Cryptodragon ( lat. Kryptodrakon ) - the genus of pterosaurs from the suborder of pterodactyls , occupies a basal position . The typical and only species is Kryptodrakon progenitor , known for its findings from the Upper Jurassic ( Oxfordian ) sediments of China [1] . This is the oldest known pterodactyl.
| † Cryptodragon |
Reconstruction |
| Scientific classification |
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| No rank : | Bilateral symmetrical |
| Infraclass : | Archosauromorphs |
| No rank : | Archosauriformes |
| Treasure : | † Pterosaurromorphs ( Pterosauromorpha Padian, 1997 ) |
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| International scientific name |
|---|
Kryptodrakon
Andres, Clark & Xu, 2014 |
| Single view |
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† Kryptodrakon progenitor
Andres, Clark & Xu, 2014 |
Geochronology
Oxford age163.5-157.3 million years | million years | Period | Era | Aeon |
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| 2,588 | Even | | | Ka | F
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th | | 23.03 | Neogene | | 66.0 | Paleogen | | 145.5 | a piece of chalk | M
e
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th | | 199.6 | Yura | | 251 | Triassic | | 299 | Permian | P
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e
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th | | 359.2 | Carbon | | 416 | Devonian | | 443.7 | Silur | | 488.3 | Ordovician | | 542 | Cambrian | | 4570 | Precambrian |
◄ Nowadays◄ Cretaceous-Paleogene extinction◄ Triassic extinction◄ Mass Permian Extinction◄ Devonian extinction◄ Ordovician-Silurian extinction◄ Cambrian explosion |
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Content
The type species Kryptodrakon progenitor was named and described by Brian Andres, James Clark and Xu Sin in 2014. The holotype IVPP V18184 was found in 2001 in the layers of the Shishugou Formation in Xinjiang Province. It consists of a part of the skeleton without a skull and contains fragments of both wings, including the right fourth metacarpal bone , parts of the shoulder girdle and the second sacral vertebra. The bones were not connected, but they were found in a small area of about thirty square centimeters, at a considerable distance from other fossil remains, and thus probably belong to one individual. The bones are well preserved in volume without experiencing strong compression. First, the bones were attributed to theropods; however, paleontologist James Clark later identified them as pterosaur bones.
According to experts, the cryptodragon had a wingspan of 1.47 meters and lived in forest floodplains, unlike most other pterosaurs that lived near the seas and oceans.
