| Liaoxipterus | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Holotype mandible | |
Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Reptilia |
| Order: | †Pterosauria |
| Suborder: | †Pterodactyloidea |
| Family: | †Istiodactylidae |
| Genus: | †Liaoxipterus Dong & Lü, 2005 |
| Species: | †L. brachyognathus |
| Binomial name | |
| †Liaoxipterus brachyognathus Dong & Lü, 2005 | |
Liaoxipterus is agenus ofpterodactyloidpterosaur from theBarremian-Aptian-ageLower CretaceousJiufotang Formation ofChaoyang,Liaoning, China. Thetype species isLiaoxipterus brachyognathus. The genus name is derived from the discovery localityLiaoxi and a Latinised Greekpteron, "wing". Thespecific name is derived from Greekbrachys, "short" andgnathos, "jaw".
The genus is based onholotype CAR-0018, an almost complete but crushed 161 millimetres longmandible (fused lower jaws), which differs from that of all known other ctenochasmatids in its shortteeth and low tooth count (eleven per side). Also a detachedhyoid is present.[1]
The jaw ofLiaoxipterus had a rounded top filled with small, peg-like teeth. The shape of the teeth, and the anatomy of thehyoid (a bone that anchors the tongue muscles), suggest that it was an insect eater, and may even have had the capability to protrude its tongue in a manner similar tochameleons in order to catch insects.[2]
Liaoxipterus was originally classified byDong Zhiming andLü Junchang as a member of theCtenochasmatidae. Wang and colleagues suggested in 2006 and 2008 that it was actually anistiodactylid instead,[3] an opinion that was accepted by Lü in 2015. In 2008 Lü concluded thatNurhachius was a subjectivejunior synonym ofLiaoxipterus.[4] However, a 2012 analysis by Mark Witton found that these two istiodactylids were not identical and, more importantly, did not group together in a phylogenetic tree. Witton also noted that they did not actually group together in Lü's study either.[5]
Thecladogram below follows Witton's 2012 analysis, wherein he found Istiodactylidae to consist of fivetaxa (the first three species listed areoutgroup or reference taxa):[5]
The cladogram below is a topology recovered by Kellneret al. (2019). In the analyses, they recoveredLiaoxipterus as the sister taxon ofIstiodactylus within the familyIstiodactylidae, and placed within the more inclusive groupIstiodactyliformes.[6]
