New Long-Tailed Pterosaurs Found in Western Liaoning, China

Dr. WANG Xiaolin, Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, and his research team, described two new long-tailed pterosaurs, Kunpengopterus sinensis gen. et sp. nov. and Darwinopterus linglongtaensis sp. nov., from the Jehol Biota deposits in Linglongta, Jianchang County, western Liaoning, China, as reported in the 4th issue of Anais da Academia Brasileira de Ci ncias (volume 82: 1045-1062).

Darwinopterus linglongtaensis sp. nov., an almost complete and well-articulated skeleton except for some portions of the vertebral column that moved from their natural position, preserved in a light grey shale slab, differs from other wukongopterid pterosaurs by the thin lacrimal process of the jugal, foramen on nasal process rounded, and by having the second pedal phalanx of the fifth toe less curved (115 ).

Kunpengopterus sinensis gen. et sp. nov., an almost complete skeleton with complete skull and lower jaw preserved in a grey shale slab, shows differences from other members of this clade mainly by the rounded posterior region of the skull, thick lacrimal process of the jugal and lack of a bony premaxillary crest. This species further shows a soft tissue crest above the frontal, a comparatively larger wing finger, and the proximal segment of the second pedal phalanx of the fifth toe shorter than in other wukongopterids.

"These two new species can be referred to the non-pterodactyloid clade Wukongopteridae. The differentiation among the Wukongopteridae in the dentition and the feet, suggests that they might have occupied slightly different ecological niches, said Dr. WANG Xiaolin, Despite the uncertainty on the age (Middle to Late Jurassic or Early Cretaceous) and stratigraphic placement of the deposits (Daohugou Formation or Tiaojishan Formation) in the Linglongta region, the findings provided some evidences for further study on the evolution, biodiversity and biogeography of the long-tailed pterosaurs.

This study was supported by the National Science Fund for Distinguished Young Scholars (40825005), Science Foundation of China (40121202), The Major Basic Research Projects of the Ministry of Science and Technology of China (2006CB806400).

Fig.1: Darwinopterus linglongtaensis sp. nov., holotype. Scale bar: 50 mm. (Image by Dr. WANG Xiaolin)

Fig.2: Kunpengopterus sinensis gen. et sp. nov., holotype. Scale bar: 50 mm. (Image by Dr. WANG Xiaolin)