Huaxiapterus

Eumetazoa

"Huaxiapterus"
Temporal range: Early Cretaceous, 120 Ma
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Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Reptilia
Order: †Pterosauria
Suborder: †Pterodactyloidea
Superfamily: †Azhdarchoidea
Family: †Tapejaridae
Subfamily: †Tapejarinae
Genus: †Huaxiapterus
Species
  • "H." corollatus Lü et al., 2006
  • "H." benxiensis Lü et al., 2007

"Huaxiapterus" (meaning "Hua Xia [China] wing") is a genus of tapejarid pterodactyloid pterosaur from the Aptian-age Lower Cretaceous Jiufotang Formation of Chaoyang, Liaoning, China. It is the second genus of tapejarid from this formation, after Sinopterus, and may be more derived. Two species are known.

The type species of "Huaxiapterus" was H. jii, is based on GMN-03-11-001, a nearly complete skeleton and skull.[1] While it was initially separated from the closely related Sinopterus by several characters including its smaller size and larger crest, later studies showed that it was in fact more closely related to Sinopterus dongi than to either of the other two species of "Huaxiapterus".[2] Therefore, most researchers have since considered H. jii a species of Sinopterus, as Sinopterus jii. Because H. jii was the type species of its genus, Huaxiapterus is a junior synonym of sinopterus and the other two species will be re-named in the future.[3]

The second species, "H." corollatus, is based on ZMNH M8131, another nearly complete skeleton from the same formation.[4] The third species "H." benxiensis, based on specimen BXGM V0011, also comes from Liaoning.[5]

See also

References

  1. ^ Lü, J., and Yuan, C. (2005). "New tapejarid pterosaur from Western Liaoning, China." Acta Geologica Sinica 79(4):453-458.
  2. ^ Kellner, A.W.A. and Campos D.A. (2007). "Short note on the ingroup relationships of the Tapejaridae (Pterosauria, Pterodactyloidea)." Boletim do Museu Nacional, 75: 1-14.
  3. ^ Pinheiro, F.L., Fortier, D.C., Schultz, C.L., De Andrade, J.A.F.G. and Bantim, R.A.M. (in press). "New information on Tupandactylus imperator, with comments on the relationships of Tapejaridae (Pterosauria)." Acta Palaeontologica Polonica, in press, available online 03 Jan 2011. doi:10.4202/app.2010.0057
  4. ^ Lü, J., Jin, X., Unwin, D.M., Zhao, L., Azuma, Y., and Ji, Q. (2006). "A new species of Huaxiapterus (Pterosauria: Pterodactyloidea) from the Lower Cretaceous of western Liaoning, China with comments on the systematics of tapejarid pterosaurs." Acta Geologica Sinica 80(3):315-326.
  5. ^ Lü Junchang, Gao Yubo, Xing Lida, Li Zhixin, and Sun Zhenyuan. (2007). New species of Huaxiapterus from the Early Cretaceous of western Liaoning." Acta Geologica Sinica (English edition) 81(5):683–687.

External links