evidence of a Bathonian age-between 168.3 ± 1.3 Ma and 166.1 ± 1.2 Ma-for Kulindadromeus. This is older than the previous Late Jurassic to Early Cretaceous ages tentatively based on local stratigraphic correlations. A Bathonian age is highly consistent with the phylogenetic position of Kulindadromeus at the base of the neornithischian clade and suggests that cerapodan dinosaurs originated in Asia during the Middle Jurassic, from a common ancestor that closely looked like Kulindadromeus. Our results consequently show that Kulindadromeus is the oldest known dinosaur with "feather-like" structures discovered so far.

Keywords: Feathered dinosaurs; Jurassic of Siberia; Palynology; U-Pb dating.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare there are no competing interests.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1. Location of the studied area.
(A) Position of Kulinda locality with respect to the Mongol-Okhotsk suture (modified with permission from Tomurtogoo et al., 2005). (B) Geological map of the Kulinda region (redrawn with permission from Kozlov, Zaikov & Karasev, 1998). According to the map, Kulinda is situated in the Upper Jurassic of the Ukurey Formation.
Figure 2
Figure 2. Lithological section of the Kulinda dinosaur locality in the Ukurey Formation.
(A) Composite stratigraphic log of the three trenches and the position of the bone beds. (B) Schematic location of the trenches excavated on the hillslope. (C) Photograph showing the location of the three parallel trenches on site (photo credit: A. Cincotta). The locations of the detrital samples used for dating are marked by an arrow.
Figure 3
Figure 3. Probability curve based on the LA-ICP-MS data performed on zircons and monazites.
Two age populations (i.e., peaks) can be discriminated from this curve.
Figure 4
Figure 4. Concordia diagrams for the three samples collected at Kulinda.
(A) Zircons and monazites collected from the granite. (B) Zircons collected from a sample situated above bone bed 3 in trench 3. (C) Zircons collected from a sample situated below bone bed 4 in trench 4.
Figure 5
Figure 5. Palynomorph distribution in the Kulinda deposits.
Legend: 1—coarse sandstone/breccia, 2—sandstone, 3—siltstone, 4—laminated mudstone, 5—non-correlated part of the stratigraphic section, 6—bones, 7—iron-oxide nodules, 8—abundances of the palynomorphs.
Figure 6
Figure 6. Selected palynomorphs from the trench exhibiting the dinosaur bones and feather-like structures.
(A) Alisporites similis (Balme) Dettmann. (B) Piceapollenites mesophyticus (Bolchovitina) Petrosjanz. (C) Osmundacidites jurassicus (Kara-Mursa) Kuzitschkina. (D) Cyathidites minor Couper. (E) Protopinus subluteus Bolchovitina. (F) Pseudopicea variabiliformis Bolchovitina. (G) Biretisporites eneabbaensis Backhouse. (H) Podocarpidites rousei Pocock. (I) Ginkgocycadophytus sp. (J) Stereisporites bujargiensis (Bolchovitina) Schulz. (K) Pseudopicea grandis (Cookson) Bolchovitina. (L) Podocarpus tricocca (Maljavkina) Bolchovitina. (M) Leiosphaeridia sp. (N) Classopollis classoides Pflug. (O) Alisporites bisaccus Rouse. (P) Protoconiferus funarius (Naumova) Bolchovitina. (Q) Pseudopicea magnifica Bolchovitina. (R) Stereisporites granulatus Tralau. (S) Pinus divulgata Bolchovitina. (T) Leiotriletes subtilis Bolchovitina. (U) undetermined spore taxon resembling Aequitriradites norrisii Backhouse. (V) Stereisporites sp. (W) Tripartina variabilis Maljavkina. (X) Stereisporites incertus (Bolchovitina) Semenova. (Y) Leiotriletes sp. Scale bars = 20 µm.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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