DOCSLIB.ORG

On the Systematic Relationships of Cearadactylus Atrox, an Enigmatic

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
On the Systematic Relationships of Cearadactylus Atrox, an Enigmatic Mitt. Mus. Nat.kd. Berl., Geowiss. Reihe 5 (2002) 239-263 10.11.2002 On the systematic relationships of CearadactyZus atrox, an enigmatic Early Cretaceous pterosaur from the Santana Formation of Brazil David M. Unwinl With 6 figures Abstract Cearadactylus atrox, a large pterodactyloid pterosaur represented by an incomplete skull and lower jaw from the Lower Cretaceous Santana Formation of Brazil, is a valid species. Diagnostic characters include a mandibular symphysis with a transversely expanded ‘spatulate’ anterior end that is considerably wider than the rostral spatula, and a third rostral tooth that has a basal diameter more than three times that of the fifth tooth. Additional diagnostic characters, contingent upon assign- ment of Cearadactylus atrox to the Ctenochasmatidae, include: anterior ends of jaws divaricate and containing 7 pairs of rostral teeth and 6 pairs of mandibular teeth; marked dimorphodonty, with an abrupt change in tooth morphology; and a “high cheek”. ‘Ceurudactylus? ligubuei’ Dalla Vecchia, 1993, based on an incomplete skull, also from the Santana Formation, is not related to Cearadactylus utrox, exhibits several ornithocheirid synapomorphies and is referred, tentatively, to Anhun- gueru. Ceurudactylus atrox exhibits various synapomorphies of the Ctenochasmatidae (rostrum anterior to nasoantorbital fe- nestra greater than half total skull length, teeth in anterior part of dentition relatively elongate and pencil-shaped, premaxilla has at least 7 pairs of teeth), the defining synapomorphy of the Gnathosaurinae (rostrum with dorsoventrally compressed laterally expanded spatulate anterior expansion), and shares two synapomorphies with the Chinese gnathosaurine Huanhep- terus quingyangensis (anterior tips of jaws divaricate, teeth restricted to anterior half of mandible). Two elongate cervical vertebrae, also from the Santana Formation and previously assigned to ‘Suntunadactylus brusilensis’, are tentatively referred to Ceuruductylus. Reconstruction of the temporal history of the Ctenochasmatidae suggests that while ctenochasmatines became increasingly specialised for filter feeding, gnathosaurines changed from sieve feeding to piscivory, acquiring several cranial characters that are similar to those of ornithocheirids, a group that also includes large aerial piscivores that used a terminal tooth grab for prey capture. Key words: Pterosaur, Lower Cretaceous, Brazil, Cearaductylus, Ctenochasmatidae. Zusammenfassung Cearadactylus atrox aus der Santana-Formation (Unterkreide, NO-Brasilien) ist eine valide Art. Eine Revision des Taxons, von dem ein unvollstandiger Schadel mit Unterkiefer vorliegt, ergab folgende diagnostische (autapomorphe) Merkmale. Die Symphyse hat ein transversal verbreitertes spatelformiges Vorderende, das deutlich breiter ist als das Schnauzenende. Der dritte rostrale Zahn erreicht einen basalen Durchmesser, der jenen des fiinften Zahns um das Dreifache ubertrifft. Hinzu kommen Merkmale, die C. atrox mit der Ctenochasmatidae gemein hat, darunter die vorn auseinanderklaffenden Kieferran- der, sieben rostrale Zahnpaare, sechs Unterkieferzahnpaare, eine ausgepragte Dimorphodontie sowie eine hohe Wangenre- gion. ‘Cearadactylus ? Zigubuei‘ Dalla Vecchia 1993, ebenfalls mit einem unvollstandigen Schadel belegt, ist nicht naher mit C. atrox venvandt. Im Gegensatz zu letzterem zeigt ‘C. ? Zigubuei’ signifikante Ahnlichkeiten mit den Omithocheiridae. Unter Vorbehalt wird er hier der Gattung Anhanguera zugeordnet. C. atrox hat neben eindeutigen Synapomorphien der Ctenochas- matidae, z. B. erreicht das Rostrum anterior des nasoantorbitalen Fensters mehr als die halbe