Yixianopterus

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Yixianopterus
Temporal range: Early Cretaceous, 124.6  Ma
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Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Order:† Pterosauria
Suborder:† Pterodactyloidea
Clade:† Istiodactyliformes
Genus:† Yixianopterus
Lü et al., 2006
Type species
†Yixianopterus jingangshanensis
Lü et al., 2006

Yixianopterus is a pterodactyloid pterosaur genus from the Barremian-Aptian-age Lower Cretaceous Yixian Formation of Liaoning, China. It is known from a single specimen, holotype JZMP-V-12, housed at the Benxi Geological Museum. This specimen was modified before acquisition, with much of the skull being fabricated. [1] The Jinggangshan bedding in which the specimen was found is basaltic with siliciclastic sediments. [2] Many organisms associated with this layer of the Yixian Formation are aquatic, indicating a marine environment with much volcanic activity.

Contents

Classification

Lü et al. (2006) assigned Yixianopterus to the Lophocratian family Lonchodectidae based on dental characters, and ratio comparisons between wing phalanx I and II, metacarpal IV, and ulna. This specimen was classified it as the first Asian representative of Lonchodectidae. [3] Martill (2011) considered it potentially related to his new taxon Unwindia , [4] and Witton (2013) assigned it to the family Ornithocheiridae. [5]

A reappraisal of the holotype specimen and phylogenetic analysis by Jiang et al. (2020) recovered Yixianopterus as a basal member of the clade Istiodactyliformes:

Lanceodontia

Holotype JZMP-V-12

Holotype JZMP-V-12 was discovered within the Jinggangshan bedding, the uppermost layer of the Yixian Formation. [2] Many Jehol Biota associated with the Jinggangshan bedding are fish, ephemerid, and plant fragments. The holotype found contained fragmented segments leading to its classification as a new genus and species of flying reptile from the Early Cretaceous. Preserved segments include the right forelimb, a foot, and teeth. [1]

The recovered right forelimb segment contained two broad, thin plates each measuring 35 cm x 35 cm x 2 cm. The conditions under which the holotype was preserved crushed the ends of the right humerus, but what remains is 101.6 mm long. [1] The deltopectoral crest of the upper humerus, extending a quarter of the length (25.38mm), characterized the specimen as belonging to Pteranodontoidea.

The foot of holotype JZMP-V-12 was found in a well-preserved condition. Metatarsal III is 28.19mm long while what was preserved of the tibia is 102.63 mm in length. Kellner et al. (2019) identified the ratio as less than 27.5%, a typical characteristic of the clade Ornithocheiroidea. [1]

Lü et al. (2006) identified the ratios between wing phalanx I and II, wing phalanx I and metacarpal IV, and metacarpal IV and ulna, as being unique to Yixianopterus [3] .

Lü et al. (2006) noted that the teeth of the specimen were subequal with diastema increasing posteriorly. [3] Kellner et al. (2019) identified the triangular and labiolingually compressed teeth as a characteristic of Pteranodontoidea. The front two incisors are particularly more slender and longer than the rest. [1]

An outline of the head preserved within the sediment showed a dorsal inclination. [1] This would indicate that the shape of the skull is rather narrow where the mouth opening is, with the majority of the skull surrounding the brain.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Shun-Xing, Jiang; Xin-Jun, Zhang; Xin, Cheng; Xiao-Lin, Wang. "A new pteranodontoid pterosaur forelimb from upper Yixian Formation, with a revision of Yixianopterus jingangshanesis". Vertebrata PalAsistica. 59 (2): 81–94.
  2. 1 2 Qin, Zuohuan; Xi, Dangpeng; Shi, Zhongye; Xu, Yankang; Wei, Feng; Yu, Zhiqiang; Wu, Baoxu; Wan, Xiaoqiao (January 4, 2019). "Lagerstätte fossils from the Lower Cretaceous Yixian Formation of the Pingquan Basin, North China: stratigraphical correlation and palaeoenvironmental implications". Lethaia. 52 (3): 335–349. Bibcode:2019Letha..52..335Q. doi:10.1111/let.12315.
  3. 1 2 3 Lü, J; Ji, S; Yuan, C; Gao, Y; Sun, Z; Ji, Q (2006). "New pterodactyloid pterosaur from the Lower Cretaceous Yixian Formation of Western Liaoning". Papers from the 2005 Heyuan International Dinosaur Symposium. Beijing: Geological Publishing House: 195–203.
  4. ↑ Martill, David M (2011). "A new pterodactyloid pterosaur from the Santana Formation (Cretaceous) of Brazil". Cretaceous Research. 32 (2): 236–243. Bibcode:2011CrRes..32..236M. doi:10.1016/j.cretres.2010.12.008.
  5. ↑ Witton, Mark P (2013). Pterosaurs: Natural History, Evolution, Anatomy. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press.
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