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1
Baron, Matthew G. "Testing pterosaur ingroup relationships through broader sampling of avemetatarsalian taxa and characters and a range of phylogenetic analysis techniques." PeerJ 8 (July 28, 2020): e9604. http://dx.doi.org/10.7717/peerj.9604.
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The pterosaurs first appear in the fossil record in the middle of the Late Triassic. Their earliest representatives are known from Northern Hemisphere localities but, by the end of the Jurassic Period, this clade of flying reptiles achieved a global distribution, as well as high levels of diversity and disparity. Our understanding of early pterosaur evolution and the fundamental interrelationships within Pterosauria has improved dramatically in recent decades. However, there is still debate about how the various pterosaur subgroups relate to one another and about which taxa comprise these. Many recent phylogenetic analyses, while sampling well from among the known Triassic and Early Jurassic pterosaurs, have not included many non-pterosaurian ornithodirans or other avemetatarsalians. Given the close relationship between these groups of archosaurs, the omission of other ornithodirans and avemetatarsalians has the potential to adversely affect the results of phylogenetic analyses, in terms of character optimisation and ingroup relationships recovered. This study has addressed this issue and tests the relationships between the early diverging pterosaur taxa following the addition of avemetatarsalian taxa and anatomical characters to an existing early pterosaur dataset. This study has, for the first time, included taxa that represent the aphanosaurs, lagerpetids, silesaurids and dinosaurs, in addition to early pterosaurs. Anatomical characters used in other recent studies of archosaurs and early dinosaurs have also been incorporated. By expanding the outgroup taxa and anatomical character coverage in this pterosaur dataset, better resolution between the taxa within certain early pterosaur subclades has been achieved and stronger support for some existing clades has been found; other purported clades of early pterosaurs have not been found in this analysis—for example there is no support for a monophyletic Eopterosauria or Eudimorphodontidae. Further support has been found for a sister-taxon relationship between Peteinosaurus zambelli and Macronychoptera, a clade here named Zambellisauria (clade nov.), as well as for a monophyletic and early diverging Preondactylia. Some analyses also support the existence of a clade that falls as sister-taxon to the zambellisaurs, here named Caviramidae (clade nov.). Furthermore, some support has been found for a monophyletic Austriadraconidae at the base of Pterosauria. Somewhat surprisingly, Lagerpetidae is recovered outside of Ornithodira sensu stricto, meaning that, based upon current definitions at least, pterosaurs fall within Dinosauromorpha in this analysis. However, fundamental ornithodiran interrelationships were not the focus of this study and this particular result should be treated with caution for now. However, these results do further highlight the need for broader taxon and character sampling in phylogenetic analyses, and the effects of outgroup choice on determining ingroup relationships.
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Farke, Andrew A. "A large pterosaur limb bone from the Kaiparowits Formation (late Campanian) of Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, Utah, USA." PeerJ 9 (January 20, 2021): e10766. http://dx.doi.org/10.7717/peerj.10766.
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Pterosaurs were widespread during the Late Cretaceous, but their fossils are comparatively rare in terrestrial depositional environments. A large pterosaur bone from the Kaiparowits Formation (late Campanian, ~76–74 Ma) of southern Utah, USA, is tentatively identified as an ulna, although its phylogenetic placement cannot be precisely constrained beyond Pterosauria. The element measures over 36 cm in preserved maximum length, indicating a comparatively large individual with an estimated wingspan between 4.3 and 5.9 m, the largest pterosaur yet reported from the Kaiparowits Formation. This size estimate places the individual at approximately the same wingspan as the holotype for Cryodrakon boreas from the penecontemporaneous Dinosaur Park Formation of Alberta. Thus, relatively large pterosaurs occurred in terrestrial ecosystems in both the northern and southern parts of Laramidia (western North America) during the late Campanian.
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Liu, Yangting. "A mechanical analysis based on pterosaur flight." Journal of Physics: Conference Series 2660, no. 1 (2023): 012017. http://dx.doi.org/10.1088/1742-6596/2660/1/012017.
