Sinopterus
Name:
Sinopterus
(Chinese wing).
Phonetic: Sih-nop-teh-rus.
Named By: Wang & Zhou - 2003.
Synonyms: Huaxiapterus jii.
Classification: Chordata, Reptilia,
Pterosauria, Pterodactyloidea, Azhdarchoidea, Tapejaridae,
Tapejarinae.
Species: S. dongi (type),
S. atavismus, S. jii, S. lingyuanensis.
Type: Frugivore/Omnivore.
Size: 1.2 meter wingspan.
Known locations: China, Liaoning Province -
Jiufotang Formation.
Time period: Aptian of the Cretaceous.
Fossil representation: Remains of 3
individuals, composed of almost complete remains.
Aside
from being the first tapejarid pterosaur
discovered outside of Brazil,
Sinopterus also represents one of the earliest and
most complete.
Sinopterus had a toothless bony beak and bony crest
that runs from the
premaxilla to the middle of the skull. The crest is then thought to
extend upwards. Sinopterus is thought to have
been an omnivore,
with fruit perhaps forming an important part of its diet.
Another
species, Sinopterus gui, is now thought to
represent a younger
individual of S. dongi. Some also consider that
the smallest
currently known pterosaur Nemicolopterus
which also
comes from the same
Jiufotang Formation, may also represent a juvenile Sinopterus.
As
always, more fossils and study will be required for both of these
pterosaurs.
Further reading
- A new pterosaur (Pterodactyloidea, Tapejaridae) from the Early
Cretaceous Jiufotang Formation of western Liaoning, China and its
implications for biostratigraphy. - Chinese Science Bulletin 48:16-23.
- X. Wang & Z. Zhou - 2003.
- A new Lower Cretaceous sinopterid pterosaur from the Western
Liaoning, China. Acta Palaeontologica Sinica 42(3):442-447. - J. Li, J.
L� & B. Zhang - 2003.
- New information on Tupandactylus imperator, with
comments on the
relationships of Tapejaridae (Pterosauria). - Acta Palaeontologica
Polonica. - F. L. Pinheiro, D. C. Fortier, C. L. Schultz, J. A. F. G.
De Andrade & R. A. M. Bantim - 2011.
- The Toothless Pterosaurs from China. - Acta Geologica Sinica. 90 (9).
- Junchang L�, Fangfang Teng, Deyu Sun, Li, Caizhi, Guoqing Li, Xia Guo
& Hanfeng Liu - 2016.
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