Changchengopterus
Encyclopedia
Changchengopterus is a genus
of non-pterodactyloid pterosaur
from China
(Qinglong County, Hebei Province). The fossil
specimen of the type and only species, Changchengopterus pani, was found in the Tiaojishan Formation
and described by Lü in 2009. It is known only from a single specimen of a young juvenile, measuring 475 millimetres (18.7 in) in wingspan.
In his original description, Lü's phylogenetic analysis concluded that Changchengopterus was a primitive pterosaur closely related to the earlier Europe
an pterosaur Dorygnathus
, and he placed it in Rhamphorhynchidae
. However, a subsequent study by Wang and colleagues (2010) noted some similarities with the wukongopterids
, and they tentatively placed it in that family.
Genus
In biology, a genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, which is an example of definition by genus and differentia...
of non-pterodactyloid pterosaur
Pterosaur
Pterosaurs were flying reptiles of the clade or order Pterosauria. They existed from the late Triassic to the end of the Cretaceous Period . Pterosaurs are the earliest vertebrates known to have evolved powered flight...
from China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
(Qinglong County, Hebei Province). The fossil
Fossil
Fossils are the preserved remains or traces of animals , plants, and other organisms from the remote past...
specimen of the type and only species, Changchengopterus pani, was found in the Tiaojishan Formation
Tiaojishan Formation
The Tiaojishan Formation is a geological formation in Hebei and Liaoning, People's Republic of China, dating to the middle-late Jurassic period . It is known for its fossil plants, and is made up mainly of pyroclastic rock interspersed with basic volcanic and sedimentary rocks...
and described by Lü in 2009. It is known only from a single specimen of a young juvenile, measuring 475 millimetres (18.7 in) in wingspan.
In his original description, Lü's phylogenetic analysis concluded that Changchengopterus was a primitive pterosaur closely related to the earlier Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
an pterosaur Dorygnathus
Dorygnathus
Dorygnathus was a genus of pterosaur that lived in Europe during the Early Jurassic period, 180 million years ago when shallow seas flooded much of the continent. It had a short 1.5 meter wingspan, and a relatively small triangular sternum, which is where its flight muscles attached. Its skull...
, and he placed it in Rhamphorhynchidae
Rhamphorhynchidae
Rhamphorhynchidae is a group of early "rhamphorhynchoid" pterosaurs named after Rhamphorhynchus, that lived in the Late Jurassic. The family Rhamphorhynchidae was named in 1870 by Harry Govier Seeley.-Classification:...
. However, a subsequent study by Wang and colleagues (2010) noted some similarities with the wukongopterids
Wukongopteridae
The Wukongopteridae are a group of basal pterosaurs, found exclusively in China. It contained in 2010 five species in four genera, all collected from the Tiaojishan Formation and/or Daohugou Beds, which may date to the middle Jurassic period, though other studies have given a date of late Jurassic,...
, and they tentatively placed it in that family.