Feilongus
Encyclopedia
Feilongus is an extinct genus
of ctenochasmatoid
or ornithocheiroid
pterodactyloid pterosaur
from the Barremian
-Aptian
-age Lower Cretaceous Yixian Formation
of Beipiao
, Liaoning
, China
.
The genus was named in 2005 by Wang Xiaolin e.a.. The type species
is Feilongus youngi. The genus name is derived from Feilong
, the "flying dragon". The specific name honours the late Chinese paleontologist Yang Zhongjian
or "Chung Chien Young".
Feilongus is based on holotype
IVPP V-12539
, a skull and articulated mandible, with on the same plate the detached posterior braincase, of a subadult individual. The fossil is strongly crushed. It is notable for having two bony crests on the skull (one long and low on middle of the snout
, and one projecting backwards from the rear of the skull), and for the upper jaws being 10% or 27 millimetres longer than the lower jaws, giving it a pronounced overbite
. The preserved part of the second crest was short with the leading edge rounded, and may have had a nonbony extension, now lost. The skull of the only known individual is 390-400 millimeters long (15.4-15.7 inches) and extremely elongated with a slightly concave top. Its wingspan
was estimated by Wang to have been around 2.4 meters (7.9 feet), making it large for a basal
pterodactyloid. The skull and lower jaws held 76 long, curved needle
-like teeth, eighteen in the upper, nineteen in the lower jaw, confined to the beak ends, the anterior third, of the jaws.
A cladistic analysis by the describers showed Feilongus as the sister taxon of a clade
consisting of Gallodactylus and Cycnorhamphus
, meaning it was a member of the Gallodactylidae
sensu Kellner, a group of ctenochasmatoids, within the larger Archaeopterodactyloidea, the clade containing according to Alexander Kellner
the most basal pterodactyloids. The Ctenochasmatoidea are known for having numerous small, thin teeth, possibly for straining food from water, as flamingo
s do today. However, in 2006 an analysis by Lü Junchang had as outcome that Feilongus was not an archaeopterodactyloid, but a member of the Ornithocheiroidea
sensu Kellner, closer to the Anhangueridae. This means that using the alternative terminology of David Unwin they are close to the Ornithocheiroidea sensu Unwin, a group the members of which are typically more adapted to soaring
and a piscivore
, or fish-eating, diet. Another publication following this general line of thought has put Feilongus and Boreopterus
into a new ornithocheiroid family, the Boreopteridae
.
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 ctenochasmatoid
Ctenochasmatoidea
Ctenochasmatoidea is a group of pterosaurs within the suborder Pterodactyloidea.-Classification:Cladogram after Unwin ....
or ornithocheiroid
Ornithocheiroidea
Ornithocheiroidea is an extinct group of pterosaurs within the suborder Pterodactyloidea.-Locomotion:Ornithocheiroids, like other pterosaurs, are considered to have been skilled fliers as well as adept at moving on the ground...
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 the Barremian
Barremian
The Barremian is an age in the geologic timescale between 130.0 ± 1.5 Ma and 125.0 ± 1.0 Ma). It is a subdivision of the Early Cretaceous epoch...
-Aptian
Aptian
The Aptian is an age in the geologic timescale or a stage in the stratigraphic column. It is a subdivision of the Early or Lower Cretaceous epoch or series and encompasses the time from 125.0 ± 1.0 Ma to 112.0 ± 1.0 Ma , approximately...
-age Lower Cretaceous Yixian Formation
Yixian Formation
The Yixian Formation is a geological formation in Jinzhou, Liaoning, People's Republic of China, that spans 11 million years during the early Cretaceous period...
of Beipiao
Beipiao
Beipiao is a city in Chaoyang prefecture, Liaoning province, in Northeast China. It has a population of 202,807. The main industry in the area is coal mining. With vertical shafts of almost 1000m, these are some of the deepest coal mines in China. The coal produced is used for coking...
, Liaoning
Liaoning
' is a province of the People's Republic of China, located in the northeast of the country. Its one-character abbreviation is "辽" , a name taken from the Liao River that flows through the province. "Níng" means "peace"...
, China
People's Republic of China
China , officially the People's Republic of China , is the most populous country in the world, with over 1.3 billion citizens. Located in East Asia, the country covers approximately 9.6 million square kilometres...
.
The genus was named in 2005 by Wang Xiaolin e.a.. The type species
Type species
In biological nomenclature, a type species is both a concept and a practical system which is used in the classification and nomenclature of animals and plants. The value of a "type species" lies in the fact that it makes clear what is meant by a particular genus name. A type species is the species...
is Feilongus youngi. The genus name is derived from Feilong
Feilong (mythology)
Feilong is a winged legendary creature that flies among clouds in Chinese mythology. The proper name Feilong applies to people, fictional characters, places, martial art techniques, military weapons, and a pterosaur.-Word:...
, the "flying dragon". The specific name honours the late Chinese paleontologist Yang Zhongjian
Yang Zhongjian
Yang Zhongjian , courtesy name Keqiang , also known as C.C. Young, was one of China's foremost paleontologists. He has been called the 'Father of Chinese vertebrate paleontology'...
or "Chung Chien Young".
Feilongus is based on holotype
Holotype
A holotype is a single physical example of an organism, known to have been used when the species was formally described. It is either the single such physical example or one of several such, but explicitly designated as the holotype...