Schadellange, die vordersten Zahne sind verlangert und stiftformig und die das Pramaxillare tragt mindestens sieben Zahnpaare. Daneben besitzt C. atrox auch noch die entscheidende Synapomorphie der Gnathosaurinae, namlich ein Rostrum mit dorsoventral komprimierter vor- derem Auswuchs. AuBerdem ist C. atrox gekennzeichnet durch zwei Autapomorphien des Gnathosaurinen Huanhepterus quin- gyungensis aus China: divergierende Schnauzenenden und Zahne begrenzt auf vordere Kieferhalfte. SchlieBlich werden zwei lange Halswirbel, die auch aus der Santana Formation stammen und bislang zu Suntunadactylus brusiliensis gerechnet wurden, unter Vorbehalt zu Ceuruductylus gestellt. Die Evolutionsgeschichte der Ctenochasmatidae ist durch eine zunehmende Spezia- lisierung auf filternde Ernahrungsweise gekennzeichnet. Die Gnathosaurinen dagegen stellten sich von der filternden auf eine piscivore Ernahrung um, wobei sie eine Reihe von Schadelmerkmalen erworben haben, die den Ornithocheiriden konvergent ahnlich ist. Schliisselworter: Pterosaurier, Unter-Kreide, Brasilien, Ornithocheiridae, Ctenochasmatidae. Museum fiir Naturkunde der Humboldt-Universitat, Institut fur Palaontologie, Invalidenstr. 43, D-10115 Berlin, Germany. Received April, accepted July 2002 240 Unwin, D. M., Cearadactylus from the Santana Formation Introduction from other deposits. Two distinct approaches are discernable. Some workers (e.g. Price 1971, The Romualdo Member of the Lower Cretaceous Wellnhofer 1977, 1985, BuisonjC 1980, Kellner Santana Formation of Brazil has yielded a re- 1984, Campos & Kellner 1985, Leonardi & Bor- markably well preserved and diverse pterosaur as- gomanero 1985, Kellner 1989) have erected new semblage (e.g. Campos & Kellner 1985, Wellnho- genera and even families for Santana pterosaurs, fer 1985, 1987, 1991a, b, c, Unwin 1988, Kellner subsequently assigning similar forms from other 1990, Martill 1993, Kellner & Tomida 2000). Un- Cretaceous deposits to these taxa (e.g. Kellner & like most fossils of pterosaurs, skeletons are often Tomida 2000). Others (e.g. Fastnacht 2001, Un- preserved uncrushed (e.g. Wellnhofer 1988, win 2001) have argued that some species of San- 1991c), although they are rarely complete (Kell- tana pterosaurs belong within previously estab- ner & Tomida 2000), and some examples of soft lished genera such as Ornithocheirus Seeley, tissue preservation have also been reported 1869 and Coloborhynchus Owen, 1874, both (Campos et al. 1984, Martill & Unwin 1989, Mar- based on material from the late Lower Cretac- till et al. 1990, Kellner 1997). A surprising aspect eous of England (see Unwin 2001). The situation is the apparent diversity of this assemblage: 17 is even more confused at higher taxonomic le- species distributed among 9 genera representing vels with, for example, some authors continuing at least 3 families have been reported so far to use the name Anhangueridae Campos & Kell- (Kellner & Tomida 2000: table 9). This excludes ner, 1985, even though as I have noted else- taxa from the Crato Formation which has been where (Unwin 2001) the content and diagnosis included in the Santana Formation (e.g. Maisey of this family is practically identical to that of 1991), but is now recognised as a distinct unit the Ornithocheiridae Seeley, 1870, an older and (Martill & Wilby 1993), perhaps as much as thus senior synonym. 