''Linlongopterus'' is a genus of

pteranodontoid Pteranodontoidea (or pteranodontoids, from Greek meaning "toothless wings") is an extinct clade of ornithocheiroid pterosaurs from the Early to Late Cretaceous (early Valanginian to late Maastrichtian stages) of Asia, Africa, Europe, North Americ ...

pterodactyloid pterosaur from the

Early Cretaceous The Early Cretaceous ( geochronological name) or the Lower Cretaceous (chronostratigraphic name), is the earlier or lower of the two major divisions of the Cretaceous. It is usually considered to stretch from 145 Ma to 100.5 Ma. Geology Pro ...

of China. It is known from a partial skull and mandible first named and described in 2015 by Rodrigues ''et al.''. The only known specimen was found in the Jiufotang Formation of the

Liaoning Province Liaoning () is a coastal provinces of China, province in Northeast China that is the smallest, southernmost, and most populous province in the region. With its capital at Shenyang, it is located on the northern shore of the Yellow Sea, and i ...

or China, and lived around 120 million years ago. The full binomial of the taxon is ''Linlongopterus jennyae'', with the generic name translating from the Chinese "forest" (lin) and "dragon" (long), and the Greek "wing" (pteros), while the species name honours Elfriede Kellner, nicknamed Jenny, a supporter of paleontology. The proper word for wing in ancient Greek is however ''pteron'' (πτερόν).Liddell, H.G. & Scott, R. (1940). ''A Greek-English Lexicon. revised and augmented throughout by Sir Henry Stuart Jones. with the assistance of. Roderick McKenzie.'' Oxford: Clarendon Press. ''Linlongopterus'' was placed in a phylogenetic analysis to determine its relationships. The taxon was located within

Dsungaripteroidea Dsungaripteroidea is a group of pterosaurs within the suborder Pterodactyloidea. Evolutionary history The earliest known fossils attributed to this group are from the Kimmeridgian-age Upper Jurassic Argiles d'Octeville Formation of France, dat ...

(sensu Kellner), which included Azhdarchoidea, Dsungaripteridae, and Pteranodontoidea, all of which were mostly dissolved due to the few remains known from ''Linlongopterus''. Based on the teeth presence and anatomy, ''Linlongopterus'' was excluded from Azhdarchoidea and Dsungaripteridae, which are toothless and have very specialized teeth respectively. As such, ''Linlongopterus'' was placed within Pteranodontoidea. Within Pteranodontoidea, pteranodontids have no teeth, and istiodactylids have triangular teeth, different from the elongate teeth of ''Linlongopterus''. The taxon does not have the crests on its jaws, which excludes it from derived Anhangueridae, leaving a position basal within Anhangueria most likely.

References

{{Portal bar, Paleontology, Cretaceous, China Pteranodontoids Albian life Early Cretaceous pterosaurs of Asia Albian genus extinctions