A new specimen of Sinopterus dongi (Pterosauria, Tapejaridae) from the Jiufotang Formation (Early Cretaceous, China)

Author(s)

Shen, Caizhi ^[1] ; Pegas, V, Rodrigo ; Gao, Chunling ^[1] ; Kundrat, Martin ^[2] ; Zhang, Lijun ^[3] ; Wei, Xuefang ^[4] ; Zhou, Xuanyu ^{[5, 6, 7]}

Affiliation

^[1] Dalian Nat Hist Museum, Dalian, Liaoning - Peoples R China

^[2] Pavol Jozef Safarik Univ, Ctr Interdisciplinary Biosci Technol & Innovat Pk, PaleoBioImaging Lab, Evolutionary Biodivers Res Grp, Kosice - Slovakia

^[3] Hainan Trop Ocean Univ, Sanya, Hainan - Peoples R China

^[4] Chinese Acad Geol Sci, Inst Geol, Beijing - Peoples R China

^[5] Beipiao Pterosaur Museum China, Beipiao, Liaoning - Peoples R China

^[6] Hokkaido Univ, Hokkaido Univ Museum, Sapporo, Hokkaido - Japan

^[7] Hokkaido Univ, Sch Sci, Sapporo, Hokkaido - Japan

• Document type: Journal article
• Source: PeerJ; v. 9, OCT 29 2021.
• Web of Science Citations: 0

Abstract

The Tapejarinae are edentulous pterosaurs that are relatively common in Cretaceous continental deposits in South America, North Africa, Europe, and China (mostly Early Cretaceous). The Chinese Jiufotang Formation is particularly rich in tapejarine specimens, having yielded over 10 described specimens and dozens of undescribed ones. For the Jiufotang Formation, a total of seven nominal tapejarid species and two genera have been proposed. Some debate exists over how many of those are valid or, alternatively, sexual or ontogenetic morphs of fewer (or even a single) species. Despite the abundance of specimens and the relevant taxonomic problems involved, detailed revisions of the matter are still lacking. This is partly due to the relatively scarce knowledge on the comparative osteology of the Sinopterus complex, which is hampered by the fact that most specimens have been only preliminarily described. In this contribution, we present a new postcranial specimen, D3072, which we attribute to the type-species of the genus, Sinopterus dongi. This new specimen helps shed some new light in the osteology of Sinopterus dongi, hopefully serving as a basis for future comparative studies involving further specimens and other proposed species and, subsequently, taxonomic revisions. (AU)

• FAPESP's process: 19/10231-6 - Stance biomechanis of the wing during flight in Anhanguera piscator and Tupuxuara leonardii (Pterosauria: Pterodactyloidea) and considerations on the evolution of flight within the group
• Grantee: Rodrigo Vargas Pêgas
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Doctorate