中国没有牙齿的翼龙化石

本文总结了古神翼龙类的特征,尤其是对中国发现的没有牙齿的翼龙类(包括古神翼龙类、朝阳翼龙类及神龙翼龙类)进行系统总结。通过对比,把中国的古神翼龙类建立两个新的亚科:中国翼龙亚科及华夏翼龙亚科。从古神翼龙类头骨形态变化来看,其演化趋势是头骨由低长向短高变化,这一变化的原因可能与其食性变化有关。根据在辽西凌源四合当九佛堂组发现的一几乎完整的化石骨架建立了中国翼龙新种:凌源中国翼龙(新种),它具有以下特征:鼻眶前孔的长度与高度之比率为3.20;吻部指数为3.03;股骨与胫骨长度之比率约为0.66以及第2翼指骨与第1翼指骨长度之比率为0.85。根据发现于辽西朝阳九佛堂组的另一个体较小的古神翼龙类化石骨架,建立华夏翼龙属一新种:返祖华夏翼龙(新种)。虽然它个体较小,但是它具有华夏翼龙类似的头骨脊,然而它的第2和第3翼指骨的后面具有原始喙嘴龙类翼龙的沟状结构,以区别于其它的华夏翼龙类。返祖华夏翼龙的翼指骨后部沟状结构的出现,应为返祖现象的体现。而这一现象,在翼手龙类中为首次报道。     

达尔文翼龙及其对翼龙类系统发育研究的启示

During the last two decades more than twenty phylogenetic analyses of pterosaur relationships have been published. These range from small scale studies restricted to a few species from one clade, to comprehensive analyses that include the majority of known taxa. Most of these contributions can be traced back to data sets published either by Kellner (2003) or Unwin (2003), who, in turn, incorporated data from earlier analyses by Howse and Bennett.     

古魔翼龙和披羽蛇翼龙的水上起飞能力

Many of the large pterodactyloid pterosaurs come from marine sediments or inland freshwater deposits (Lawson, 1975; Bennett, 1994; Wang et al., 2005; Unwin, 2006).     

准噶尔翼龙的椎体管道

The anatomical term tuba vertebralis was introduced by Martill et al. (1998) to describe a bony tube which enclosed the spinal cord in the type cervical vertebra of the giant azhdarchid pterosaur Arambourgiania philadelphiae, from the Late Cretaceous of Jordan.     

中国翼龙化石记录综述

本文回顾了中国翼龙化石的发现和研究。特别是最近几年在辽宁省西部及其周边地区发现的大量的翼龙化石,使该地区成为世界上最著名的翼龙化石产地之一,尤其是对研究陆相沉积中的翼龙,物种分异和古生物学的重要性可以与德国的Solnhofen Limestone和巴西的Santana Formation 相媲美。目前中国发现有隶属12个科的34个属的翼龙。既包括原始的喙嘴龙类,进步的翼手龙类,也包括处于两者之间的过渡类型-达尔文翼龙类以及胚胎蛋化石。     

翼龙翅膀的空气动力学

The wing of a pterosaur is unique in many ways, not least in its basic morphology, comprising a single supporting structure along the anterior edge of a flexible membrane lifting surface. No other flying vertebrate has adopted this morphology and there are no direct analogues in mechanical aerodynamics, the closest being sailboat mainsails.     

辽西玲珑塔翼龙动物群和浙江翼龙的同位素年代:兼论中国翼龙化石的地层序列和时代框架

目前中国已经有8个省及自治区发现翼龙化石,时代分布从中侏罗世一直延续到晚白垩世。对近年来大量发现翼龙化石的辽宁玲珑塔和产出浙江翼龙的塘上组两个有争议的化石层位进行了U-Pb同位素测年,得到了最新的年龄数据。在玲珑塔地区含化石沉积地层的碎屑锆石获得了最小150 Ma的同位素年龄,可能代表了化石层位的时代下限,表明含化石层的时代为晚侏罗世。同时,也获得了浙江天台盆地富含恐龙蛋化石层下伏的塘上组和临海上盘浙江翼龙化石地点的塘上组(小雄组)凝灰岩的年龄,分别为113 Ma和90Ma,证实了浙江翼龙产于晚白垩世,而浙江地区不同盆地的塘上组应属于不同时期的沉积。在辽西和浙江这两个重要的有争议的翼龙化石地点的同位素最新年龄数据的基础上,对中国发现的翼龙化石的地层序列和时代框架进行了初步的总结,表明早白垩世翼龙占优势地位。     

