- Boreopterus
Taxobox
name = "Boreopterus"
status = fossil
fossil_range = EarlyCretaceous
regnum =Animal ia
phylum = Chordata
classis = Sauropsida
ordo =Pterosauria
subordo =Pterodactyloid ea
superfamilia =Ornithocheiroidea
familia =Ornithocheiridae orBoreopteridae
genus = "Boreopterus"
binomial = "Boreopterus cuiae"
binomial_authority = Lü, J., and Ji, Q., 2005"Boreopterus" (meaning "north wing") is a
genus of ornithocheiridpterodactyloid pterosaur from theBarremian -Aptian -ageLower Cretaceous Yixian Formation ofDalian ,Liaoning , China. It is based on JZMP-04-07-3, a nearly complete skeleton and skull. The skull is 235millimeter s long (9.25inch es), and itswingspan is estimated to have been around 1.45 meters (4.76 feet). Its teeth, especially the anterior nine pairs, are quite large for an ornithocheirid, forming a mesh of sharp teeth at the front of the mouth; the third and fourth teeth from the front are the largest. There are at least 27 teeth in each side of both the upper and lower jaws, which is a large amount.cite journal |author=Junchang Lü |coauthors=and Qiang Ji |year=2005 |title=A new ornithocheirid from the Early Cretaceous of Liaoning Province, China |journal=Acta Geologica Sinica |volume=79 |issue=2 |pages=157–163]The status of "Boreopterus" as an ornithocheiroid has been supported by recent publications,cite journal |last=Lü |first=Junchang |coauthors=and Qiang Ji |year=2006 |title=Preliminary results of a phylogenetic analysis of the pterosaurs from western Liaoning and surrounding area |journal=Journal of the Paleontological Society of Korea |volume=22 |issue=1 |pages=239–261 |url=http://cactus.dixie.edu/jharris/Lu&Ji_ptero_phylogeny.pdf |accessdate=2007-03-10 ] cite book |last=Unwin |first=David M. |authorlink=David M. Unwin |title=The Pterosaurs: From Deep Time |year=2006 |publisher=Pi Press |location=New York |isbn=ISBN 0-13-146308-X |pages=p. 272] but it may form its own basal clade with "
Feilongus ". A new report following this line of thought has put it and "Feilongus" into the new ornithocheiroid family, theBoreopteridae .cite book |last=Junchang |first=Lü |coauthors=Ji, S.; Yuan, C.; and Ji, Q. |year=2006 |title=Pterosaurs from China |publisher=Geological Publishing House |location=Beijing |pages= 147 p. |language=Chinese ]Paleobiology
Ornithocheiroids like "Boreopterus" are interpreted as
soaring animals, like today'salbatross es andfrigatebird s.cite book |last=Unwin |first=David M. |authorlink=David M. Unwin |title=The Pterosaurs: From Deep Time |year=2006 |publisher=Pi Press |location=New York |isbn= 0-13-146308-X |chapter=A tree for pterosaurs |pages=79-82 ]References
External links
* [http://www.pterosaur.co.uk/species/LCP/Ornitho/Boreopterus.htm "Boreopterus"] in The Pterosaur Database
* [http://archosauria.org/pterosauria/taxonomy/genera/boreopterus.html "Boreopterus"] in The Pterosauria
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