A brand new species of the wukongopterid pterosaur genus Darwinopterus has been recognized from an virtually full skeleton present in western Liaoning, China.
An artist’s impression of Darwinopterus camposi. Picture credit score: Maurilio Oliveira / Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology, Chinese language Academy of Sciences.
The newly-discovered species lived in what’s now China in the course of the Center Jurassic interval, round 160 million years in the past.
This flying reptile is a member of the genus Darwinopterus inside the Wukongopteridae, an necessary pterosaur group from the Yanliao Biota.
Named Darwinopterus camposi, the species had an estimated wingspan of 75 cm (30 inches).
“China has been a hotspot for pterosaur analysis for fairly a while, presenting new discoveries which have fostered the research of those extinct flying reptiles,” mentioned Dr. Xin Cheng, a paleontologist with Jilin College, the Universidade Regional do Cariri and the Nanjing Institute of Geology and Palaeontology, and colleagues.
“New localities have been reported and plenty of species have been found from the western Liaoning within the final decade, some displaying shut relationships with faunas from different continents.”
“Among the many most fascinating discoveries are the specimens referred to the Yanliao Biota, which have been distributed in virtually the identical areas because the Jehol Biota, however are older in age being considered the Center to Late Jurassic.”
“Maybe probably the most conspicuous pterosaurs from the Yanliao Biota are the Wukongopteridae, which present a mixture of options of non-pterodactyloid and pterodactyloid pterosaurs.”
“To this point, three genera and 5 species have been described, together with Wukongopterus lii, Darwinopterus modularis, Darwinopterus linglongtaensis, Darwinopterus robustodens, and Kunpengopterus sinensis, in addition to an unnamed wukongopterid specimen.”
“All these specimens have been collected from the Center to Higher Jurassic Tiaojishan Formation in Linglongta, Jianchang.”
“Besides the supplies from China, some potential members of this clade have been present in Europe.”
The holotype of Darwinopterus camposi. Picture credit score: Cheng et al., doi: 10.1590/0001-3765202520240707.
The holotype specimen of Darwinopterus camposi was present in a slab of gray-green shale from the identical Tiaojishan Formation.
“The specimen consists of an virtually full skeleton with the cranium and the decrease jaw, together with a number of displaced cervical vertebrae, articulated dorsal vertebrae, sacral vertebrae, anterior portion of the tail, partial pectoral girdle, all parts of the forelimbs from each side, incomplete pelvic girdle, each femora, and each tibiae (missing the distal ends),” the paleontologists mentioned.
In response to the authors, Darwinopterus camposi offers new info relating to the Wukongopteridae group.
“Among the many most important options that differ the brand new species from different wukongopterids is the premaxillary crest that exhibits a fairly distinct straight dorsal margin and a clean lateral floor, the variety of tooth, and the shorter fourth wing phalanx in comparison with the primary,” they mentioned.
“The cranium of the holotype of Darwinopterus camposi exhibits that some cranial parts solely fuse at a particularly late stage throughout ontogeny.”
“Extra specimens and a more in-depth take a look at the fusion of bones are wanted to achieve a greater understanding of the ontogeny of the species that make up this fascinating clade of pterosaurs.”
A paper concerning the discovery of Darwinopterus camposi was revealed within the journal Anais da Academia Brasileira de Ciências.
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X. Cheng et al. 2025. A brand new species of Darwinopterus (Wukongopteridae, Pterosauria) from western Liaoning offers some new info on the ontogeny of this clade. An Acad Bras Cienc 97: e20240707; doi: 10.1590/0001-3765202520240707
