A new species of the wukongopterid pterosaur genus Darwinopterus has been identified from an almost complete skeleton found in western Liaoning, China.
An artist’s impression of Darwinopterus camposi. Image credit: Maurilio Oliveira / Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology, Chinese Academy of Sciences.
The newly-discovered species lived in what is now China during the Middle Jurassic period, around 160 million years ago.
This flying reptile is a member of the genus Darwinopterus within the Wukongopteridae, an important pterosaur group from the Yanliao Biota.
Named Darwinopterus camposi, the species had an estimated wingspan of 75 cm (30 inches).
“China has been a hotspot for pterosaur research for quite some time, presenting new discoveries that have fostered the study of these extinct flying reptiles,” said Dr. Xin Cheng, a paleontologist with Jilin University, the Universidade Regional do Cariri and the Nanjing Institute of Geology and Palaeontology, and colleagues.
“New localities were reported and many species were discovered from the western Liaoning in the last decade, some showing close relationships with faunas from other continents.”
“Among the most interesting discoveries are the specimens referred to the Yanliao Biota, which were distributed in almost the same regions as the Jehol Biota, but are older in age being regarded as the Middle to Late Jurassic.”
“Perhaps the most conspicuous pterosaurs from the Yanliao Biota are the Wukongopteridae, which show a combination of features of non-pterodactyloid and pterodactyloid pterosaurs.”
“So far, three genera and five species have been described, including Wukongopterus lii, Darwinopterus modularis, Darwinopterus linglongtaensis, Darwinopterus robustodens, and Kunpengopterus sinensis, as well as an unnamed wukongopterid specimen.”
“All these specimens were collected from the Middle to Upper Jurassic Tiaojishan Formation in Linglongta, Jianchang.”
“Except the materials from China, some potential members of this clade were found in Europe.”
The holotype of Darwinopterus camposi. Image credit: Cheng et al., doi: 10.1590/0001-3765202520240707.
The holotype specimen of Darwinopterus camposi was found in a slab of gray-green shale from the same Tiaojishan Formation.
“The specimen is composed of an almost complete skeleton with the skull and the lower jaw, including several displaced cervical vertebrae, articulated dorsal vertebrae, sacral vertebrae, anterior portion of the tail, partial pectoral girdle, all elements of the forelimbs from both sides, incomplete pelvic girdle, both femora, and both tibiae (lacking the distal ends),” the paleontologists said.
According to the authors, Darwinopterus camposi provides new information regarding the Wukongopteridae group.
“Among the main features that differ the new species from other wukongopterids is the premaxillary crest that shows a quite distinct straight dorsal margin and a smooth lateral surface, the number of teeth, and the shorter fourth wing phalanx compared to the first,” they said.
“The skull of the holotype of Darwinopterus camposi shows that some cranial elements only fuse at an extremely late stage during ontogeny.”
“More specimens and a closer look at the fusion of bones are needed to gain a better understanding of the ontogeny of the species that make up this interesting clade of pterosaurs.”
A paper about the discovery of Darwinopterus camposi was published in the journal Anais da Academia Brasileira de Ciências.
_____
X. Cheng et al. 2025. A new species of Darwinopterus (Wukongopteridae, Pterosauria) from western Liaoning provides some new information on the ontogeny of this clade. An Acad Bras Cienc 97: e20240707; doi: 10.1590/0001-3765202520240707
