Boreopterus

Taxobox
name = "Boreopterus"
status = fossil
fossil_range = Early Cretaceous
regnum = Animalia
phylum = Chordata
classis = Sauropsida
ordo = Pterosauria
subordo = Pterodactyloidea
superfamilia = Ornithocheiroidea
familia = Ornithocheiridae or Boreopteridae
genus = "Boreopterus"
binomial = "Boreopterus cuiae"
binomial_authority = Lü, J., and Ji, Q., 2005

"Boreopterus" (meaning "north wing") is a genus of ornithocheirid pterodactyloid pterosaur from the Barremian-Aptian-age Lower Cretaceous Yixian Formation of Dalian, Liaoning, China. It is based on JZMP-04-07-3, a nearly complete skeleton and skull. The skull is 235 millimeters long (9.25 inches), and its wingspan is estimated to have been around 1.45 meters (4.76 feet). Its teeth, especially the anterior nine pairs, are quite large for an ornithocheirid, forming a mesh of sharp teeth at the front of the mouth; the third and fourth teeth from the front are the largest. There are at least 27 teeth in each side of both the upper and lower jaws, which is a large amount.cite journal |author=Junchang Lü |coauthors=and Qiang Ji |year=2005 |title=A new ornithocheirid from the Early Cretaceous of Liaoning Province, China |journal=Acta Geologica Sinica |volume=79 |issue=2 |pages=157–163]

The status of "Boreopterus" as an ornithocheiroid has been supported by recent publications,cite journal |last=Lü |first=Junchang |coauthors=and Qiang Ji |year=2006 |title=Preliminary results of a phylogenetic analysis of the pterosaurs from western Liaoning and surrounding area |journal=Journal of the Paleontological Society of Korea |volume=22 |issue=1 |pages=239–261 |url=http://cactus.dixie.edu/jharris/Lu&Ji_ptero_phylogeny.pdf |accessdate=2007-03-10 ] cite book |last=Unwin |first=David M. |authorlink=David M. Unwin |title=The Pterosaurs: From Deep Time |year=2006 |publisher=Pi Press |location=New York |isbn=ISBN 0-13-146308-X |pages=p. 272] but it may form its own basal clade with "Feilongus". A new report following this line of thought has put it and "Feilongus" into the new ornithocheiroid family, the Boreopteridae.cite book |last=Junchang |first=Lü |coauthors=Ji, S.; Yuan, C.; and Ji, Q. |year=2006 |title=Pterosaurs from China |publisher=Geological Publishing House |location=Beijing |pages= 147 p. |language=Chinese ]

Paleobiology

Ornithocheiroids like "Boreopterus" are interpreted as soaring animals, like today's albatrosses and frigatebirds.cite book |last=Unwin |first=David M. |authorlink=David M. Unwin |title=The Pterosaurs: From Deep Time |year=2006 |publisher=Pi Press |location=New York |isbn= 0-13-146308-X |chapter=A tree for pterosaurs |pages=79-82 ]

References

External links

* [http://www.pterosaur.co.uk/species/LCP/Ornitho/Boreopterus.htm "Boreopterus"] in The Pterosaur Database
* [http://archosauria.org/pterosauria/taxonomy/genera/boreopterus.html "Boreopterus"] in The Pterosauria