Cathayopterus

Cathayopterus is an extinct genus of ctenochasmatid pterosaur from the Early Cretaceous-age Yixian Formation of Liaoning, China. The name means "China wing", using the word "Cathay" as an old alternative name for China. The type species is C. grabaui, described in 2006 by Wang Xiaolin and Zhou Zhongh. It is a member of the Ctenochasmatidae, a clade of mostly filter feeding pterosaurs from the Jurassic and early Cretaceous.[1][2]

Cathayopterus
Temporal range: Early Cretaceous, 122 Ma
↓
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Order: †Pterosauria
Suborder: †Pterodactyloidea
Family: †Ctenochasmatidae
Genus: †Cathayopterus
Wang & Zhou, 2006
Type species
†Cathayopterus grabaui
Wang & Zhou, 2006

Description

Cathayopterus is only known from a skull preserved in dorsal view, which shows teeth splaying outwards at the tip of the rostrum, similar to Ctenochasma. The skull is incomplete, with the left side being damaged.[1]

Classification

The cladogram below follows a phylogenetic analysis upheld by Lü and colleagues in 2016. They recovered Cathayopterus as a basal member of the family Ctenochasmatidae.[3]

Ctenochasmatidae
 

Cathayopterus

 
 

Pterodaustro

 
 

Ctenochasma

 
 

Gegepterus

 
 

Eosipterus

 
 
 

Cearadactylus

 
 

Gnathosaurus

 
 

Pterodactylus longicolum

 
 
 
 
 

Pterofiltrus

 
 

Gladocephaloideus

 
 
 
 

Elanodactylus

 
 

Beipiaopterus

 
 

Feilongus

 
 

Moganopterus

 
 
 
 

Paleobiology

Cathayopterus was likely a filter feeder, just like other ctenochasmatid pterosaurs. It likely roamed around waterways to feed.[1]

See also

References
  1. Wang, Xiaolin & Zhou, Zhonghe (2006). "Pterosaur assemblages of the Jehol Biota and their implication for the Early Cretaceous pterosaur radiation". Geological Journal. 41 (3–4): 405–418. doi:10.1002/gj.1046.
  2. Wang, Xiaolin & Zhou, Zhonghe (2006). "Pterosaur adaptational radiation of the Early Cretaceous Jehol Biota". In Rong, Jiayu; Fang, Zongjie; Zhou, Zhonghe; et al. (eds.). Originations, Radiations and Biodiversity Changes—Evidences from the Chinese Fossil Record. Beijing: Science Press. pp. 665–689, 937–938.
  3. Lü J., Kundrát M., Shen C., 2016, "New Material of the Pterosaur Gladocephaloideus Lü et al., 2012 from the Early Cretaceous of Liaoning Province, China, with Comments on Its Systematic Position", PLoS ONE 11(6): e0154888. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0154888
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