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Abstract Pterosaurs are the earliest vertebrates known to have evolved powered flight and are one of the heaviest flying animals. The reason why pterosaurs can fly has puzzled scientists. This article conducts a mechanical analysis of the cause of pterosaur flight. First, based on the theory of hydrodynamics and aerodynamics, the energy conservation and N-S equations are established to simulate the whole process of pterosaur flight (takeoff-glide-landing). Then, based on Newton’s second law, energy equation, and differential motion equation, the power during pterosaur flight is analyzed, and the U-shaped curve is obtained. Next, based on the leaf element-momentum theory, we chose Wellnhopterus brevirostris as our analysis object, and the average velocity and flutter frequency of pterosaur during flight were analyzed[1].
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Dalla Vecchia, Fabio Marco. "Seazzadactylus venierigen. et sp. nov., a new pterosaur (Diapsida: Pterosauria) from the Upper Triassic (Norian) of northeastern Italy." PeerJ 7 (July 25, 2019): e7363. http://dx.doi.org/10.7717/peerj.7363.
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A new non-monofenestratan pterosaur with multicusped dentition,Seazzadactylus venieri, is described from the Upper Triassic (middle-upper Norian) of the Carnian Prealps (northeastern Italy). The holotype ofS. venieripreserves a complete mandibular and maxillary dentition, along with a nearly complete premaxillary one, showing unique features. Furthermore, the arrangement of the premaxillary teeth and the shape of jugal, pterygoid, ectopterygoid, scapula and pteroid are unique within non-monofenestratan pterosaurs.S. venieriis similar and closely related toCarniadactylus rosenfeldiandAustriadraco dallavecchiai, which are also from the Alpine middle-upper Norian of Italy and Austria, respectively. In a parsimony-based phylogenetic analysis,S. venieriis found to nest within a clade of Triassic pterosaurs composed ofArcticodactylus cromptonellus,Austriadraco dallavecchiai, Carniadactylus rosenfeldiand a trichotomy ofRaeticodactylus filisurensis,Caviramus schesaplanensisand MCSNB 8950. This unnamed clade is basal within the Pterosauria, but is not the basalmost clade.Eudimorphodon ranziilies outside this clade and is more derived, making the Eudimorphodontidae paraphyletic.S. venieriincreases the diversity of Triassic pterosaurs and brings the number of pterosaur genera and species in the Dolomia di Forni Formation to four.
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Codorniú, Laura, and Zulma Gasparini. "The Late Jurassic pterosaurs from northern Patagonia, Argentina." Earth and Environmental Science Transactions of the Royal Society of Edinburgh 103, no. 3-4 (2012): 399–408. http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/s1755691013000388.
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ABSTRACTRecords of flying Jurassic reptiles are very scarce in the Southern Hemisphere. Upper Jurassic pterosaurs have been discovered in marine Tithonian sediments of the Vaca Muerta Formation, in the Neuquén Basin, Patagonia, Argentina. Only four specimens are known so far: the first from Arroyo Picún Leufú, and the other three from the lithographic limestones of Los Catutos. Here, we update knowledge of Late Jurassic pterosaurs from northwest Patagonia. We revise the diagnosis and description of a previously described pterodactyloid, which is named as a new genus and species, Wenupteryx uzi. This small-sized pterosaur shows affinities with Euctenochasmatia or Archaeopterodactyloidea, and represents the most complete Jurassic pterosaur so far known from the Southern Hemisphere. We also report a recent finding suggesting that the new specimen belongs to a new species of pterodactyloid pterosaur. These records show that at least three different taxa of pterosaurs coexisted in the Neuquén Basin: Herbstosaurus, Wenupteryx and a more derived pterodactyloid that represents the largest pterosaur known from the Upper Jurassic of Gondwana.
