New anatomical information of the wukongopteridKunpengopterus sinensisWang et al., 2010 based on a new specimen

Abstract

The Wukongopteridae compose a non-pterodactyloid clade of pterosaurs that are the most abundant flying reptiles in the deposits of the Middle-Late Jurassic Yanliao Biota. Until now, five species of three genera and two additional unnamed specimens have been described. Here we report on a new material, IVPP V 23674, that can be referred to the wukongopterid Kunpengopterus sinensis due to several features such as a comparably short nasoantorbital fenestra, the dorsally rising posterodorsal margin of the ischium, and the very short first pedal phalanx of digit V relative to metatarsal IV. IVPP V 23674 provides the first view of a wukongopterid palate, which differs from all other pterosaurs by having a very large postpalatine fenestra and laterally compressed choanae, indicating that the evolution of the pterosaur palate was more complex than previously thought. Sesamoid bones at the dorsal side of manual unguals are present and are reported for the first time in a wukongopterid suggesting an arboreal life-style for these pterosaurs.

Sinomacrops bondei, a new anurognathid pterosaur from the Jurassic of China and comments on the group

“…Remarks: primitively, this phalanx is straight, as seen in non-breviquartossans such as Campylognathoides ( Wellnhofer, 1978 ; Padian, 2008b ), Dimorphodon ( Padian, 1983 ), and Triassic forms ( Dalla Vecchia, 2014 ). The phalanx is curved in rhamphorhynchids ( Wellnhofer, 1975 , 1978 ; Lü et al, 2012 ; Hone et al, 2012 ), Dendrorhynchoides ( Ji & Ji, 1998 ) and Kunpengopterus ( Wang et al, 2010 ; Cheng et al, 2017 ), and changes to “bent, angled” (state 2 of same character) in some taxa such as Dorygnathus , Scaphognathus and Darwinopterus ( Andres, Clark & Xu, 2014 ; Vidovic & Martill, 2017 ; Dalla Vecchia, 2019 ), and reverses to “straight” (state 0) in the Luopterus–Jeholopterus–Anurognathus clade, in which this phalanx is straight ( Wang et al, 2002 ; Lü & Hone, 2012 ; Bennett, 2007 ; Andres, Clark & Xu, 2014 ).…”

“…Short mid-cervical ribs have been reported for Jeholopterus (see Wang et al, 2002 ) and are absent (state 2 of this same character) in Anurognathus and Vesperopterylus (see Bennett, 2007 ; Lü et al, 2018 ). The mid-cervical ribs are also short (and quite slender) in the Darwinoptera ( Wang et al, 2009 , 2010 ; Cheng et al, 2017 ).…”

“…From the Haifanggou Formation at Daohugou ( Liu et al, 2012 ), pterosaurs are relatively rare, with Jeholopterus ningchengensis ( Wang et al, 2002 ), Pterorhynchus wellnhoferi ( Czerkas & Ji, 2002 ) and Daohugoupterus delicatus ( Cheng et al, 2015 ). From the slightly younger Tiaojishan Formation at the Linglongta locality, pterosaurs are abundant in number and in diversity (see Sullivan et al, 2014 for a review), with wukongopterids ( Wang et al, 2009 , 2010 ; Lü et al, 2009 ; Cheng et al, 2017 ), Jianchangopterus ( Lü & Bo, 2011 ), Jianchangnathus ( Cheng et al, 2012 ) and Fenghuangopterus ( Lü, Fucha & Chen, 2010 ). From the Tiaojishan Formation at Mutoudeng come Luopterus mutoudengensis ( Lü & Hone, 2012 ; Hone, 2020 ), Qinglongpterus guoi ( Lü et al, 2012 ) and Changchengopterus pani ( Lü, 2009 ).…”

A new darwinopteran pterosaur reveals arborealism and an opposed thumb

“…28 Antungual sesamoids, which may be related to hypertension of the unguals, 31 could not be found in BPMC 0042, despite being widespread in wukongopterids. 4 Still, their absence in BPMC 0042 could be due to ontogeny and incomplete ossification. Despite this, the distal articular surface of metacarpal I is expanded, what possibly favored pollex extension.…”

The first pterosaur basihyal, shedding light on the evolution and function of pterosaur hyoid apparatuses

“…3C), Paiten pro-pterodactyloid, and Pterodactylus (Fig. 3D), the ceratobranchials shortens to approximately 30% of the skull length (Cheng et al, 2017;Tischlinger & Frey, 2013;Bennett, 2013;Wellnhofer, 1970), while the ratios dropped to less than 20% in the gallodactylids Gladocephaloideus (Lü et al, 2012) and Feilongus (Fig. 3E) (Wang et al, 2005), as well as in ctenochasmatid pterosaurs, such as Gegepterus (Fig.…”