- Sinopterus
Taxobox
name = "Sinopterus"
status = fossil
fossil_range =Early Cretaceous
regnum =Animal ia
phylum = Chordata
classis = Sauropsida
ordo =Pterosaur ia
subordo =Pterodactyloidea
familia =Tapejaridae
genus = "Sinopterus"
genus_authority = Wang and Zhou, 2003
subdivision_ranks = Species
subdivision =
*"S. dongi" (type)
*"S. gui" Li, Lü, and Zhang, 2003"Sinopterus" (meaning "Chinese wing") was a
genus of tapejaridpterodactyloid pterosaur from theBarremian -Aptian -ageLower Cretaceous Jiufotang Formation ofChaoyang ,Liaoning , China. Two species have been named. It is known for its proportionally large skull, which has abird like pointedbeak , a long bony crest that starts with a tallpremaxilla and goes back along the middle of the skull to form a point overhanging the rear of the skull, and its lack ofteeth .The
type species , "S. dongi", is based on IVPP V13363, an articulated, nearly complete skeleton. The skull of this individual was 17centimeter s (6.7inches ) long, and thewingspan was estimated to be 1.2 meters (3.9 feet). The authors suggested that it was anomnivore , and noted that it was the first record of a tapejarid outside ofBrazil , and the earliest and most complete tapejarid.Wang, X., and Zhou, Z. (2003). [http://www.ivpp.ac.cn/pdf/magazine205.pdf 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.] The second species, "S. gui", is based on BPV-077, another nearly complete skeleton from the same formation; it differs from the type species in various proportions, and is only about 60% its size. At the time of its description, it was the smallest toothless pterosaur known from the Jiufotang Formation.Li, J., Lü, J., and Zhang, B. (2003). A new Lower Cretaceous sinopterid pterosaur from the Western Liaoning, China. "Acta Palaeontologica Sinica" 42(3):442-447.]References
External links
* [http://www.pterosaur.co.uk/species/LCP/Tapejar/sinopteryx-D.htm "Sinopterus dongi"] in The Pterosaur Database
* [http://www.pterosaur.co.uk/species/LCP/Tapejar/SinopterusGui.htm "Sinopterus gui"] in The Pterosaur Database
* [http://www.pterosaur.co.uk/species/LCP/Tapejar/sinopteryx-Sp.htm An undescribed third specimen] in The Pterosaur Database
* [http://archosauria.org/pterosauria/taxonomy/genera/sinopterus.html "Sinopterus"] in The Pterosauria
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