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HWANG, KOO-GEUN, MIN HUH, MARTIN G. LOCKLEY, DAVID M. UNWIN, and JOANNA L. WRIGHT. "New pterosaur tracks (Pteraichnidae) from the Late Cretaceous Uhangri Formation, southwestern Korea." Geological Magazine 139, no. 4 (2002): 421–35. http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/s0016756802006647.
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Numerous footprints of dinosaurs, pterosaurs and birds, together with arthropod tracks, have been discovered in the upper Cretaceous Uhangri Formation which crops out along the south-western coastline of South Korea. This ichnofauna contains the first pterosaur tracks reported from Asia. The digitigrade tridactyl manus impressions exhibit features of a typical pterosaur hand print. The pes impressions, however, show features that are different from pterosaur footprints reported previously: there is no visible trace of impressions of individual digits, and the toes are triangular or rounded in shape distally without distinct claw impressions. As these features clearly distinguish the Uhangri tracks from Pteraichnus and Purbeckopus, we assign them to a new genus, Haenamichnus which accommodates the new ichnospecies, Haenamichnus uhangriensis. The prints are five to six times larger than those of Pteraichnus, and are currently the largest pterosaur ichnites known. They show virtually no trace of the 5th phalange of the pes, indicating that they were made by pterodactyloids; moreover, features of the tracks suggest that they can be attributed to azhdarchids, the commonest pterosaur of the Late Cretaceous. The longest pterosaur trackway yet known from any track site (length 7.3 m) and consisting of 14 pairs of foot impressions, was also found in the Uhangri Formation and suggests that azhdarchids, at least, were competent terrestrial locomotors. The fossil track site at Uhangri represents the first occurrence of the tracks of pterosaurs, dinosaurs and web-footed birds all on the same level. This demonstrates that pterosaurs and birds visited the same habitat, but the large size disparity suggests that they occupied different ecological niches.
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Middleton, K. M., and L. T. English. "Challenges and advances in the study of pterosaur flight." Canadian Journal of Zoology 93, no. 12 (2015): 945–59. http://dx.doi.org/10.1139/cjz-2013-0219.
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Pterosaurs have fascinated scientists and nonscientists alike for over 200 years, as one of the three known clades of vertebrates to have evolved flapping flight. The smallest pterosaurs were comparable in size to the smallest extant birds and bats, but the largest pterosaurs were vastly larger than any extant flier. This immense size range, coupled with poor preservation and adaptations for flight unknown in extant vertebrates, have made interpretations of pterosaur flight problematic and often contentious. Here we review the anatomical, evolutionary, and phylogenetic history of pterosaurs, as well as the views, perspectives, and biases regarding their interpretation. In recent years, three areas of pterosaur biology have faced challenges and made advances: structure of the wing membrane, function of the pteroid, body size and mass estimates, as well as flight mechanics and aerodynamics. Comparative anatomical and fossil study, simulated bone loading, and aerodynamic modeling have all proved successful in furthering our understanding of pterosaur flight. We agree with previous authors that pterosaurs should be studied as pterosaurs, a diverse but phylogenetically, anatomically, and mechanically constrained clade that can offer new insights into the diversity of vertebrate flight.
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Martin-Silverstone, Elizabeth, Mark P. Witton, Victoria M. Arbour, and Philip J. Currie. "A small azhdarchoid pterosaur from the latest Cretaceous, the age of flying giants." Royal Society Open Science 3, no. 8 (2016): 160333. http://dx.doi.org/10.1098/rsos.160333.