10 million years older, although with a rather simi- Revision of the taxonomy and relationships of lar pterosaur assemblage (Frey & Martill 1994, Santana pterosaurs is needed if the potential of Martill & Frey 1998,1999, Saygo & Kellner 2000). this important assemblage for understanding the Various workers (e.g. Wellnhofer 1987, 1991c, anatomy, functional morphology, ecology and Unwin 1988, 2001, Kellner & Tomida 2000) have evolutionary history of pterosaurs is to be fully suggested that the apparent species diversity of realised. Here, attention is focused on one of the the Santana Formation assemblage may have earliest and most unusual pterosaurs to be de- been inflated by excessive taxonomic splitting, scribed from the Santana Formation, Cearadacty- leading to a situation that closely resembles early lus, currently represented by two species: Ceara- stages in the development of the taxonomic un- dactylus atrox Leonardi and Borgomanero, 1985 derstanding of other pterosaur assemblages such and ‘Cearadactylus? ligabuei’ Dalla Vecchia, as the Solnhofen Limestone (Wellnhofer 1970, 1993, although the latter is only tentatively as- 1975a) and the Cambridge Greensand (Welln- signed to this genus. This study set out to answer hofer 1978, Unwin 2001). In the case of the San- four questions: (1) Is Cearadactylus atrox a dis- tana Formation, oversplitting can be partially at- tinct, diagnosable and valid taxon? (2) Can the tributed to the non-comparability of some relationship of ‘Cearadactylus? ligabuei’ to C. species because of incomplete preservation atrox be resolved? (3) What are the relationships (Wellnhofer 1987, 1991c, Kellner & Tomida of C. atrox to other pterosaurs? (4) Can any 2000). More problematic, however, has been the other fossil material from the Santana Formation assignment of decisive taxonomic value to ques- be assigned to C. atrox? tionable characters such as size, the degree of Two circumstances allow these questions to be fusion of skeletal elements and, most controver- answered. First, recent systematic revisions of sially, the morphology and position of cranial Santana pterosaurs (e.g. Fastnacht 2001) and re- crests. The latter are widely distributed among lated assemblages such as that from the Cam- Santana pterosaurs and have often been cited as bridge Greensand (Unwin 2001), together with key diagnostic features (e.g. Campos & Kellner work now underway on other undescribed speci- 1985, Kellner & Tomida 2000), even though their mens, are helping to resolve the taxonomy of variation and distribution are
Load more

Recommended publications
  • The Wingtips of the Pterosaurs: Anatomy, Aeronautical Function and Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology Xxx (2015) Xxx Xxx 3 Ecological Implications
    Our reference: PALAEO 7445 P-authorquery-v11 AUTHOR QUERY FORM Journal: PALAEO Please e-mail your responses and any corrections to: Article Number: 7445 E-mail: [email protected] Dear Author, Please check your proof carefully and mark all corrections at the appropriate place in the proof (e.g., by using on-screen annotation in the PDF file) or compile them in a separate list. Note: if you opt to annotate the file with software other than Adobe Reader then please also highlight the appropriate place in the PDF file. To ensure fast publication of your paper please return your corrections within 48 hours. For correction or revision of any artwork, please consult http://www.elsevier.com/artworkinstructions. We were unable to process your file(s) fully electronically and have proceeded by Scanning (parts of) your Rekeying (parts of) your article Scanning the article artwork Any queries or remarks that have arisen during the processing of your manuscript are listed below and highlighted by flags in the proof. Click on the ‘Q’ link to go to the location in the proof. Location in article Query / Remark: click on the Q link to go Please insert your reply or correction at the corresponding line in the proof Q1 Your article is registered as a regular item and is being processed for inclusion in a regular issue of the journal. If this is NOT correct and your article belongs to a Special Issue/Collection please contact [email protected] immediately prior to returning your corrections. Q2 Please confirm that given names and surnames have been identified correctly.
