Longchengpterus, sometimes misspelled as "Lonchengopterus",
Etymology
The genus was named in 2006 by Wang Li, Li Li, Duan Ye and
Cheng Shao-li. The genus name is derived from the old name of
Chaoyang City,
Longcheng, and a Latinized Greek
pteron, "wing". The specific name honors
Zhao Dayu, the president of Shenyang Normal University and a contributor to the founding of the Western Liaoning Institute of Mesozoic Paleontology.
Description
Longchengpterus is based on
holotype LPM 00023, found at
Yuanjiawa near
Dapingfanga, a compressed incomplete skeleton and partial skull on a single plate. The posterior part of the skull has been damaged. It is elongated with a length of . The large skull opening, the
fenestra nasantorbitalis, is triangular in form and occupies much of the snout. The teeth in the upper jaw are concentrated in the front part and spaced far apart; their number is uncertain. The lower jaws have been well preserved. They are long and their
symphysis is short. Twelve teeth are present in the dentary. They have a sharp point but are laterally compressed, curving slightly inwards.
The humerus, long, has a low deltopectoral crest and no pneumatic foramen. The fourth metacarpal is longer than the first phalanx of the wing finger. The wingspan was about . The pelvis has been heavily damaged. Part of a femur is present, its estimated length was .
Classification
Longchengpterus has been assigned to the
Istiodactylidae sharing with
Istiodactylus tooth form and count as well as a large skull opening. A notable difference is the lack of a broad snout. It was the second istiodactylid named and the first from China, adding to the known pterosaur diversity from Early Cretaceous layers of China.
[Wang, L., Li, L., Duan, Y., and Cheng, S.L. (2006). A new istiodactylid pterosaur from western Liaoning, China. Geological Bulletin of China 25(6):737-740.]
The cladogram below follows Witton's 2012 analysis, wherein he found Istiodactylidae to consist of five taxa (the first three species listed are outgroup or reference taxa):
See also
-
List of pterosaur genera
-
Timeline of pterosaur research
