Lonchognathosaurus
Encyclopedia
Lonchognathosaurus was a genus
of dsungaripterid
pterodactyloid pterosaur
from the Albian
-age Lower Cretaceous Lianmuqin Formation of Xinjiang
, China
.
The genus was named in 2004 by Michael Maisch, Andreas Matzke and Sun Ge. The type species
is Lonchognathosaurus acutirostris. The genus name is derived from Greek lonchos, "lance", gnathos, "jaw" and sauros, "lizard", in reference to the fact that it is a reptile with pointed jaws. The specific name means "needle snout" in Latin
.
Lonchognathosaurus is based on holotype
SGP 2001/19, found near Urumqi
in the southern Junggar Basin, the front portion of a skull and lower jaws that came from a large individual; the estimated length of the complete skull was about 400 mm (15.75 in). The point of the upper jaw, composed of the premaxilla
bones, was slender and had a needle-like tip. The teeth of the upper jaw appeared far back of the tip, and were well-spaced, diminishing in size from front to back; they ended again in front of the nostrils. They were placed in tooth-sockets that had a low bony ridge but were not otherwise elevated from the jaw. Each maxilla
only had eight teeth, and the bottom margin of the upper jaw was straight (unlike in other pterosaurs where it is strongly curved). A sagittal crest was present, with grooves and a concave leading margin.
The genus was, after a cladistic analysis, classified as a member of the Dsungaripteridae
, as the sister taxon to Dsungaripterus
.
According to Brian Andres Lonchognathosaurus is a junior synonym of Dsungaripterus weii.
Genus
In biology, a genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, which is an example of definition by genus and differentia...
of dsungaripterid
Dsungaripteridae
Dsungaripteridae is a group of pterosaurs within the suborder Pterodactyloidea....
pterodactyloid pterosaur
Pterosaur
Pterosaurs were flying reptiles of the clade or order Pterosauria. They existed from the late Triassic to the end of the Cretaceous Period . Pterosaurs are the earliest vertebrates known to have evolved powered flight...
from the Albian
Albian
The Albian is both an age of the geologic timescale and a stage in the stratigraphic column. It is the youngest or uppermost subdivision of the Early/Lower Cretaceous epoch/series. Its approximate time range is 112.0 ± 1.0 Ma to 99.6 ± 0.9 Ma...
-age Lower Cretaceous Lianmuqin Formation of Xinjiang
Xinjiang
Xinjiang is an autonomous region of the People's Republic of China. It is the largest Chinese administrative division and spans over 1.6 million km2...
, China
People's Republic of China
China , officially the People's Republic of China , is the most populous country in the world, with over 1.3 billion citizens. Located in East Asia, the country covers approximately 9.6 million square kilometres...
.
The genus was named in 2004 by Michael Maisch, Andreas Matzke and Sun Ge. The type species
Type species
In biological nomenclature, a type species is both a concept and a practical system which is used in the classification and nomenclature of animals and plants. The value of a "type species" lies in the fact that it makes clear what is meant by a particular genus name. A type species is the species...
is Lonchognathosaurus acutirostris. The genus name is derived from Greek lonchos, "lance", gnathos, "jaw" and sauros, "lizard", in reference to the fact that it is a reptile with pointed jaws. The specific name means "needle snout" in Latin
Latin
Latin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. It, along with most European languages, is a descendant of the ancient Proto-Indo-European language. Although it is considered a dead language, a number of scholars and members of the Christian clergy speak it fluently, and...
.
Lonchognathosaurus is based on holotype
Holotype
A holotype is a single physical example of an organism, known to have been used when the species was formally described. It is either the single such physical example or one of several such, but explicitly designated as the holotype...
SGP 2001/19, found near Urumqi
Ürümqi
Ürümqi , formerly Tihwa , is the capital of Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region of the People's Republic of China, in the northwest of the country....
in the southern Junggar Basin, the front portion of a skull and lower jaws that came from a large individual; the estimated length of the complete skull was about 400 mm (15.75 in). The point of the upper jaw, composed of the premaxilla
Premaxilla
The incisive bone is the portion of the maxilla adjacent to the incisors. It is a pair of small cranial bones at the very tip of the jaws of many animals, usually bearing teeth, but not always. They are connected to the maxilla and the nasals....
bones, was slender and had a needle-like tip. The teeth of the upper jaw appeared far back of the tip, and were well-spaced, diminishing in size from front to back; they ended again in front of the nostrils. They were placed in tooth-sockets that had a low bony ridge but were not otherwise elevated from the jaw. Each maxilla
Maxilla
The maxilla is a fusion of two bones along the palatal fissure that form the upper jaw. This is similar to the mandible , which is also a fusion of two halves at the mental symphysis. Sometimes The maxilla (plural: maxillae) is a fusion of two bones along the palatal fissure that form the upper...
only had eight teeth, and the bottom margin of the upper jaw was straight (unlike in other pterosaurs where it is strongly curved). A sagittal crest was present, with grooves and a concave leading margin.
The genus was, after a cladistic analysis, classified as a member of the Dsungaripteridae
Dsungaripteridae
Dsungaripteridae is a group of pterosaurs within the suborder Pterodactyloidea....
, as the sister taxon to Dsungaripterus
Dsungaripterus
Dsungaripterus was a genus of pterosaur, with an average wingspan of . It lived during the Early Cretaceous, in China, where the first fossil was found in the Junggar Basin.-Discovery and species:...
.
According to Brian Andres Lonchognathosaurus is a junior synonym of Dsungaripterus weii.
External links
- Lonchognathosaurus in The Pterosauria