    [Show full text]
  • Theropod Composition of Early Late Cretaceous Faunas from Central
    CORE Metadata, citation and similar papers at core.ac.uk Provided by Repository of the Academy's Library 1 Feeding related characters in basal pterosaurs: implications for jaw mechanism, dental function and diet RH: Feeding related characters in pterosaurs Attila Ősi A comparative study of various feeding related features in basal pterosaurs reveals a significant change in feeding strategies during the early evolutionary history of the group. These features are related to the skull architecture (e.g. quadrate morphology and orientation, jaw joint), dentition (e.g. crown morphology, wear patterns), reconstructed adductor musculature, and postcranium. The most basal pterosaurs (Preondactylus, dimorphodontids and anurognathids) were small bodied animals with a wing span no greater than 1.5 m, a relatively short, lightly constructed skull, straight mandibles with a large gape, sharply pointed teeth and well developed external adductors. The absence of extended tooth wear excludes complex oral food processing and indicates that jaw closure was simply orthal. Features of these basalmost forms indicate a predominantly insectivorous diet. Among stratigraphically older but more derived forms (Eudimorphodon, Carniadactylus, Caviramus) complex, multicusped teeth allowed the consumption of a wider variety of prey via a more effective form of food processing. This is supported by heavy dental wear in all forms with multicusped teeth. Typical piscivorous forms occurred no earlier than the Early Jurassic, and are characterized by widely spaced, enlarged procumbent teeth forming a fish grab and an anteriorly inclined quadrate that permitted only a relatively small gape. In addition, the skull became more elongate and body size 2 increased. Besides the dominance of piscivory, dental morphology and the scarcity of tooth wear reflect accidental dental occlusion that could have been caused by the capturing or seasonal consumption of harder food items.
    [Show full text]
  • SG125 035-140 Veldmeijer 16-01-2007 07:46 Pagina 35
    SG125 035-140 veldmeijer 16-01-2007 07:46 Pagina 35 Description of Coloborhynchus spielbergi sp. nov. (Pterodactyloidea) from the Albian (Lower Cretaceous) of Brazil. André J. Veldmeijer Veldmeijer, A.J. Coloborhynchus spielbergi sp. nov. (Pterodactyloidea) from the Albian (Lower Cretaceous) of Brazil. Scripta Geologica 125: 35-139, 22 figs., 16 pls; Leiden, May 2003. André J. Veldmeijer, Mezquitalaan 23, 1064 NS Amsterdam, The Netherlands ([email protected]). A new species of pterosaur, Coloborhynchus spielbergi sp. nov. (Pterodactyloidea), from the Romualdo Member (Albian) of the Santana Formation is described. The type consists of the skull, mandible and many of the post-cranial bones. The specimen displays a high degree of co-ossification indicating that the animal was an adult and likely quite old when it died. The wingspan is reconstructed at nearly 6 m. Among the characteristic features are a large anteriorly positioned premaxillary sagittal crest and a smaller, also anteriorly positioned dentary sagittal crest, a flat anterior aspect of the skull from which two teeth project and a ventrally fused pelvis. Comments on Brazilian pterosaurs are made in connec- tion with the classificiation of the Leiden specimen. Keywords –– Pterosaur, Coloborhynchus, Santana Formation, Lower Cretaceous, Brazil. Contents Introduction ..................................................................................................................................................... 35 Material .............................................................................................................................................................
    [Show full text]
  • 7.2.1. Introduction
    Veldmeijer Cretaceous, toothed pterosaurs from Brazil. A reappraisal 1. Introduction Campos & Kellner (1985b) related that references to flying reptiles from Brazil (not from the Araripe Basin) were made as early as the 19th century, but the first find from Chapada do Araripe was described as late as the 1970s (Price, 1971, post–cranial remains of Araripesaurus castilhoi). Wellnhofer (1977) published the description of a phalanx of a wing finger of a pterosaur from the Santana Formation and named it Araripedactylus dehmi. Since then, much has been published on the pterosaurs from Brazil, and there has been an increasing interest in the material from this area, resulting in an increase in scientific interest in pterosaurs in general. The plateau of the Araripe Basin, in northeast Brazil on the boundaries of Piaui, Ceará and Pernambuco (figure 1.1) was already famous for its well preserved fossils, escpacially fish (e.g. Maisey, 1991), long before the area became the most important source of Cretaceous pterosaur fossils. At present, it is the most important area for Cretaceous pterosaurs globally, although an increasing number of finds are reported from China (e.g. Lü & Ji, 2005; Wang & Lü, 2001 and Wang & Zhou, 2003). Some of the Brazilian material is severely compacted (Crato Formatin; Frey & Martill, 1994; Frey et al., 2003a, b; Sayão & Kellner, 2000) and preserved on a laminated limestone comparable to that of Solnhofen. (The type locality of most, if not all, pterosaur fossils from the Araripe Basin is uncertain, because no systematic, scientically based excavations or even surveys have been done in this area.