长羽毛恐龙及翼龙研究新发现

在江西赣州地区晚白垩世地层中发现的窃蛋龙类化石——赣州华南龙,属于进步窃蛋龙类,其独特的头部特征为研究窃蛋龙类恐龙的颅面演化、古地理分布及古生态环境提供重要信息;在辽西早白垩世义县组地层中发现的大型、前肢短的驰龙类恐龙——孙氏振元龙,为大型、短前肢类型的驰龙类提供羽毛形态学方面的重要信息,为研究驰龙类的多样性、鸟类羽毛以及飞行起源提供了重要依据;在辽西发现的喙嘴龙类翼龙——朝阳东方颌翼龙,是该地区晚侏罗世地层中发现的第一件翼龙标本,不仅填补了时代上的空白,同时对于印证晚侏罗世喙嘴龙类的辐射演化具有重要作用。这些重要发现对于研究窃蛋龙类的演化、驰龙类羽毛演化及鸟类羽毛起源等热点与难点问题提供了重要的参考依据,尤其在发现华南龙的基础上,命名了赣州恐龙动物群。     

基于碳、氧同位素分析的翼龙类生态学

Since their discovery, pterosaurs have prompted much discussion about their ecology and feeding habits. Most pterosaur specimens are known from marine deposits (Kellner, 2003), though this may represent a bias towards preservation rather than necessarily a habitat choice. Recent discoveries of terrestrial deposits (e.g. the Yixian Formation) have also yielded numerous pterosaurs and our knowledge of their diversity has increased dramatically in recent years.     

临海国家地质公园晚白垩世翼龙及鸟类生存环境分析

临海浙江翼龙及长尾雁荡鸟化石赋存于浙东小雄盆地晚白垩世形成的地层中。通过对比化石骨骼结构及生态习性,结合对地质背景、古地理、古生态环境及化石产地剖面岩性岩相、沉积构造、化石赋存状态、古植物及孢粉组合等研究认为:小雄盆地继承了早白垩世晚期永康期陆相盆地的构造格局,晚白垩世小雄早期,盆地间分布众多残存的湖泊沼泽,它们是翼龙类和鸟类最后的栖息地。受间歇性火山喷发影响,空落相火山碎屑物导致的湖泊萎缩及沼泽化、水体酸化、气候干热等是造成生活在湖泊沼泽周边和翱翔于天空中的翼龙及鸟类集群死亡的主要因素。小雄中晚期,浙东地区经历了较大规模的酸性岩浆喷溢及火山喷发堆积,为临海国家地质公园流纹岩地貌演化奠定了物质基础。     

翼龙类和驰龙类尾的前关节突和脉弧棒的趋同演化及翼龙类和鸟类尾部肌肉退化的平行模式

The caudal morphology of dromaeosaurid dinosaurs and most “rhamphorhynchoid” pterosaurs is a striking example of convergent evolution. In both groups, all but the most anterior five to seven caudal vertebrae have postzygopophyses that are elongate, equaling or exceeding the corresponding centra in length, and have bifurcating rod-shaped prezygopophyses that extend as much as seven times the length of the corresponding centra.     

巨型翼龙类能够飞行吗？

Many pterodactyloids had wingspans that vastly exceed those of any other flying animals, living or extinct. Ornithocheiroids and neoazhdarchidans were particularly large pterosaurs that regularly attained wingspans over 4 m. Certain members of these groups – Pteranodontia and Azhdarchidae – attained the largest wingspans of any pterosaurs, making them the largest flying animals known.     

巨型翼龙中的飞行效率和长距离旅行

Azhdarchid pterosaurs include the largest known flying animals, with the largest species reaching a potential mass of over 250 kg. Prior work suggests that several features of azhdarchid anatomy could be associated with a soaring-dominated lifestyle, including large size, burst-flapping adapted pectoral girdle and proximal forelimb, moderate to high wing aspect ratio, and exceptional pneumaticity.     

空中之龙：短尾翼龙的飞行

The Pterosaur Flight Dynamics Research Group was established just over three years ago as part of a Karlsruhe based initiative to investigate the aerodynamics of pterodactyloid pterosaurs.     

巴塔哥尼亚(阿根廷)中侏罗世翼龙的骨骼学特征

The Ca?adon Asfalto Formation is mainly composed of lacustrine deposits and has provided the most diverse vertebrate fauna known for the Middle Jurassic in the Southern Hemisphere. Pterosaur remains have been discovered from several localities in this unit and briefly reported by Rauhut et al. (2001) and Unwin et al. (2004).     

睡莲类植物ITS nrDNA序列的分子系统发育分析

睡莲类植物是目前植物分子系统学与进化研究的一个重要类群。核基因组的ITS区是核核糖体（nrDNA)转录单位的一部分。测定和分析了5个属的7种睡莲类植物的核核糖体ITS序列，并与GenBank中提取的相关序列进行了组合分析，初步获得了睡莲类植物的2个ITS系统树，结果也支持现有分子系统学研究中有关金鱼藻处于较原始位置的观点。     

剪断翼龙的翅膀：对于翼展估计和多样性的评论

Giant azhdarchids are perhaps the most spectacular pterosaurs known and, although they lack the elaborate headcrests or striking dentition that adorn other charismatic pterosaurs, the sheer enormity of their proportions has drawn a wealth of popular and scientific interest. Their remains, however, are so fragmentary that only limited interpretations of their anatomy and taxonomy can be made with certainty. Here, we report on recent investigations into giant azhdarchid taxonomy and size estimates that suggest both may be over-inflated.