Shenzhoupterus
Encyclopedia
Shenzhoupterus is a genus
of chaoyangopterid
azhdarchoid
pterodactyloid pterosaur
from the Lower Cretaceous Jiufotang Formation
of Liaoning
, China
.
The genus was named in 2008 by Lü Junchang, David Unwin, Xu Li and Zhang Xingliao. The type species
is Shenzoupterus chaoyangensis. The genus name is derived from Shenzhou, an old name for China
, "the divine land", and a Latinised Greek pteron, "wing". The specific name refers to Chaoyang.
The genus is based on holotype
HGM 41HIII-305A (Henan Geological Museum at Zhengzhou
), the articulated skull and skeleton of a single individual, with a wingspan
of 1.4 meters (4.6 ft). Shenzhoupterus lacked teeth, and had a crest on its skull that arched over the eyes and terminated in a small point toward the back of the head. The nasoantorbital fenestra (an opening incorporating the holes for the nostril
s and the antorbital fenestra
e) was large and extended over the eyes and braincase. Lü and colleagues, who described and named Shenzhoupterus in 2008, performed a phylogenetic analysis
and found that their new genus formed a distinct clade
of azhdarchoids with Chaoyangopterus
, Eoazhdarcho
, Eopteranodon
, and Jidapterus
, which they named Chaoyangopteryidae. The type species
is S. chaoyangensis.
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 chaoyangopterid
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,...
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 Lower Cretaceous Jiufotang Formation
Jiufotang Formation
The Jiufotang Formation is an Early Cretaceous geological formation in Chaoyang, Liaoning which has yielded fossils of feathered dinosaurs, primitive birds, pterosaurs, and other organisms. . It is a member of the Jehol group. The exact age of the Jiufotang has been debated for years, with...
of 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 2008 by Lü Junchang, David Unwin, Xu Li and Zhang Xingliao. 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 Shenzoupterus chaoyangensis. The genus name is derived from Shenzhou, an old name for China
Names of China
In China, common names for China include Zhonghua and Zhongguo , while Han and Tang are common names given for the Chinese ethnicity. Other names include Huaxia, Shenzhou and Jiuzhou...
, "the divine land", and a Latinised Greek pteron, "wing". The specific name refers to Chaoyang.
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...
HGM 41HIII-305A (Henan Geological Museum at Zhengzhou
Zhengzhou
Zhengzhou , is the capital and largest city of Henan province in north-central China. A prefecture-level city, it also serves as the political, economic, technological, and educational centre of the province, as well as a major transportation hub for Central China...
), the articulated skull and skeleton of a single individual, with a 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 1.4 meters (4.6 ft). Shenzhoupterus lacked teeth, and had a crest on its skull that arched over the eyes and terminated in a small point toward the back of the head. The nasoantorbital fenestra (an opening incorporating the holes for 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 and 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...
e) was large and extended over the eyes and braincase. Lü and colleagues, who described and named Shenzhoupterus in 2008, performed a phylogenetic analysis
Cladistics
Cladistics is a method of classifying species of organisms into groups called clades, which consist of an ancestor organism and all its descendants . For example, birds, dinosaurs, crocodiles, and all descendants of their most recent common ancestor form a clade...
and found that their new genus formed a distinct 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...
of azhdarchoids with 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....
, Eoazhdarcho
Eoazhdarcho
Eoazhdarcho is a genus of azhdarchoid pterodactyloid pterosaur named in 2005 by Chinese paleontologists Lü Junchang and Ji Qiang. The type species is Eoazhdarcho liaoxiensis. The genus name combines a Greek eos, "dawn" with the name of the genus Azhdarcho, with the implication it was an early...
, Eopteranodon
Eopteranodon
Eopteranodon is a genus of azhdarchoid pterodactyloid pterosaur from the Aptian-age Lower Cretaceous Yixian Formation of Beipaio City, Liaoning, China....
, and Jidapterus
Jidapterus
Jidapterus is a genus of azhdarchoid pterodactyloid pterosaur from the Aptian-age Lower Cretaceous Jiufotang Formation of Chaoyang, Liaoning, China....
, which they named Chaoyangopteryidae. 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 S. chaoyangensis.