    [Show full text]
  • Pterosaurs Flight in the Age of Dinosaurs Now Open 2 News at the Museum 3
    Member Magazine Spring 2014 Vol. 39 No. 2 Pterosaurs Flight in the Age of Dinosaurs now open 2 News at the Museum 3 From the After an unseasonably cold, snowy winter, will work to identify items from your collection, More than 540,000 Marine Fossils the Museum is pleased to offer a number of while also displaying intriguing specimens from President springtime opportunities to awaken the inner the Museum’s own world-renowned collections. Added to Paleontology Collection naturalist in us all. This is the time of year when Of course, fieldwork and collecting have Ellen V. Futter Museum scientists prepare for the summer been hallmarks of the Museum’s work since Collections at a Glance field season as they continue to pursue new the institution’s founding. What has changed, discoveries in their fields. It’s also when Museum however, is technology. With a nod to the many Over nearly 150 years of acquisitions and Members and visitors can learn about their ways that technology is amplifying how scientific fieldwork, the Museum has amassed preeminent own discoveries during the annual Identification investigations are done, this year, ID Day visitors collections that form an irreplaceable record Day in Theodore Roosevelt Memorial Hall. can learn how scientists use digital fabrication of life on Earth. Today, 21st-century tools— Held this year on May 10, Identification Day to aid their research and have a chance to sophisticated imaging techniques, genomic invites visitors to bring their own backyard finds have their own objects scanned and printed on analyses, programs to analyze ever-growing and curios for identification by Museum scientists.
    [Show full text]
  • Analyzing Pterosaur Ontogeny and Sexual Dimorphism with Multivariate Allometry Erick Charles Anderson [email protected]
    Marshall University Marshall Digital Scholar Theses, Dissertations and Capstones 2016 Analyzing Pterosaur Ontogeny and Sexual Dimorphism with Multivariate Allometry Erick Charles Anderson [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: http://mds.marshall.edu/etd Part of the Animal Sciences Commons, Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Commons, and the Paleontology Commons Recommended Citation Anderson, Erick Charles, "Analyzing Pterosaur Ontogeny and Sexual Dimorphism with Multivariate Allometry" (2016). Theses, Dissertations and Capstones. 1031. http://mds.marshall.edu/etd/1031 This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by Marshall Digital Scholar. It has been accepted for inclusion in Theses, Dissertations and Capstones by an authorized administrator of Marshall Digital Scholar. For more information, please contact [email protected], [email protected]. ANALYZING PTEROSAUR ONTOGENY AND SEXUAL DIMORPHISM WITH MULTIVARIATE ALLOMETRY A thesis submitted to the Graduate College of Marshall University In partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science in Biological Sciences by Erick Charles Anderson Approved by Dr. Frank R. O’Keefe, Committee Chairperson Dr. Suzanne Strait Dr. Andy Grass Marshall University May 2016 i ii ii Erick Charles Anderson ALL RIGHTS RESERVED iii Acknowledgments I would like to thank Dr. F. Robin O’Keefe for his guidance and advice during my three years at Marshall University. His past research and experience with reptile evolution made this research possible. I would also like to thank Dr. Andy Grass for his advice during the course of the research. I would like to thank my fellow graduate students Donald Morgan and Tiffany Aeling for their support, encouragement, and advice in the lab and bar during our two years working together.
    [Show full text]
  • Is Our Understanding of Santana Group Pterosaur Diversity Biased by Poor Biological and Stratigraphic Control?
