Sharovipteryx
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Sharovipteryx Temporal range: Middle Triassic-Late Triassic, 225 Ma |
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| Fossil | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Reptilia |
| Order: | †Protorosauria |
| Family: |
†Sharovipterygidae Tatarinov, 1989 |
| Genus: |
†Sharovipteryx Cowen, 1981 |
| Type species | |
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†Podopteryx mirabilis Sharov, 1971 |
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| Species | |
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†Sharovipteryx mirabilis (Sharov, 1971) |
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| Synonyms | |
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Podopteryx mirabilis Sharov, 1971 (preoccupied) |
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†Sharovipteryx mirabilis (Sharov, 1971)
Podopteryx mirabilis Sharov, 1971 (preoccupied)
Sharovipteryx ("Sharov's wing", known until 1981 as Podopteryx, "foot wing"), is a genus of early gliding reptiles containing the single species Sharovipteryx mirabilis. It is known from a single fossil and is the only glider with a membrane surrounding the pelvis instead of the pectoral girdle. This lizard-like reptile was found in 1965 in the Madygen Formation, Dzailauchou, on the southwest edge of the Fergana valley in Kyrgyzstan, in what was then the Asian part of U.S.S.R. dating to the middle-late Triassic period (about 225 million years ago). The Madygen horizon displays flora that put it in the Upper Triassic. An unusual reptile, Longisquama, was also found there.
S. mirabilis is known from a unique holotype specimen, which was first described by Aleksandr Grigorevich Sharov in 1971. Sharov named the species Podopteryx mirabilis, "foot wing", for the wing membranes on the hind limbs. However, that name had previously been used for a genus of damselfly, Podopteryx, so in 1981 Richard Cowen created the new genus name Sharovipteryx for the species.
The skeleton is preserved in dorsal view and largely complete, with the bones still articulated and impressions of some of the integument. But part of the pectoral girdle is missing and part is still encased in stone.
In 1987, Gans et al. published a revised description: they found that the patagium did not extend to the forelimbs. Their experiments with models showed that the reptile could glide with its uropatagium and stabilize its glide by changing the angles of its forelimbs to provide an aeronautic canard or by bending its tail up or down to produce drag.
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