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Wukongopteridae
Wukongopteridae is a group of basal pterosaurs, found in China and the UK. It contains eight species in five genera, all dated to the Middle to Late Jurassic period, The Wukongopteridae were first named by Wang ''et al.'' in 2009, not yet giving an exact definition.* The clade Wukongopteridae was first defined by Wang ''et al.'' in 2010 as "the most recent common ancestor of '' Wukongopterus lii'' and '' Kunpengopterus sinensis'', and all of its descendants". Description Wukongopterids are characterized by a unique combination of "primitive" and advanced pterosaurian features. While they had long tails and other features characteristic of other "rhamphorhynchoids", they also had distinct pterodactyloid features, such as long vertebrae in the neck and a single skull opening in front of the eyes, the nasoantorbital fenestra (in most "rhamphorhynchoids", the antorbital fenestra and the nasal opening are separate). This feature lead to ''Darwinopterus modularis'' being placed by L ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Kunpengopterus Sinensis
''Kunpengopterus'' is a genus of wukongopterid pterosaur from the middle-late Jurassic Tiaojishan Formation of northeastern China. The genus contains two species, the type species ''K. sinensis'' and ''K. antipollicatus''. History of discovery ''K. sinensis'' is known from the holotype specimen IVPP V16047, an almost complete skeleton with complete skull and lower jaws recovered from rocks of the Tiaojishan Formation or Daohugou Beds in Linglongta, Jianchang County, western Liaoning. The age of these layers is controversial. This compression fossil is of an adult individual. Aside from the bones some soft parts were also preserved and the remains of a possibly regurgitated fish. ''Kunpengopterus'' was named and described by Wang Xiaolin, Alexander Wilhelm Armin Kellner, Jiang Shunxing, Cheng Xin, Meng Xi and Taissa Rodrigues in 2010. The type species is ''Kunpengopterus sinensis''. The generic name combines the Kun, a large fish or whale from Chinese folklore that could t ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Kunpengopterus
''Kunpengopterus'' is a genus of wukongopterid pterosaur from the middle-late Jurassic Tiaojishan Formation of northeastern China. The genus contains two species, the type species ''K. sinensis'' and ''K. antipollicatus''. History of discovery ''K. sinensis'' is known from the holotype specimen IVPP V16047, an almost complete skeleton with complete skull and lower jaws recovered from rocks of the Tiaojishan Formation or Daohugou Beds in Linglongta, Jianchang County, western Liaoning. The age of these layers is controversial. This compression fossil is of an adult individual. Aside from the bones some soft parts were also preserved and the remains of a possibly regurgitated fish. ''Kunpengopterus'' was named and described by Wang Xiaolin, Alexander Wilhelm Armin Kellner, Jiang Shunxing, Cheng Xin, Meng Xi and Taissa Rodrigues in 2010. The type species is ''Kunpengopterus sinensis''. The generic name combines the Kun, a large fish or whale from Chinese folklore that could t ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Darwinopterus
''Darwinopterus'' (meaning "Darwin's wing") is a genus of pterosaur, discovered in China and named after biologist Charles Darwin. Between 30 and 40 fossil specimens have been identified, all collected from the Tiaojishan Formation, which dates to the middle Jurassic period, 160.89–160.25 Ma ago.Liu Y.-Q. Kuang H.-W., Jiang X.-J., Peng N., Xu H. & Sun H.-Y. (2012). "Timing of the earliest known feathered dinosaurs and transitional pterosaurs older than the Jehol Biota." ''Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology'' (advance online publication). The type species, type species, ''D. modularis'', was described in February 2010 in paleontology, 2010. ''D. modularis'' was the first known pterosaur to display features of both long-tailed (Rhamphorhynchoidea, rhamphorhynchoid) and short-tailed (Pterodactyloidea, pterodactyloid) pterosaurs, and was described as a transitional fossil between the two groups.Dell'Amore, C. (2009)"Odd New Pterosaur: 'Darwin's Wing' Fills Evolution Ga ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Darwinopterus Modularis
