Hongshanopterus is an extinct genus of basal istiodactylid pterosaur from the Early Cretaceous China. The type and only species is named H. lacustris.
Discovery and Naming[]
Hongshanopterus is known from only one specimen found in Early Cretaceous beds in the Jiufotang Formation in Liaoning, China. Hongshanopterus is based on holotype IVPP V14582, found in a layer of the Jiufotang Formation from Aptian layers. The animal was formally named by Xiaolin Wang in 2008 after the Honshang people who lived in the city of China. The specific name "lacustris" means "of the lake" in Latin, which is a reference to the rock beds that were once a lake bed.
Classification[]
Hongshanopterus is currently held as a basal part of the family Istiodactylidae, due to a the possession of some backwards facing teeth. Its closest relative in the family is the genus Nurhachius.
Description[]
The only specimen is made up of a skull missing the lower mandible and the first five vertebrae of the neck. This skull is approximately 9.5 inches long (24 cm), sporting at least 34 short recurved teeth. Using the size of the skull as reference for relatives, Hongshanopterus has an estimated wingspan of 6 feet (1.9 m).
Paleoecology[]
Hongshanopterus lived in the same ecosystem as several other istiodactylids including Nurhachius, Istiodactylus, Liaoxipterus, and Longchengpterus, as we all as many other pterosaur species. Honshangopterus lived in a temperate forest ecosystem alongside numerous dinosaurs.