    Anhanguera taxonomy revisited: is our understanding of Santana Group pterosaur diversity biased by poor biological and stratigraphic control? Felipe L. Pinheiro1 and Taissa Rodrigues2 1 Laboratório de Paleobiologia, Universidade Federal do Pampa, São Gabriel, RS, Brazil 2 Departamento de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal do Espírito Santo, Vitória, ES, Brazil ABSTRACT Background. Anhanguerids comprise an important clade of pterosaurs, mostly known from dozens of three-dimensionally preserved specimens recovered from the Lower Cretaceous Romualdo Formation (northeastern Brazil). They are remarkably diverse in this sedimentary unit, with eight named species, six of them belonging to the genus Anhanguera. However, such diversity is likely overestimated, as these species have been historically diagnosed based on subtle differences, mainly based on the shape and position of the cranial crest. In spite of that, recently discovered pterosaur taxa represented by large numbers of individuals, including juveniles and adults, as well as presumed males and females, have crests of sizes and shapes that are either ontogenetically variable or sexually dimorphic. Methods. We describe in detail the skull of one of the most complete specimens referred to Anhanguera, AMNH 22555, and use it as a case study to review the diversity of anhanguerids from the Romualdo Formation. In order to accomplish that, a geometric morphometric analysis was performed to assess size-dependent characters with respect to the premaxillary crest in the 12 most complete skulls bearing crests that are referred in, or related to, this clade, almost all of them analyzed first hand. Results. Geometric morphometric regression of shape on centroid size was highly Submitted 4 January 2017 statistically significant (p D 0:0091) and showed that allometry accounts for 25.7% Accepted 8 April 2017 Published 4 May 2017 of total shape variation between skulls of different centroid sizes.
    [Show full text]
  • Pterosaur Distribution in Time and Space: an Atlas 61
    Zitteliana An International Journal of Palaeontology and Geobiology Series B/Reihe B Abhandlungen der Bayerischen Staatssammlung für Pa lä on to lo gie und Geologie B28 DAVID W. E. HONE & ERIC BUFFETAUT (Eds) Flugsaurier: pterosaur papers in honour of Peter Wellnhofer CONTENTS/INHALT Dedication 3 PETER WELLNHOFER A short history of pterosaur research 7 KEVIN PADIAN Were pterosaur ancestors bipedal or quadrupedal?: Morphometric, functional, and phylogenetic considerations 21 DAVID W. E. HONE & MICHAEL J. BENTON Contrasting supertree and total-evidence methods: the origin of the pterosaurs 35 PAUL M. BARRETT, RICHARD J. BUTLER, NICHOLAS P. EDWARDS & ANDREW R. MILNER Pterosaur distribution in time and space: an atlas 61 LORNA STEEL The palaeohistology of pterosaur bone: an overview 109 S. CHRISTOPHER BENNETT Morphological evolution of the wing of pterosaurs: myology and function 127 MARK P. WITTON A new approach to determining pterosaur body mass and its implications for pterosaur fl ight 143 MICHAEL B. HABIB Comparative evidence for quadrupedal launch in pterosaurs 159 ROSS A. ELGIN, CARLOS A. GRAU, COLIN PALMER, DAVID W. E. HONE, DOUGLAS GREENWELL & MICHAEL J. BENTON Aerodynamic characters of the cranial crest in Pteranodon 167 DAVID M. MARTILL & MARK P. WITTON Catastrophic failure in a pterosaur skull from the Cretaceous Santana Formation of Brazil 175 MARTIN LOCKLEY, JERALD D. HARRIS & LAURA MITCHELL A global overview of pterosaur ichnology: tracksite distribution in space and time 185 DAVID M. UNWIN & D. CHARLES DEEMING Pterosaur eggshell structure and its implications for pterosaur reproductive biology 199 DAVID M. MARTILL, MARK P. WITTON & ANDREW GALE Possible azhdarchoid pterosaur remains from the Coniacian (Late Cretaceous) of England 209 TAISSA RODRIGUES & ALEXANDER W.