''Darwinopterus'' (meaning "Darwin's wing") is a genus of pterosaur, discovered in China and named after biologist Charles Darwin. Between 30 and 40 fossil specimens have been identified, all collected from the Tiaojishan Formation, which dates to the middle Jurassic period, 160.89–160.25 Ma ago.Liu Y.-Q. Kuang H.-W., Jiang X.-J., Peng N., Xu H. & Sun H.-Y. (2012). "Timing of the earliest known feathered dinosaurs and transitional pterosaurs older than the Jehol Biota." ''Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology'' (advance online publication). The type species, ''D. modularis'', was described in February 2010. ''D. modularis'' was the first known pterosaur to display features of both long-tailed (rhamphorhynchoid) and short-tailed (pterodactyloid) pterosaurs, and was described as a transitional fossil between the two groups.Dell'Amore, C. (2009)"Odd New Pterosaur: 'Darwin's Wing' Fills Evolution Gap."''National Geographic News'', 13 October 2009. Accessed 14 October 2 ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Monofenestrata
Monofenestrata is an unranked group of pterosaurs that includes the family Wukongopteridae and the suborder Pterodactyloidea. The clade Monofenestrata was in 2009/2010 defined as the group consisting of ''Pterodactylus'' and all species sharing with ''Pterodactylus'' the synapomorphy of an external nostril confluent with the antorbital fenestra, the major skull opening on the side of the snout. The name is derived from Greek ''monos'', "single", and Latin ''fenestra'', "window". The concept was inspired by the discovery of ''Darwinopterus'', a species combining a pterodactyloid-type skull with a more basal build of the remainder of the body. The Darwinoptera, a primitive subgroup of monofenestratans showing this transitional anatomy, was also named for ''Darwinopterus'' and defined as all descendants of its common ancestor with '' Pterorhynchus''. The earliest known monofenestratan fossils have been found in the Stonesfield Slate formation of the United Kingdom, which dates to t ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Changchengopterus
''Changchengopterus'' is a genus of non-pterodactyloid pterosaur from Qinglong County in Hebei Province, China. The fossil specimen, holotype CYGB-0036, of the type and only species, ''Changchengopterus pani'', was found in the Tiaojishan Formation dating from the Callovian and named and described by Lü Junchang in 2009. The generic name combines the ''Changcheng'', the Great Wall of China, with a Latinised Greek ''pteron'', "wing". The specific name honours Pan Lijun, who collected the fossil and donated it to science. The holotype, a skeleton lacking the skull, represents a young juvenile, of which the combined paired wing elements measure just seventeen centimetres.Lü, J. (2009). "A new non-pterodactyloid pterosaur from Qinglong County, Hebei Province of China." ''Acta Geologica Sinica'' (English Edition), 83(2): 189-199. . In 2011, a second specimen was described, PMOL-AP00010, acquired in 2008 by the Paleontological Museum of Liaoning. It consists of a skeleton with lowe ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Pterosaur
Pterosaurs (; from Greek ''pteron'' and ''sauros'', meaning "wing lizard") is an extinct clade of flying reptiles in the order, Pterosauria. They existed during most of the Mesozoic: from the Late Triassic to the end of the Cretaceous (228 to 66 million years ago). Pterosaurs are the earliest vertebrates known to have evolved powered flight. Their wings were formed by a membrane of skin, muscle, and other tissues stretching from the ankles to a dramatically lengthened fourth finger. There were two major types of pterosaurs. Basal pterosaurs (also called 'non-pterodactyloid pterosaurs' or 'rhamphorhynchoids') were smaller animals with fully toothed jaws and, typically, long tails. Their wide wing membranes probably included and connected the hind legs. On the ground, they would have had an awkward sprawling posture, but the anatomy of their joints and strong claws would have made them effective climbers, and some may have even lived in trees. Basal pterosaurs were insectiv ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Rhamphorhynchoid
The Rhamphorhynchoidea forms one of the two suborders of pterosaurs and represents an evolutionary grade of primitive members of flying reptiles. This suborder is paraphyletic unlike the Pterodactyloidea, which arose from within the Rhamphorhynchoidea as opposed to a more distant common ancestor. Because it is not a completely natural grouping, Rhamphorhynchoidea is not used as a formal group in most scientific literature, though some pterosaur scientists continue to use it as an informal grouping in popular works, such as ''The Pterosaurs: From Deep Time'' by David Unwin, and in some formal studies. Rhamphorhynchoids were the first pterosaurs to have appeared, in the late Triassic Period (Norian age, about 210 million years agoButler, R.J., Barrett, P.M., and gower, D.J. (2009). "Postcranial skeletal pneumaticity and air-sacs in the earliest pterosaurs." ''Biology Letters'', 5(4): 557–560. ). Unlike their descendants, the pterodactyloids, most rhamphorhynchoids had teeth and lon ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Jurassic
