Luchibang (meaning "Lü's heron wing") is an extinct genus of istiodactylid pterosaur discovered in Inner Mongolia, China. The type and only species is Luchibang xingzhe.
Discovery and Naming
The holotype specimen (ELDM 1000) was acquired from fossil dealers who found it before 2000, possibly near the village of Liutiaogou, in Dashuangmiao of Ningcheng, Inner Mongolia. Around 2009, paleontologist David Hone was asked by Xu Xing to describe the specimen, but publication was delayed for many years due to peer-review doubts regarding its authenticity. Luchibang was announced in an abstract at the Los Angeles Flugsaurier conference in 2018 and validly published in 2020 by David W. E. Hone, Adam J. Fitch, Ma Feimin, and Xu Xing.
The generic name Luchibang is derived from Mandarin lu ("heron") and chibang ("wing"), and also references the late paleontologist Lü Junchang. The specific name xingzhe means "walker," in reference to its terrestrial capabilities. A corrigendum corrected an initial misspelling of the species name as xinzhe.
Chimeric Nature
The fossil had been prepared by fossil traders prior to acquisition. Due to differences in coloration and postcranial proportions resembling Azhdarchoidea, it was suspected during peer review that the specimen might be a chimera—a composite of multiple animals. Initial examination and preparation of the head region found no evidence of tampering, and the specimen was considered genuine.
However, in 2024, following accidental flood damage to the specimen at the Inner Mongolia Museum of Natural History, Hone et al. reassessed ELDM 1000 and confirmed it was chimeric. The flooding revealed different matrices between the anterior portion of the jaws (part A) and the rest of the skull and postcranial skeleton (part B). The Luchibang holotype was restricted to the rostrum and anterior mandible (part A), as only this portion can be confidently referred to Istiodactylidae. The postcranial material (part B) likely belongs to an indeterminate member of Azhdarchomorpha, possibly related to the tapejaroid Sinopterus.
Description
The rostrum of Luchibang xingzhe is distinguished from other istiodactylids by a combination of cranial features: a rostrum with no dorsal expansion anteriorly; very widely spaced teeth in the posterior part of the jaw; a dentary symphysis more than four times longer than wide in dorsal view; and long, narrow mandibular rami approximately twenty times longer than wide in dorsal view. The skull material likely belonged to an animal with an estimated wingspan of around 3 meters (9.8 ft).
Palaeobiology
Two specimens of the fish Lycoptera were found in association with the composite skeleton. One, resting between the jaws, likely represents an animal that died around the same time. The second, found within or underneath the ribcage of the non-Luchibang postcranial specimen, may represent gut contents, though this cannot be confirmed due to the chimeric nature of the specimen.
Classification
Luchibang belongs to the family Istiodactylidae within Pterodactyloidea. Phylogenetic analyses recover it in a polytomy with Nurhachius ignaciobritoi and a clade consisting of Liaoxipterus brachyognathus and Istiodactylus. The holotype is part of the collection of the Erlianhaote Dinosaur Museum.