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Pterosaur fossils from the Campanian–Maastrichtian of North America have been reported from the continental interior, but few have been described from the west coast. The first pterosaur from the Campanian Northumberland Formation (Nanaimo Group) of Hornby Island, British Columbia, is represented here by a humerus, dorsal vertebrae (including three fused notarial vertebrae), and other fragments. The elements have features typical of Azhdarchoidea, an identification consistent with dominance of this group in the latest Cretaceous. The new material is significant for its size and ontogenetic stage: the humerus and vertebrae indicate a wingspan of ca 1.5 m, but histological sections and bone fusions indicate the individual was approaching maturity at time of death. Pterosaurs of this size are exceedingly rare in Upper Cretaceous strata, a phenomenon commonly attributed to smaller pterosaurs becoming extinct in the Late Cretaceous as part of a reduction in pterosaur diversity and disparity. The absence of small juveniles of large species—which must have existed—in the fossil record is evidence of a preservational bias against small pterosaurs in the Late Cretaceous, and caution should be applied to any interpretation of latest Cretaceous pterosaur diversity and success.
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Zhou, Chang-Fu, Ke-Qin Gao, Hongyu Yi, Jinzhuang Xue, Quanguo Li, and Richard C. Fox. "Earliest filter-feeding pterosaur from the Jurassic of China and ecological evolution of Pterodactyloidea." Royal Society Open Science 4, no. 2 (2017): 160672. http://dx.doi.org/10.1098/rsos.160672.
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Pterosaurs were a unique clade of flying reptiles that were contemporaries of dinosaurs in Mesozoic ecosystems. The Pterodactyloidea as the most species-diverse group of pterosaurs dominated the sky during Cretaceous time, but earlier phases of their evolution remain poorly known. Here, we describe a 160 Ma filter-feeding pterosaur from western Liaoning, China, representing the geologically oldest record of the Ctenochasmatidae, a group of exclusive filter feeders characterized by an elongated snout and numerous fine teeth. The new pterosaur took the lead of a major ecological transition in pterosaur evolution from fish-catching to filter-feeding adaptation, prior to the Tithonian (145–152 Ma) diversification of the Ctenochasmatidae. Our research shows that the rise of ctenochasmatid pterosaurs was followed by the burst of eco-morphological divergence of other pterodactyloid clades, which involved a wide range of feeding adaptations that considerably altered the terrestrial ecosystems of the Cretaceous world.
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Butler, Richard J., Paul M. Barrett, Stephen Nowbath, and Paul Upchurch. "Estimating the effects of sampling biases on pterosaur diversity patterns: implications for hypotheses of bird/pterosaur competitive replacement." Paleobiology 35, no. 3 (2009): 432–46. http://dx.doi.org/10.1666/0094-8373-35.3.432.
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Pterosaurs were the first flying vertebrates and formed important components of terrestrial and marginal marine ecosystems during the Mesozoic. They became extinct during the latest Cretaceous (latest Maastrichtian), at, or near, the Cretaceous/Paleogene boundary, following an apparent decline in diversity in the Late Cretaceous. This reduction in species richness has been linked to the ecological radiation of birds in the Early Cretaceous and the proposal that birds competitively excluded pterosaurs from many key niches. However, although competition is often posited as a causal mechanism for many of the clade-clade replacements observed in the fossil record, these hypotheses are rarely tested. Here we present a detailed examination of pterosaur diversity through time, including both taxic and phylogenetically corrected diversity estimates and comparison of these estimates with a model describing temporal variation in the number of pterosaur-bearing formations (a proxy for rock availability). Both taxic and phylogenetic diversity curves are strongly correlated with numbers of pterosaur-bearing formations, suggesting that a significant part of the signal contained within pterosaur diversity patterns may be controlled by geological and taphonomic megabiases rather than macroevolutionary processes. There is no evidence for a long-term decline in pterosaur diversity through the Cretaceous, although a reduction in morphological, ecological, and phylogenetic diversity does appear to have occurred in the latest Cretaceous. Competitive replacement of pterosaurs by birds is difficult to support on the basis of diversity patterns.
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Costa, Fabiana R., and Alexander W. A. Kellner. "On two pterosaur humeri from the Tendaguru beds (Upper Jurassic, Tanzania)." Anais da Academia Brasileira de Ciências 81, no. 4 (2009): 813–18. http://dx.doi.org/10.1590/s0001-37652009000400017.