IVPP V-12539
Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology
The Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology of China is a prominent research institution and collections repository for fossils, including many dinosaur and pterosaurand cat poo specimens...
, a skull and articulated mandible, with on the same plate the detached posterior braincase, of a subadult individual. The fossil is strongly crushed. It is notable for having two bony crests on the skull (one long and low on middle of the snout
Snout
The snout, or muzzle, is the protruding portion of an animal's face, consisting of its nose, mouth, and jaw.-Terminology:The term "muzzle", used as a noun, can be ambiguous...
, and one projecting backwards from the rear of the skull), and for the upper jaws being 10% or 27 millimetres longer than the lower jaws, giving it a pronounced overbite
Malocclusion
A malocclusion is a misalignment of teeth or incorrect relation between the teeth of the two dental arches. The term was coined by Edward Angle, the "father of modern orthodontics", as a derivative of occlusion, which refers to the manner in which opposing teeth meet.-Presentation:Most people have...
. The preserved part of the second crest was short with the leading edge rounded, and may have had a nonbony extension, now lost. The skull of the only known individual is 390-400 millimeters long (15.4-15.7 inches) and extremely elongated with a slightly concave top. Its wingspan
Wingspan
The wingspan of an airplane or a bird, is the distance from one wingtip to the other wingtip. For example, the Boeing 777 has a wingspan of about ; and a Wandering Albatross caught in 1965 had a wingspan of , the official record for a living bird.The term wingspan, more technically extent, is...
was estimated by Wang to have been around 2.4 meters (7.9 feet), making it large for a basal
Basal (phylogenetics)
In phylogenetics, a basal clade is the earliest clade to branch in a larger clade; it appears at the base of a cladogram.A basal group forms an outgroup to the rest of the clade, such as in the following example:...
pterodactyloid. The skull and lower jaws held 76 long, curved needle
Needle
-Crafting:* Knitting needle, a tool for knitting, not as sharp as a sewing needle* Sewing needle, a long slender tool with a pointed tip* Upholstery needle, a tool for upholstery, generally thick and curved-Botany:* Pine needle, the adult leaf of a pine tree...
-like teeth, eighteen in the upper, nineteen in the lower jaw, confined to the beak ends, the anterior third, of the jaws.
A cladistic analysis by the describers showed Feilongus as the sister taxon of a clade
Clade
A clade is a group consisting of a species and all its descendants. In the terms of biological systematics, a clade is a single "branch" on the "tree of life". The idea that such a "natural group" of organisms should be grouped together and given a taxonomic name is central to biological...
consisting of Gallodactylus and Cycnorhamphus
Cycnorhamphus
Cycnorhamphus is a genus of ctenchasmatoid pterodactyloid pterosaur from the Late Jurassic of France and Germany.In 1855 a fossil in a plate of shale from the Tithonian, found near Nusplingen in Württemberg, holotype GPIT "Orig. Quenstedt 1855, Taf...
, meaning it was a member of the Gallodactylidae
Gallodactylidae
Gallodactylidae is a group of pterosaurs within the suborder Pterodactyloidea....
sensu Kellner, a group of ctenochasmatoids, within the larger Archaeopterodactyloidea, the clade containing according to Alexander Kellner
Alexander Kellner
Alexander Wilhelm Armin Kellner is a Liechtensteinian/Brazilian paleontologist, a leading expert in the field of the study of pterosaurs....
the most basal pterodactyloids. The Ctenochasmatoidea are known for having numerous small, thin teeth, possibly for straining food from water, as flamingo
Flamingo
Flamingos or flamingoes are gregarious wading birds in the genus Phoenicopterus , the only genus in the family Phoenicopteridae...
s do today. However, in 2006 an analysis by Lü Junchang had as outcome that Feilongus was not an archaeopterodactyloid, but a member of the Ornithocheiroidea
Ornithocheiroidea
Ornithocheiroidea is an extinct group of pterosaurs within the suborder Pterodactyloidea.-Locomotion:Ornithocheiroids, like other pterosaurs, are considered to have been skilled fliers as well as adept at moving on the ground...
sensu Kellner, closer to the Anhangueridae. This means that using the alternative terminology of David Unwin they are close to the Ornithocheiroidea sensu Unwin, a group the members of which are typically more adapted to soaring
Lift (soaring)
Gliding flight is heavier-than-air flight without the use of thrust. It is employed by gliding animals and by aircraft such as gliders. The most common human application of gliding flight is in sport and recreation using aircraft designed for this purpose...
and a piscivore
Piscivore
A piscivore is a carnivorous animal which eats primarily fish. Piscivory was the diet of early tetrapods , insectivory came next, then in time reptiles added herbivory....
, or fish-eating, diet. Another publication following this general line of thought has put Feilongus and Boreopterus
Boreopterus
Boreopterus is a genus of ornithocheirid pterodactyloid pterosaur from the Barremian-Aptian-age Lower Cretaceous Yixian Formation of Dalian, Liaoning, China....
into a new ornithocheiroid family, the Boreopteridae
Boreopteridae
Boreopteridae is a group of ornithocheiroid pterosaurs from the Aptian-age Lower Cretaceous Yixian Formation of Liaoning, China.-Palaeoecology:...
.
External links
- Feilongus in The Pterosauria