Meilifeilong

Meilifeilong
Temporal range: Early Cretaceous (BarremianAptian)
Photograph (A) and line drawing (B) of the holotype specimen of M. youhao
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Order: Pterosauria
Suborder: Pterodactyloidea
Clade: Azhdarchoidea
Clade: Neoazhdarchia
Family: Chaoyangopteridae
Genus: Meilifeilong
Wang et al., 2023
Type species
Meilifeilong youhao
Wang et al., 2023
Other species
  • M. sanyainus Ji et al., 2023

Meilifeilong (meaning "beautiful flying dragon") is an extinct genus of chaoyangopterid pterosaurs from the Early Cretaceous Jiufotang Formation of China. The genus contains two species: M. youhao, known from an almost complete skeleton and a partial skull, and M. sanyainus, originally described as a species of Shenzhoupterus.[1] The Meilifeilong youhao holotype represents the best-preserved and most complete chaoyangopterid discovered so far.[2]

  1. ^ Ji, S.; Zhang, L.; Lu, F. (2023). "A new species of chaoyangopterid pterosaur from the Early Cretaceous in western Liaoning, People's Republic of China". Acta Geologica Sinica. 97. 2023322. doi:10.19762/j.cnki.dizhixuebao.2023322.
  2. ^ Wang, Xiaolin; Kellner, Alexander W. A.; Jiang, Shunxing; Chen, He; Costa, Fabiana R.; Cheng, Xin; Zhang, Xinjun; Nova, Bruno C. Vila; de Almeida Campos, Diogenes; Sayão, Juliana M.; Rodrigues, Taissa; Bantim, Renan A. M.; Saraiva, Antônio A. F.; Zhou, Zhonghe (2023-12-21). "A new toothless pterosaur from the Early Cretaceous Jehol Biota with comments on the Chaoyangopteridae". Scientific Reports. 13 (1): 22642. doi:10.1038/s41598-023-48076-7. ISSN 2045-2322. PMC 10739979.