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Jurassic African pterosaur remains are exceptionally rare and only known from the Tendaguru deposits, Upper Jurassic, Tanzania. Here we describe two right humeri of Tendaguru pterosaurs from the Humboldt University of Berlin: specimens MB.R. 2828 (cast MN 6661-V) and MB.R. 2833 (cast MN 6666-V). MB.R. 2828 consists of a three-dimensionally preserved proximal portion. The combination of the morphological features of the deltopectoral crest not observed in other pterosaurs suggests that this specimen belongs to a new dsungaripteroid taxon. MB.R. 2833 is nearly complete, and because of a long and round proximally placed deltopectoral crest it could be referred to the Archaeopterodactyloidea. It is the smallest pterosaur from Africa and one of the smallest flying reptiles ever recorded. These specimens confirm the importance of the Tendaguru deposits for the Jurassic pterosaur record. This potential, however, has to be fully explored with more field work.
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Jiang, Shunxing, Zhiheng Li, Xin Cheng, and Xiaolin Wang. "The first pterosaur basihyal, shedding light on the evolution and function of pterosaur hyoid apparatuses." PeerJ 8 (January 6, 2020): e8292. http://dx.doi.org/10.7717/peerj.8292.
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The pterosaur is the first known vertebrate clade to achieve powered flight. Its hyoid apparatus shows a simplification similar to that of birds, although samples of the apparatus are rare, limiting the ability to make an accurate determination. In this study we reveal a new pterosaur specimen, including the first definite basihyal. Through the comparison of pterosaur hyoids, a trend has been discovered for the shortened hyoid relative to the length of the skull, indicating a diminished role of lingual retraction during the evolution of the pterosaur. The new material, possibly from a gallodactylid Gladocephaloideus, represents one of the least effective lingual retractions in all pterosaurs. Based on the structure of an elongated ceratobranchial and retroarticular process on mandibles, the function of the Y-shaped istiodactylid tongue bone is similar to those of scavenger crows rather than chameleons, which is consistent with the interpretation of the scavenging behavior of this taxon. More fossil samples are needed for further study on the function of other pterosaur hyoids.
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Navarro, Charlie A., Elizabeth Martin-Silverstone, and Thomas L. Stubbs. "Morphometric assessment of pterosaur jaw disparity." Royal Society Open Science 5, no. 4 (2018): 172130. http://dx.doi.org/10.1098/rsos.172130.
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Pterosaurs were a successful group of Mesozoic flying reptiles. They were the first vertebrate group to achieve powered flight and varied enormously in morphology and ecology, occupying a variety of niches and developing specialized feeding strategies. Ecomorphological principles suggest this variation should be reflected by great morphological diversity in the lower jaw, given that the mandible served as the primary apparatus for prey acquisition. Here we present the first study of mandibular shape disparity in pterosaurs and aim to characterize major aspects of variation. We use a combination of geometric morphometric approaches, incorporating both outline analysis using elliptical Fourier analysis and semi-landmark approaches. Our results show that morphological convergence is prevalent and many pterosaurs, belonging to diverse dietary groups and subclades, overlap in morphospace and possessed relatively simple ‘rod-shaped’ jaws. There is no clear trend of size distributions in pterosaur mandibular morphospace, and larger forms are widely distributed. Additionally, there is limited functional signal within pterosaur lower jaw morphospace. Instead, the development of a large anterior ventral crest represents the major component of disparity. This suggests that a socio-sexual trait was a key driver for innovation in pterosaur lower jaw shape.
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O'Connor, Patrick M., Joseph J. W. Sertich, and Fredrick K. Manthi. "A pterodactyloid pterosaur from the Upper Cretaceous Lapurr sandstone, West Turkana, Kenya." Anais da Academia Brasileira de Ciências 83, no. 1 (2011): 309–15. http://dx.doi.org/10.1590/s0001-37652011000100019.
