Dendrorhynchoides

Name: Dendrorhynchoides ‭(‬Tree rhynchus‭)‬.
Phonetic: Den-dro-rink-oides.
Named By: Ji,‭ ‬Ji‭ & ‬Padian‭ ‬-‭ ‬1999.
Classification: Chordata,‭ ‬Reptilia,‭ ‬Pterosauria,‭ ‬Rhamphorhynchoidea,‭ ‬Anurognathidae.
Species: D.‭ ‬curvidentatus‭ (‬type‭)‬.
Type: Insectivore.‭
Size: 40‭ ‬centimetre wingspan.
Known locations: China,‭ ‬Liaoning Province‭ ‬-‭ ‬Yixian Formation.
Time period: Aptian of the Cretaceous.
Fossil representation: Almost complete skeleton of a sub adult.

       Dendrorhynchoides caused some confusion when it was first described because while the overall body morphology is that of an anurognathid,‭ ‬the long tail is not a recognised characteristic of the group.‭ ‬However the answer for this is a very simple one.‭ ‬The holotype was obtained from illegal fossil dealers who had added the tail to the original specimen,‭ ‬presumably to increase its aesthetic as well as monetary value.‭ ‬Such deception on the part of rogue fossil dealers is unfortunately quite common with the most well-known case being that of the‭ '‬Archaeoraptor scandal‭'‬.‭
       With the riddle of the tail known,‭ ‬and confirmed by pterosaur experts,‭ ‬Dendrorhynchoides is now placed within anurognathidae.‭ ‬Physical similarities aside,‭ ‬Dendrorhynchoides most probably would have lived the life of an insectivore like others of the group,‭ ‬including Anurognathus and Jeholopterus.‭ ‬The sharp teeth of Dendrorhynchoides would have been well suited to skewering insects in flight.

Further reading
- A new fossil pterosaur (Rhamphorhynchoidea) from Liaoning, Dendrorhynchus curvidentatus, gen. et sp. nov. - Jiangsu Geology 22(4):199-206. - Ji S.-A. & Ji Q - 1998.
- Evolutionary radiation of the Jehol Biota: chronological and ecological perspectives - Geological Journal 41 (3–4): 377–393. - Z. Zhou - 2006.
- A New Specimen of Dendrorhynchoides (Pterosauria: Anurognathidae) with a Long Tail and the Evolution of the Pterosaurian Tail - Acta Geoscientica Sinica 31 Supp.1: 29-30 - David W.E. Hone & Lü Junchang - 2010.

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