Darwinopterus

Darwinopterus
Temporal range: Middle Jurassic, 160.89–160.25 Ma
↓
D. modularis fossil
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Order: †Pterosauria
Family: †Wukongopteridae
Subfamily: †Wukongopterinae
Genus: †Darwinopterus
Lü et al., 2010
Type species
†Darwinopterus modularis
Lü et al., 2010
Other species
  • †D. linglongtaensis
    Wang et al., 2010
  • †D. robustodens
    Lü et al., 2011

Darwinopterus (meaning "Darwin's wing") is a genus of pterosaur, discovered in China and named after biologist Charles Darwin.[1] Between 30 and 40 fossil specimens have been identified,[2] all collected from the Tiaojishan Formation, which dates to the middle Jurassic period, 160.89–160.25 Ma ago.[3][4] The type species, D. modularis, was described in February 2010.[1] D. modularis was the first known pterosaur to display features of both long-tailed (rhamphorhynchoid) and short-tailed (pterodactyloid) pterosaurs, and was described as a transitional fossil between the two groups.[5] Two additional species, D. linglongtaensis and D. robustodens, were described from the same fossil beds in December 2010 and June 2011, respectively.[6][7]

  1. ^ a b Lü J.; Unwin D.M.; Jin X.; Liu Y.; Ji Q. (2010). "Evidence for modular evolution in a long-tailed pterosaur with a pterodactyloid skull". Proceedings of the Royal Society B. 277 (1680): 383–389. doi:10.1098/rspb.2009.1603. PMC 2842655. PMID 19828548.
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference hecht2011 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ Liu Y.-Q. Kuang H.-W., Jiang X.-J., Peng N., Xu H. & Sun H.-Y. (2012). "Timing of the earliest known feathered dinosaurs and transitional pterosaurs older than the Jehol Biota." Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology (advance online publication).
  4. ^ Chu, Z.; He, H.; Ramezani, J.; Bowring, S.A.; Hu, D.; Zhang, L.; Zheng, S.; Wang, X.; Zhou, Z.; Deng, C.; Guo, J. (2016). "High-precision U–Pb geochronology of the Jurassic Yanliao Biota from Jianchang (western Liaoning Province, China): Age constraints on the rise of feathered dinosaurs and eutherian mammals". Geochemistry, Geophysics, Geosystems. 17 (10): 3983–3992. doi:10.1002/2016GC006529.
  5. ^ Dell'Amore, C. (2009). "Odd New Pterosaur: 'Darwin's Wing' Fills Evolution Gap." National Geographic News, 13 October 2009. Accessed 14 October 2009.
  6. ^ Wang, X.; Kellner, A.W.A.; Jiang, S.; Cheng, X.; Meng, X. & Rodrigues, T. (2010). "New long-tailed pterosaurs (Wukongopteridae) from western Liaoning, China" (PDF). Anais da Academia Brasileira de Ciências. 82 (4): 1045–1062. doi:10.1590/S0001-37652010000400024. PMID 21152776.
  7. ^ Lü J.; Xu L.; Chang H.; Zhang X. (2011). "A new darwinopterid pterosaur from the Middle Jurassic of western Liaoning, northeastern China and its ecological implications". Acta Geologica Sinica - English Edition. 85 (3): 507–514. doi:10.1111/j.1755-6724.2011.00444.x. S2CID 128545851.