Jidapterus
Encyclopedia
Jidapterus is a genus
of azhdarchoid
pterodactyloid pterosaur
from the Aptian
-age Lower Cretaceous Jiufotang Formation
of Chaoyang, Liaoning
, China
.
The genus was in 2003 named by Dong Zhiming
, Sun Yue-Wu and Wu Shao-Yuan. The type species
is Jidapterus edentus. The genus name is derived from Jílín Dàxué or "Jilin University" and a Latinised Greek pteron, "wing". The specific name means "toothless" in Latin
.
The genus is based on holotype
CAD-01, a nearly complete skeleton with partial skull. The skull is toothless and relatively long, with a straight and very pointed beak, and a large hole where the antorbital fenestra
is joined with the nostril
s. The eye sockets
are small, and there is no crest along the lower jaw as seen in ornithocheiroids
, although a short projection was present at the back of the skull. The wingspan
of this individual was estimated to be 1.7 m (5.58 ft). Its classification has been unstable; the original authors did not assign it to a group. Some of the original authors later suggested it was a more basal azhdarchoid, whereas another group suggested it was closer to Pteranodon
and possibly the same genus as Chaoyangopterus
David Unwin assigned it to Tapejaridae
without comment in The Pterosaurs: From Deep Time, but later, in a collaboration with Lü, agreed that it belonged to another azhdarchoid group and was a close relative of Chaoyangopterus, placing both in the new family Chaoyangopteridae
.
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 azhdarchoid
Azhdarchoidea
Azhdarchoidea is a group of pterosaurs within the suborder Pterodactyloidea.-Classification:Listing of families and genera after Unwin 2006 except where specified.* Superfamily Azhdarchoidea** Genus "Aurorazhdarcho"** Family Chaoyangopteridae...
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 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 Jiufotang 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 Chaoyang, 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 in 2003 named by Dong Zhiming
Dong Zhiming
Dong Zhiming , from the Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology in Beijing, is one of China's leading paleontologists. He began working at the IVPP in 1962, learning from Yang Zhongjian who was director at the time...
, Sun Yue-Wu and Wu Shao-Yuan. 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 Jidapterus edentus. The genus name is derived from Jílín Dàxué or "Jilin University" and a Latinised Greek pteron, "wing". The specific name means "toothless" in Latin
Latin
Latin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. It, along with most European languages, is a descendant of the ancient Proto-Indo-European language. Although it is considered a dead language, a number of scholars and members of the Christian clergy speak it fluently, and...
.
The genus 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...
CAD-01, a nearly complete skeleton with partial skull. The skull is toothless and relatively long, with a straight and very pointed beak, and a large hole where the antorbital fenestra
Antorbital fenestra
An antorbital fenestra is an opening in the skull, in front of the eye sockets. This skull formation first appeared in archosaurs during the Triassic Period. Living birds today possess antorbital fenestrae, but the feature has been lost in modern crocodilians...
is joined with the nostril
Nostril
A nostril is one of the two channels of the nose, from the point where they bifurcate to the external opening. In birds and mammals, they contain branched bones or cartilages called turbinates, whose function is to warm air on inhalation and remove moisture on exhalation...
s. The eye sockets
Orbit (anatomy)
In anatomy, the orbit is the cavity or socket of the skull in which the eye and its appendages are situated. "Orbit" can refer to the bony socket, or it can also be used to imply the contents...
are small, and there is no crest along the lower jaw as seen in ornithocheiroids
Ornithocheirus
Ornithocheirus was a pterosaur from the Cretaceous period of Europe and South America...
, although a short projection was present at the back of the skull. The 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...
of this individual was estimated to be 1.7 m (5.58 ft). Its classification has been unstable; the original authors did not assign it to a group. Some of the original authors later suggested it was a more basal azhdarchoid, whereas another group suggested it was closer to Pteranodon
Pteranodon
Pteranodon , from the Late Cretaceous geological period of North America in present day Kansas, Alabama, Nebraska, Wyoming, and South Dakota, was one of the largest pterosaur genera and had a maximum wingspan of over...
and possibly the same genus as Chaoyangopterus
Chaoyangopterus
Chaoyangopterus is a genus of azhdarchoid pterodactyloid pterosaur known from a partial skeleton found in Liaoning, China. It was found in rocks of the Aptian-age Lower Cretaceous Jiufotang Formation of Dapingfang, Chaoyang....
David Unwin assigned it to Tapejaridae
Tapejaridae
Tapejaridae are a family of pterodactyloid pterosaurs from the early Cretaceous period. Members are currently known from Brazil and China, where the most primitive genera are found, indicating that the family has an Asian origin....
without comment in The Pterosaurs: From Deep Time, but later, in a collaboration with Lü, agreed that it belonged to another azhdarchoid group and was a close relative of Chaoyangopterus, placing both in the new family Chaoyangopteridae
Chaoyangopteridae
The Chaoyangopteridae are a family of pterosaurs within the Azhdarchoidea.The clade Chaoyangopteridae was first defined in 2008 by Lü Junchang and David Unwin as: "Chaoyangopterus, Shenzhoupterus, their most recent common ancestor and all taxa more closely related to this clade than to Tapejara,...
.
External links
- Jidapterus in The Pterosauria