''Qinglongopterus'' is a
genus of
rhamphorhynchid pterosaur from the
Middle
Middle or The Middle may refer to:
* Centre (geometry), the point equally distant from the outer limits.
Places
* Middle (sheading), a subdivision of the Isle of Man
* Middle Bay (disambiguation)
* Middle Brook (disambiguation)
* Middle Creek (d ...
/
Upper Jurassic
The Late Jurassic is the third epoch of the Jurassic Period, and it spans the geologic time from 163.5 ± 1.0 to 145.0 ± 0.8 million years ago (Ma), which is preserved in Upper Jurassic strata.Owen 1987.
In European lithostratigraphy, the name ...
of
Mutoudeng,
Qinglong County,
Hebei Province,
China
China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...
. ''Qinglongopterus'' is known from only one specimen; D3080/3081, a nearly complete
skeleton
A skeleton is the structural frame that supports the body of an animal. There are several types of skeletons, including the exoskeleton, which is the stable outer shell of an organism, the endoskeleton, which forms the support structure inside ...
collected from the
Tiaojishan Formation. It was described by
Lü Junchang ''et al.'' in
2012
File:2012 Events Collage V3.png, From left, clockwise: The passenger cruise ship Costa Concordia lies capsized after the Costa Concordia disaster; Damage to Casino Pier in Seaside Heights, New Jersey as a result of Hurricane Sandy; People gather ...
. The
type species is ''Qinglongopterus guoi''.
Description
''Qinglongopterus'' is noted to be remarkably similar to ''
Rhamphorhynchus'', although ''Qinglongopterus'' has a proportionally smaller head and shorter wings.
In the original description, the authors suggest ''Rhamphorhynchus'' may even be descended from ''Qinglongopterus'' due to the large number of shared
characters between the two genera. ''Qinglongopterus'' appears approximately 10 million years earlier than ''Rhamphorhynchus,'' yet possesses many
derived traits for the group. This may be evidence of
evolutionary stasis within rhamphorhynchine pterosaurs.
The
holotype specimen has large
eye sockets and exhibits a relative lack of fusion throughout the skeleton, suggesting the individual was a late-stage juvenile.
The holotype has an estimated wingspan of 34.4 centimeters (13.5 inches).
See also
*
List of pterosaur genera
*
Timeline of pterosaur research
References
Late Jurassic pterosaurs of Asia
Rhamphorhynchids
Fossil taxa described in 2012
Taxa named by Lü Junchang
Paleontology in Hebei
{{Pterosaur-stub