RESEARCH ARTICLE The toothless pterosaur Jidapterus edentus (Pterodactyloidea: Azhdarchoidea) from the Early Cretaceous Jehol Biota and its paleoecological implications Wen-Hao Wu1,2*, Chang-Fu Zhou3,4*, Brian Andres5 1 Key Laboratory for Evolution of Past Life and Environment in Northeast Asia, Ministry of Education, Jilin University, Changchun, Jilin, China, 2 Research Center of Palaeontology & Stratigraphy, Jilin University, a1111111111 Changchun, Jilin, China, 3 College of Earth Science and Engineering, Shandong University of Science and a1111111111 Technology, Qingdao, Shandong, China, 4 Paleontological Institute, Shenyang Normal University, a1111111111 Shenyang, Liaoning, China, 5 Department and Earth and Environmental Science, University of Pennsylvania, a1111111111 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States of America a1111111111 *
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[email protected] (CFZ) Abstract OPEN ACCESS Citation: Wu W-H, Zhou C-F, Andres B (2017) The toothless pterosaur Jidapterus edentus Background (Pterodactyloidea: Azhdarchoidea) from the Early Cretaceous Jehol Biota and its paleoecological In the Early Cretaceous Jehol Biota, the toothless pterosaurs flourished with the chaoyan- implications. PLoS ONE 12(9): e0185486. https:// gopterids and tapejarids playing a key role in understanding the early diversity and evolution doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0185486 of the Azhdarchoidea. Unlike the more diverse tapejarids, the rarer chaoyangopterids are Editor: Matt Friedman, University of Michigan, characterized by a long and low rostrum, supporting a close relationship with the huge azh- UNITED STATES darchids. Unfortunately, our knowledge is still limited in the osteology, paleoecology, and Received: November 22, 2016 taxonomy of the Chaoyangopteridae. As one of the best preserved skeletons, the type and Accepted: September 13, 2017 only specimen of Jidapterus edentus provides an opportunity to understand the morphology and paleoecology of the chaoyangopterids.