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An isolated pterosaurian caudal cervical (~ postcervical) vertebra was recovered from the Upper Cretaceous Lapurr sandstone ofWest Turkana, northwestern Kenya. The vertebral centrum is short, wide, and dorsoventrally compressed. Although the specimen is lightly built similar to most pterosaurs, it is here referred to Pterodactyloidea and tentatively to the Azhdarchidae in that it lacks pneumatic features on both the centrum and neural arch. This represents one of the few pterosaurs recovered from the entirety of Afro-Arabia, the first pterosaur recovered from the Cretaceous of East Africa, and, significantly, a specimen that was recovered from fluvial deposits rather than the near-shore marine setting typical of most pterosaur discoveries.
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BUFFETAUT, ERIC, YVES LAURENT, JEAN LE LOEUFF, and MICHEL BILOTTE. "A terminal Cretaceous giant pterosaur from the French Pyrenees." Geological Magazine 134, no. 4 (1997): 553–56. http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/s0016756897007449.
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A very large pterosaur cervical vertebra is described from the Upper Maastrichtian deposits of Mérigon, in the foothills of the French Pyrenees. It resembles the vertebrae of Quetzalcoatlus, from the Maastrichtian of Texas, more than those of Arambourgiania, from the Maastrichtian of Jordan. The estimated wing span of the Mérigon pterosaur is close to 9 m, which makes it one of the largest known flying creatures. Giant pterosaurs still had a wide geographical distribution at the end of Maastrichtian time, which is not suggestive of a declining group, although it is difficult to obtain an accurate estimate of taxonomic diversity of terminal Cretaceous pterosaurs on the basis of available data.
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Qvarnström, Martin, Erik Elgh, Krzysztof Owocki, Per E. Ahlberg, and Grzegorz Niedźwiedzki. "Filter feeding in Late Jurassic pterosaurs supported by coprolite contents." PeerJ 7 (August 26, 2019): e7375. http://dx.doi.org/10.7717/peerj.7375.
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Diets of pterosaurs have mainly been inferred from indirect evidence such as comparative anatomy, associations of co-occurring fossils, and functional morphology. Gut contents are rare, and until now there is only a single coprolite (fossil dropping), with unidentified inclusions, known. Here we describe three coprolites collected from a palaeosurface with numerous pterosaur tracks found in early Kimmeridgian (Hypselocyclum Zone) intertidal deposits of the Wierzbica Quarry, Poland. The specimens’ morphology and association to the tracks suggest a pterosaur producer. Synchrotron scans reveal numerous small inclusions, with foraminifera making up the majority of the identifiable ones. Other small remains include shells/carapaces (of bivalves, ostracods, and other crustaceans/arthropods) and bristles (some possibly of polychaete worms). The high density of the small shelly inclusions suggest that they were not accidently ingested, but constituted an important food source for the pterosaur(s), perhaps together with unpreserved soft-bodied animals. The combined evidence from the tracks and coprolites suggest a filter-feeding ctenochasmatid as the most likely tracemaker. If true, this significantly expands the bromalite record for this pterosaur group, which was previously only known from gastroliths. Moreover, this study also provides the first direct evidence of filter feeding in Jurassic pterosaurs and shows that they had a similar diet to the recent Chilean flamingo (Phoenicopterus chilensis).
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WANG, XIAOLIN, ALEXANDER W. A. KELLNER, XIN CHENG, et al. "Eggshell and Histology Provide Insight on the Life History of a Pterosaur with Two Functional Ovaries." Anais da Academia Brasileira de Ciências 87, no. 3 (2015): 1599–609. http://dx.doi.org/10.1590/0001-3765201520150364.
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The counterpart of a previously described non-pterodactyloid pterosaur with an egg revealed the presence of a second egg inside the body cavity of this gravid female. It clearly shows that pterosaurs had two functional oviducts and demonstrates that the reduction of one oviduct was not a prerequisite for developing powered flight, at least in this group. Compositional analysis of one egg suggests the lack of a hard external layer of calcium carbonate. Histological sections of one femur lack medullary bone and further demonstrate that this pterosaur reached reproductive maturity before skeletal maturity. This study shows that pterosaurs laid eggs even smaller than previously thought and had a reproductive strategy more similar to basal reptiles than to birds. Whether pterosaurs were highly precocial or needed parental care is still open to debate.
