Gegepterus

Taxobox
name = "Gegepterus"
fossil_range = Early Cretaceous
regnum = Animalia
phylum = Chordata
classis = Sauropsida
ordo = Pterosauria
subordo = Pterodactyloidea
familia = Ctenochasmatidae
genus = "Gegepterus"
binomial = "Gegepterus changi"
binomial_authority = Wang "et al.", 2007

"Gegepterus" was a genus of ctenochasmatid pterosaur from the Early Cretaceous-age Yixian Formation of Liaoning, China. It is known from one specimen, a partial skeleton of a subadult including skull, vertebrae, gastralia ("belly ribs"), and shoulder girdle remains, along with soft tissue remains; unfortunately, the soft tissue remains show no structure except for some small, unbranched fibers at the back of the head. This specimen was found in grey shales from the lower part of the formation (estimated at 125 million years old), near the city of Beipiao.Wang, X., Kellner, A.W.A., Zhou, Z., and Campos, D.A. (2007). "A new pterosaur (Ctenochasmatidae, Archaeopterodactyloidea) from the Lower Cretaceous Yixian Formation of China." "Cretaceous Research", 28(2): 2245-260. doi: 10.1016/j.cretres.2006.08.004]

The authors assigned it to the Ctenochasmatidae on the basis of its long rostrum and numerous needle-like teeth. This is the first uncontroversial report of the Ctenochasmatidae from the Yixian Formation.

References