Xu Xing, Makovicky Peter J, Wang Xl Xiao-lin, Norell Mark A, You Hl Hai-lu
Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100044, China.
Nature. 2002 Mar 21;416(6878):314-7. doi: 10.1038/416314a.
Ceratopsians (horned dinosaurs) represent one of the last and the most diverse radiations of non-avian dinosaurs. Although recent systematic work unanimously supports a basal division of Ceratopsia into parrot-like psittacosaurids and frilled neoceratopsians, the early evolution of the group remains poorly understood, mainly owing to its incomplete early fossil record. Here we describe a primitive ceratopsian from China. Cladistic analysis posits this new species as the most basal neoceratopsian. This new taxon demonstrates that some neoceratopsian characters evolved in a more incremental fashion than previously known and also implies mosaic evolution of characters early in ceratopsian history.
角龙类（有角恐龙）是最后且最多样化的非鸟类恐龙辐射演化支之一。尽管近期的系统发育研究一致支持将角龙类基部划分为类似鹦鹉的鹦鹉嘴龙科和有颈饰的新角龙类，但该类群的早期演化仍知之甚少，主要原因是其早期化石记录不完整。在此，我们描述了一种来自中国的原始角龙类。分支系统学分析将这个新物种定位为最基部的新角龙类。这个新分类单元表明，一些新角龙类特征的演化方式比之前所知的更为渐进，也暗示了角龙类历史早期特征的镶嵌演化。
