A new species of Darwinopterus,D.robustodens sp.nov.is described and named.Based on the new specimen,the diagnostic characters of Darwinopterus are amended and include：rostral dentition composed of well-spaced,spike-...A new species of Darwinopterus,D.robustodens sp.nov.is described and named.Based on the new specimen,the diagnostic characters of Darwinopterus are amended and include：rostral dentition composed of well-spaced,spike-like teeth;the longest teeth are confined to the anterior half of the tooth row;tooth alveoli have raised margins;nasoantorbital fenestra confluent;inclined quadrate;elongate cervical vertebrae with low neural spine and reduced or absent ribs;long tail of more than 20 caudals partially enclosed by filiform extensions of the pre-and postzygapophyses;short metacarpus less than 60 per cent length of humerus,fifth toe with two elongate phalanges and curved second pedal phalanx of the fifth toe with the angle between the proximal and distal segments about 130 degrees.The complete specimen of the new pterosaur D.robustodens sp.nov.provides much more osteological information.The differences in tooth morphologies between Darwinopterus modularis and D.robustodens sp.nov.suggest that they filled different ecological niches.The hard integument-bearing Coleoptera may have been the main food source of Darwinopterus robustodens.展开更多
基金supported by grants from the Natural Science Foundation of China(90914003, 40872017)the Basic Outlay of Scientific Research Work from the Ministry of Science and Technology (J1003J0703)
文摘A new species of Darwinopterus,D.robustodens sp.nov.is described and named.Based on the new specimen,the diagnostic characters of Darwinopterus are amended and include：rostral dentition composed of well-spaced,spike-like teeth;the longest teeth are confined to the anterior half of the tooth row;tooth alveoli have raised margins;nasoantorbital fenestra confluent;inclined quadrate;elongate cervical vertebrae with low neural spine and reduced or absent ribs;long tail of more than 20 caudals partially enclosed by filiform extensions of the pre-and postzygapophyses;short metacarpus less than 60 per cent length of humerus,fifth toe with two elongate phalanges and curved second pedal phalanx of the fifth toe with the angle between the proximal and distal segments about 130 degrees.The complete specimen of the new pterosaur D.robustodens sp.nov.provides much more osteological information.The differences in tooth morphologies between Darwinopterus modularis and D.robustodens sp.nov.suggest that they filled different ecological niches.The hard integument-bearing Coleoptera may have been the main food source of Darwinopterus robustodens.
