Wukongopterus (original) (raw)

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Genus of wukongopterid pterosaur from the Jurassic period

_Wukongopterus_Temporal range: Middle or Late Jurassic, 164 Ma PreꞒ Ꞓ O S D C P T J K Pg N ↓
Holotype, Paleozoological Museum of China
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Order: †Pterosauria
Family: †Wukongopteridae
Subfamily: †Wukongopterinae
Genus: †_Wukongopterus_Wang et al., 2009
Species: †_W. lii_
Binomial name
**†Wukongopterus lii**Wang et al., 2009

Wukongopterus is a genus of basal pterosaur, found in Liaoning, China, from the Tiaojishan Formation, of the Middle or Late Jurassic. It was unusual for having both an elongate neck and a long tail.[1]

Restoration

The genus was described and named in 2009 by Wang Xiaolin, Alexander Kellner, Jiang Shunxing and Meng Xi. The genus name is derived from Sun Wukong, the Monkey King, the main hero of the Chinese classic novel Journey to the West, and a Latinized Greek pteron, "wing". The specific name honours Li Yutong, senior preparator of the Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology (IVPP).[1]

The genus is based on holotype IVPP V15113, a nearly complete but compressed skeleton lacking the back and middle of the skull. The type individual appears to have broken its shin during life. Its wingspan is estimated at 730 millimeters (29 in). Wukongopterus also may have had an uropatagium, a membrane between the hind legs.[1]

Below is a cladogram following Wang et al. (2017) [2]

  1. ^ a b c Wang X.; Kellner, A. W. A.; Jiang S.; Meng X. (2009). "An unusual long-tailed pterosaur with elongated neck from western Liaoning of China". Anais da Academia Brasileira de Ciências. 81 (4): 793–812. doi:10.1590/S0001-37652009000400016. PMID 19893903.
  2. ^ Wang, X.; Jiang, S.; Zhang, J.; Cheng, X.; Yu, X.; Li, Y.; Wei, G.; Wang, X. (2017). "New evidence from China for the nature of the pterosaur evolutionary transition". Scientific Reports. 7 (1): 42763. Bibcode:2017NatSR...742763W. doi:10.1038/srep42763. PMC 5311862. PMID 28202936.

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