| Serikornis | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Snout tip of the holotype featuring maxillary dentition | |
Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Reptilia |
| Clade: | Dinosauria |
| Clade: | Saurischia |
| Clade: | Theropoda |
| Clade: | Paraves |
| Family: | †Anchiornithidae |
| Genus: | †Serikornis Lefèvreet al., 2017 |
| Species: | †S. sungei |
| Binomial name | |
| †Serikornis sungei Lefèvreet al., 2017 | |
Serikornis is a genus of small, featheredanchiornithiddinosaur from theUpper JurassicTiaojishan Formation ofLiaoning, China. It is represented by thetype speciesSerikornis sungei. Some researchers believe it is a junior synonym ofAnchiornis.
Serikornis, first described in August 2017, is noteworthy for the variety of feather types represented in its holotype, a single complete articulated skeleton preserved on a slab along with extensive integumentary structures.[1] The specimen's feather imprints include wispy bundles along the neck, short and symmetrical vaned feathers on the arms, and both fuzz and long pennaceous feathers on its hindlimbs. While its anatomy and integument share features with birds as well as derived dromaeosaurs such asMicroraptor, cladistic analysis places the genus within the cluster of feathered dinosaurs near the origin of avians. It was unlikely to be a flier.[2][3]
Its name means "Ge Sun's silk bird", a reference to the plumulaceous-like body covering evident in the fossil.[1] The specimen's nickname, "Silky", refers to the striking resemblance of the delicate hindlimb filaments to the modernSilky breed of domesticchicken.[4]
The skeletal morphology ofSerikornis suggests a terrestrial ecology without flying adaptations. The tail is covered proximally by filaments and distally by finerectrices. Symmetrical, barbule-freeremiges are attached along the forelimbs and elongated feathers of the hind limbs extend to the toes, suggesting that the remiges of the hind legs had evolved in the maniraptorans residing on the ground before being co-opted to an arboreal lifestyle and possibly, gliding.[1]
Thecoracoid ofSerikornis is devoid of diagnostic ornamentation present inAnchiornis but is distinguished by having the tuberculous coracoid elongated to form a crest. The postacetabular blade of theilium (bone) is stouter and more squared than inAnchiornis but less robust and quadrangular than inAurornis. The ischium does not show the particular dorsocaudally straight morphology that is proper ofAurornis, and has a narrow and unciform process.Serikornis is further distinguished by having very large anterior most maxillary teeth, about twice as long as the others. Since the skeleton compressed on a plane, Lefèvre and colleagues have used a new microscan technique called luminography to identify the pneumatic cavity in the vertebrae: the cervical vertebrae have a small pneumatic cavity, which is a derived condition shared by many other coelurosaurian theropods.[1]
In 2019, the supposed distinguishing traits ofSerikornis were called into question. Their validity was questioned because they were either misinterpreted or could be considered intraspecific variation with respect toAnchiornis. Thus, some researchers suggested the synonymization ofSerikornis withAnchiornis.[5]
A phylogenetic analysis by Lefèvre et al. (2017) placesSerikornis, along with other late Jurassic paravians from China, as basalParaves, outsideEumaniraptora.[1]
In the 2017 description ofHalszkaraptor from Cau et al. (2017), who incorporate the a large-scale phylogenetic matrix in their study placedSerikornis in the newly described familyAnchiornithidae,[6] still being grouped withEosinopteryx.[2]
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