    [Show full text]
  • Review of the Pterodactyloid Pterosaur Coloborhynchus 219
    Zitteliana An International Journal of Palaeontology and Geobiology Series B/Reihe B Abhandlungen der Bayerischen Staatssammlung für Pa lä on to lo gie und Geologie B28 DAVID W. E. HONE & ERIC BUFFETAUT (Eds) Flugsaurier: pterosaur papers in honour of Peter Wellnhofer CONTENTS/INHALT Dedication 3 PETER WELLNHOFER A short history of pterosaur research 7 KEVIN PADIAN Were pterosaur ancestors bipedal or quadrupedal?: Morphometric, functional, and phylogenetic considerations 21 DAVID W. E. HONE & MICHAEL J. BENTON Contrasting supertree and total-evidence methods: the origin of the pterosaurs 35 PAUL M. BARRETT, RICHARD J. BUTLER, NICHOLAS P. EDWARDS & ANDREW R. MILNER Pterosaur distribution in time and space: an atlas 61 LORNA STEEL The palaeohistology of pterosaur bone: an overview 109 S. CHRISTOPHER BENNETT Morphological evolution of the wing of pterosaurs: myology and function 127 MARK P. WITTON A new approach to determining pterosaur body mass and its implications for pterosaur fl ight 143 MICHAEL B. HABIB Comparative evidence for quadrupedal launch in pterosaurs 159 ROSS A. ELGIN, CARLOS A. GRAU, COLIN PALMER, DAVID W. E. HONE, DOUGLAS GREENWELL & MICHAEL J. BENTON Aerodynamic characters of the cranial crest in Pteranodon 167 DAVID M. MARTILL & MARK P. WITTON Catastrophic failure in a pterosaur skull from the Cretaceous Santana Formation of Brazil 175 MARTIN LOCKLEY, JERALD D. HARRIS & LAURA MITCHELL A global overview of pterosaur ichnology: tracksite distribution in space and time 185 DAVID M. UNWIN & D. CHARLES DEEMING Pterosaur eggshell structure and its implications for pterosaur reproductive biology 199 DAVID M. MARTILL, MARK P. WITTON & ANDREW GALE Possible azhdarchoid pterosaur remains from the Coniacian (Late Cretaceous) of England 209 TAISSA RODRIGUES & ALEXANDER W.
    [Show full text]
  • New Information on the Tapejaridae (Pterosauria, Pterodactyloidea) and Discussion of the Relationships of This Clade
    AMEGHINIANA (Rev. Asoc. Paleontol. Argent.) - 41 (4): 521-534. Buenos Aires, 30-12-2004 ISSN 0002-7014 New information on the Tapejaridae (Pterosauria, Pterodactyloidea) and discussion of the relationships of this clade Alexander Wilhelm Armin KELLNER1 Abstract. A phylogenetic analysis indicates that the Tapejaridae is a monophyletic group of pterodactyloid pterosaurs, diagnosed by the following synapomorphies: premaxillary sagittal crest that starts at the anterior tip of the premaxilla and extends posteriorly after the occipital region, large nasoantorbital fenestra that reaches over 45% of the length between premaxilla and squamosal, lacrimal process of the jugal thin, distinct small pear- shaped orbit with lower portion narrow, and broad tubercle at the ventroposterior margin of the coracoid. Several cranial and postcranial characters indicate that the Tapejaridae are well nested within the Tapejaroidea, in sister group relationship with the Azhdarchidae. A preliminary study of the ingroup relationships within the Tapejaridae shows that Tupuxuara is more closely related to Thalassodromeus relative to Tapejara. At present tape- jarid remains have been found in the following deposits: Crato and Romualdo members of the Santana Formation (Aptian-Albian), Araripe Basin, Brazil; Jiufotang Formation (Aptian), Jehol Group of western Liaoning, China; and in the redbeds (Cenomanian) of the Kem Kem region, Morocco. An incomplete skull found in the Javelina Formation (Maastrichtian), Texas also shows several tapejarid features and might be a member of this clade. Although information is still limited, the present distribution of the Tapejaridae indicates that this clade of pterosaurs was not exclusive of Gondwana, and was more widespread than previously known. Resumen. NUEVA INFORMACIÓN SOBRE LOS TAPEJARIDAE (PTEROSAURIA, PTERODACTYLOIDEA) Y DISCUSIÓN SOBRE LAS RELACIONES DE ESTE CLADO.