The Jurassic ( ) is a Geological period, geologic period and System (stratigraphy), stratigraphic system that spanned from the end of the Triassic Period million years ago (Mya) to the beginning of the Cretaceous Period, approximately Mya. The Jurassic constitutes the middle period of the Mesozoic, Mesozoic Era and is named after the Jura Mountains, where limestone strata from the period were first identified. The start of the Jurassic was marked by the major Triassic–Jurassic extinction event, associated with the eruption of the Central Atlantic magmatic province, Central Atlantic Magmatic Province. The beginning of the Toarcian Stage started around 183 million years ago and is marked by an extinction event associated with widespread Anoxic event, oceanic anoxia, ocean acidification, and elevated temperatures likely caused by the eruption of the Karoo-Ferrar, Karoo-Ferrar large igneous provinces. The end of the Jurassic, however, has no clear boundary with the Cretaceous and i ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Archaeoistiodactylus
''Archaeoistiodactylus'' is an extinct genus of Wukongopteridae, wukongopterid pterosaur from the Middle Jurassic of China. Discovery and naming ''Archaeoistiodactylus'' is known from an incomplete skeleton with a partial skull and lower jaws. Catalogued as holotype specimen JPM04-0008, it was recovered from rocks of the Tiaojishan Formation in western Liaoning, China, which date to the Bathonian-Callovian stages of the Jurassic period. Apart from the skull, it preserves ribs, parts of the wings, hindlimbs and the pelvis. The neck, tail and feet of the specimen are lacking. ''Archaeoistiodactylus'' was first named and described by Lü Junchang and Fucha Xiaohui in 2010 in paleontology, 2010. The type (biology), type species is ''Archaeoistiodactylus linglongtaensis''. The generic name is a combination of the Greek ''archaios'', "ancient", with the name of the genus ''Istiodactylus'', referring to ''Archaeoistiodactylus'' being presumed to have been an older close relative of the ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Cuspicephalus
''Cuspicephalus'' is an extinct genus of monofenestratan pterosaur known from Dorset in England. Its fossil remains date back to the Late Jurassic period. Discovery ''Cuspicephalus'' is known from the holotype MJML K1918, a partial skull which is missing the mandible and dentition, preserved on a single slab. It was collected in December 2009 by Steve Etches from Kimmeridge Bay on the Isle of Purbeck coast of Dorset. This locality is referred to the ''Autissiodorensis'' ammonite biozone of the lower part of the Kimmeridge Clay Formation, dating to the early Kimmeridgian stage of the Late Jurassic, about 155.7-153 million years ago. Naming and etymology ''Cuspicephalus'' was named by David M. Martill and Steve Etches in 2013 and the type species is ''Cuspicephalus scarfi''. The generic name is derived from ''cuspis'', Latin for "point", after its pointed rostrum, and a Latinised Greek κεφαλή, ''kephalè'', for "head". The specific name honors artist and cartoonis ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Jurassic Pterosaurs Of Asia
The Jurassic ( ) is a geologic period and stratigraphic system that spanned from the end of the Triassic Period million years ago (Mya) to the beginning of the Cretaceous Period, approximately Mya. The Jurassic constitutes the middle period of the Mesozoic Era and is named after the Jura Mountains, where limestone strata from the period were first identified. The start of the Jurassic was marked by the major Triassic–Jurassic extinction event, associated with the eruption of the Central Atlantic Magmatic Province. The beginning of the Toarcian Stage started around 183 million years ago and is marked by an extinction event associated with widespread oceanic anoxia, ocean acidification, and elevated temperatures likely caused by the eruption of the Karoo-Ferrar large igneous provinces. The end of the Jurassic, however, has no clear boundary with the Cretaceous and is the only boundary between geological periods to remain formally undefined. By the beginning of the Jurassic, t ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
