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SVP 13 new Brazilian pterosaur
Kellner et al. 2015
describe a new Early Creteacous pterosaur from Brazil in detail.
From the abstract
“A new fossil locality containing the first pterosaur bone bed from Brazil in the Bauru Basin, and preserved hundreds of isolated or partially articulated elements. Most belong to the tapejarine tapejarid Caiuajara but some larger elements recovered during the preparation revealed the presence of a second much larger azhdarchoid taxon in this region that is reported here. The skull is long, with the rostral part gently curving ventrally. The edentulous jaws have thickened lateral margins bordering a slightly concave palatal surface. The mandible shows a small dentary crest and a palatal ridge, the latter unique to this pterosaur. The cervical vertebrae are slightly elongated with the centrum pierced by a lateral pneumatic foramen which is absent in azhdarchids and chaoangopterids and is very reduced in tapejarids. The coracoid lacks a developed coracoidal flange but shows a developed tuberculum on the posteroventral margin. The articulation with the sternum is dorsoventrally flattened, fork-like and strongly asymmetrical, with the posterior half of the articulation more developed. The sternal plate is quadrangular, being slightly longer than wide. The cristospine is elongated and low and the coracoidal articulations are asymmetrical. The pubis is plate-like and has an obturator foramen that is open posteriorly. The ischium shows a small pneumatic foramen. The ilium had a strong developed postacetabular process with a constricted neck and a large iliac posterior process. The humerus (174 mm) has a long and proximally placed deltopectoral crest that curves ventrally. All recovered first phalanges of the wing finger (~370 mm) have the extension tendon process unfused and bear two pneumatic foramina on the ventral surface of the proximal articulation. Ulnae (170-225 mm) show unfused proximal epiphyses and all scapulae and coracoids are unfused, indicating that all recovered specimens so far represent young individuals*. The particular combination of characters observed suggests that this new species occupies a basal position within azhdarchoids and indicates that basal members of this clade had a more pneumatic skeleton than later forms.”
*Not so. Unfused bones are phylogenetic in character.
I have offered my services
to reconstruct this pterosaur. Sounds interesting. Haven’t heard back yet. Send me the paper when it comes out.
References
Kellner AW 2015. A new basal azhdarchoid (Pterosauria, Pterodactyloidea) from the Cretaceous Bauru basin. Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology abstracts.
Source: https://pterosaurheresies.wordpress.com/2015/11/13/svp-13-new-brazilian-pterosaur/