    [Show full text]
  • A New Species of Coloborhynchus (Pterosauria, Ornithocheiridae) from the Mid- Cretaceous of North Africa
    Accepted Manuscript A new species of Coloborhynchus (Pterosauria, Ornithocheiridae) from the mid- Cretaceous of North Africa Megan L. Jacobs, David M. Martill, Nizar Ibrahim, Nick Longrich PII: S0195-6671(18)30354-9 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cretres.2018.10.018 Reference: YCRES 3995 To appear in: Cretaceous Research Received Date: 28 August 2018 Revised Date: 18 October 2018 Accepted Date: 21 October 2018 Please cite this article as: Jacobs, M.L., Martill, D.M., Ibrahim, N., Longrich, N., A new species of Coloborhynchus (Pterosauria, Ornithocheiridae) from the mid-Cretaceous of North Africa, Cretaceous Research (2018), doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cretres.2018.10.018. This is a PDF file of an unedited manuscript that has been accepted for publication. As a service to our customers we are providing this early version of the manuscript. The manuscript will undergo copyediting, typesetting, and review of the resulting proof before it is published in its final form. Please note that during the production process errors may be discovered which could affect the content, and all legal disclaimers that apply to the journal pertain. 1 ACCEPTED MANUSCRIPT 1 A new species of Coloborhynchus (Pterosauria, Ornithocheiridae) 2 from the mid-Cretaceous of North Africa 3 Megan L. Jacobs a* , David M. Martill a, Nizar Ibrahim a** , Nick Longrich b 4 a School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Portsmouth, Portsmouth PO1 3QL, UK 5 b Department of Biology and Biochemistry and Milner Centre for Evolution, University of Bath, Bath 6 BA2 7AY, UK 7 *Corresponding author. Email address : [email protected] (M.L.
    [Show full text]
  • On the Osteology of Tapejara Wellnhoferi KELLNER 1989 and the first Occurrence of a Multiple Specimen Assemblage from the Santana Formation, Araripe Basin, NE-Brazil
    Swiss J Palaeontol (2011) 130:277–296 DOI 10.1007/s13358-011-0024-5 On the osteology of Tapejara wellnhoferi KELLNER 1989 and the first occurrence of a multiple specimen assemblage from the Santana Formation, Araripe Basin, NE-Brazil Kristina Eck • Ross A. Elgin • Eberhard Frey Received: 28 May 2011 / Accepted: 9 August 2011 / Published online: 26 August 2011 Ó Akademie der Naturwissenschaften Schweiz (SCNAT) 2011 Abstract The postcranial elements of two similar sized ocular lobes indicate that Tapejara possessed both excel- and juvenile individuals, along with a partial skull, are lent balancing and visual systems as a consequence of its attributed to the Early Cretaceous pterosaur Tapejara aerial lifestyle. wellnhoferi. The remains, recovered from a single con- cretion of the Romualdo Member, Santana Formation, Keywords Brazil Á Lower Cretaceous Á Santana NE-Brazil, represent the first account of multiple specimens Formation Á Pterosauria Á Tapejaridae Á Osteology having settled together and allow for a complete review of postcranial osteology in tapejarid pterosaurs. A comparison Abbreviations of long bone morphometrics indicates that all specimens BSP Bayerische Staatammlung fu¨r Pala¨ontologie und attributed to the Tapejaridae for which these elements are historische Geologie, Munich, Germany known (i.e. Huaxiapterus, Sinopterus, Tapejara) display D Dalian Natural History Museum, Dalian, China similar bivariate ratios, suggesting that Chinese and Bra- IMNH Iwaki City Museum of Coal and Fossils, Iwaki, zilian taxa must have exhibited similar growth patterns. An Japan unusual pneumatic configuration, whereby the humerus is IVPP Institute for Vertebrate Palaeontology and pierced by both dorsally and ventrally located foramina, is Palaeoanthropology Beijing, P.
    [Show full text]