Genus of wukongopterid pterosaur from the Middle Jurassic
Darwinopterus
Temporal range: Middle Jurassic, 160.89–160.25 Ma
PreꞒ
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O
S
D
C
P
T
J
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Pg
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D. modularis fossil
Scientific classification
Domain:
Eukaryota
Kingdom:
Animalia
Phylum:
Chordata
Order:
†Pterosauria
Family:
†Wukongopteridae
Subfamily:
†Wukongopterinae
Genus:
†Darwinopterus Lü et al., 2010
Type species
†Darwinopterus modularis
Lü et al., 2010
Other species
†D. linglongtaensis Wang et al., 2010
†D. robustodens Lü et al., 2011
Darwinopterus (meaning "Darwin's wing") is a genus of pterosaur, discovered in China and named after biologist Charles Darwin.[1] Between 30 and 40 fossil specimens have been identified,[2] all collected from the Tiaojishan Formation, which dates to the middle Jurassic period, 160.89–160.25 Ma ago.[3][4] The type species, D. modularis, was described in February 2010.[1]D. modularis was the first known pterosaur to display features of both long-tailed (rhamphorhynchoid) and short-tailed (pterodactyloid) pterosaurs, and was described as a transitional fossil between the two groups.[5] Two additional species, D. linglongtaensis and D. robustodens, were described from the same fossil beds in December 2010 and June 2011, respectively.[6][7]
^ abLü J.; Unwin D.M.; Jin X.; Liu Y.; Ji Q. (2010). "Evidence for modular evolution in a long-tailed pterosaur with a pterodactyloid skull". Proceedings of the Royal Society B. 277 (1680): 383–389. doi:10.1098/rspb.2009.1603. PMC 2842655. PMID 19828548.
^Cite error: The named reference hecht2011 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^Liu Y.-Q. Kuang H.-W., Jiang X.-J., Peng N., Xu H. & Sun H.-Y. (2012). "Timing of the earliest known feathered dinosaurs and transitional pterosaurs older than the Jehol Biota." Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology (advance online publication).
^Chu, Z.; He, H.; Ramezani, J.; Bowring, S.A.; Hu, D.; Zhang, L.; Zheng, S.; Wang, X.; Zhou, Z.; Deng, C.; Guo, J. (2016). "High-precision U–Pb geochronology of the Jurassic Yanliao Biota from Jianchang (western Liaoning Province, China): Age constraints on the rise of feathered dinosaurs and eutherian mammals". Geochemistry, Geophysics, Geosystems. 17 (10): 3983–3992. doi:10.1002/2016GC006529.
^Dell'Amore, C. (2009). "Odd New Pterosaur: 'Darwin's Wing' Fills Evolution Gap." National Geographic News, 13 October 2009. Accessed 14 October 2009.
^Wang, X.; Kellner, A.W.A.; Jiang, S.; Cheng, X.; Meng, X. & Rodrigues, T. (2010). "New long-tailed pterosaurs (Wukongopteridae) from western Liaoning, China" (PDF). Anais da Academia Brasileira de Ciências. 82 (4): 1045–1062. doi:10.1590/S0001-37652010000400024. PMID 21152776.
^Lü J.; Xu L.; Chang H.; Zhang X. (2011). "A new darwinopterid pterosaur from the Middle Jurassic of western Liaoning, northeastern China and its ecological implications". Acta Geologica Sinica - English Edition. 85 (3): 507–514. doi:10.1111/j.1755-6724.2011.00444.x. S2CID 128545851.
large amount of variation among Darwinopterus specimens has been interpreted as sexual dimorphism. The first Darwinopterus specimen in which sex could be...
Latin fenestra, "window". The concept was inspired by the discovery of Darwinopterus, a species combining a pterodactyloid-type skull with a more basal build...
traditionally interpreted. Specimens of Changchengopterus pani and Darwinopterus linglongtaensis show the pteroid in articulation with the proximal syncarpal...
are insects. Darwinilus, a rove beetle Darwinius, an extinct primate Darwinopterus, a genus of pterosaur Darwinula, a genus of seed shrimp Darwinivelia...
cladogram following Wang et al. (2017) Timeline of pterosaur research Darwinopterus List of pterosaur genera Daohugou Beds 2009 in paleontology Wang X.;...
fenestra and the nasal opening are separate). This feature lead to Darwinopterus modularis being placed by Lü e.a. in a new clade of pterosaurs, the...
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