Sunday, July 22, 2012

[Paleontology • 2010] Fenghuangopterus lii • A new scaphognathine pterosaur from the Middle Jurassic of western Liaoning, China



Fenghuangopterus lii 
Lü, Fucha & Chen, 2010

Abstract
A new scaphognathine pterosaur: Fenghuangopterus lii gen. et sp. nov. is erected based on anincom-plete skeleton. It comes from the Middle Jurassic Tiaojishan Formation of the western Liaoning. It ischaracterized by more than 11 pairs of the upper jaw teeth, and the last tooth is located far posteriorly in the jaw, under the postoventral corner of the antorbital opening, metacarpal IV length is about 55% that of the humerus. The discovery of Fenghuangopterus not only adds a new member of scaphognathine pterosaurs, but also provides much more information on the paleogeographical distribution. It represents the earliest scaphognathine pterosaur known. It plays a key role in understanding the origin and evolution of scaphognathine pterosaurs.
Key Words: Fenghuangopterus, scaphognathinae, Middle Jurassic, Tiaojishan Formation, western Liaoning




Lü, J.; Fucha, X.; Chen, J. 2010. A new scaphognathine pterosaur from the Middle Jurassic of western Liaoning, China. Acta Geoscientica Sinica. 31 (2): 263–266.