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Buffetaut, Eric. "A giant pterosaur from the Lower Cretaceous of the eastern Paris Basin." Bulletin de la Société Géologique de France 175, no. 6 (2004): 573–77. http://dx.doi.org/10.2113/175.6.573.
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Abstract A large pterosaur bone, preserved as a natural cast of the interior cavity, was found in an old collection kept at the Natural History Museum of Troyes (France). Although no precise geographical data are available, the lithology of the matrix indicates that it comes from the Hauterivian Toxaster Limestone of the eastern Paris Basin. Despite its unusual preservation, the specimen shows various morphological details, and is identified as an ornithocheiroid pterosaur humerus. This specimen is among the largest known pterosaur humeri (length as preserved: 345 mm), indicating a wing span of more than 7 metres. It shows that giant pterosaurs had already appeared at a very early stage in the Cretaceous.
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Andres, Brian, and Timothy S. Myers. "Lone Star Pterosaurs." Earth and Environmental Science Transactions of the Royal Society of Edinburgh 103, no. 3-4 (2012): 383–98. http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/s1755691013000303.
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ABSTRACTThe state of Texas has one of the greatest records of pterosaurs in the world, surpassing all other US states and most countries in the number of occurrences. Uniquely, this record extends over the entire 150+ million history of the Pterosauria. A review of this pterosaur record confirms at least 30 pterosaurs known from 13 occurrences, including five valid species. The holotypes of two of these species have been described before and are diagnosed and erected here as the new speciesRadiodactylus langstoni, gen. et sp. nov., named in honour of Dr. Wann Langston Jr, the father of Texas pterosaurology, andAlamodactylus byrdi, gen. et sp. nov.. Phylogenetic analysis of all Texas pterosaurs that can be coded for more than one character confirms that these species are distinct from others and occupy phylogenetic positions close to their original classifications.Radiodactylus langstoniis recovered as a non-azhdarchid azhdarchoid,Quetzalcoatlus northropias an azhdarchid,Alamodactylus byrdias a non-pteranodontoid pteranodontian,Aetodactylusas a pteranodontoid, andColoborhynchus wadleighias an ornithocheirid. The presence of eudimorphodontid, dsungaripterid, as well as other azhdarchid and pteranodontoid pterosaurs, is also confirmed in Texas.
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Knoll, Fabien, and Alain Bouveur. "A large Jurassic pterodactyloid in northern France and a review of the French pterosaur record." Bulletin de la Société Géologique de France 172, no. 4 (2001): 447–54. http://dx.doi.org/10.2113/172.4.447.
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Abstract A very large mandible from the Jurassic (Lower Tithonian) of the Boulogne-sur-Mer area (Pas-de-Calais, France) is described. The specimen does not allow a precise identification but could be close to Gallodactylus canjuersensis within the Pterodactylidae. A tentative wingspan estimation of the taxon gives us a figure of about 2.5 m, which, if correct, would make it a remarkably large pterosaur for that time. An exhaustive review of the French pterosaur record is also presented. Although few remarkable finds have been reported, pterosaurs are known in France from a number of sites ranging in age from the late Triassic to the uppermost Cretaceous. The French record shows that the pterosaur stratigraphical concentrations are unlikely to be related to actual pterosaur palaeoecological importance during the Mesozoic. The apparent diversity of this group through time constitutes therefore a very unsuitable element to bring arguments, in either one way or another, to the mass extinction debate.
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Brougham, Tom, Elizabeth T. Smith, and Phil R. Bell. "Isolated teeth of Anhangueria (Pterosauria: Pterodactyloidea) from the Lower Cretaceous of Lightning Ridge, New South Wales, Australia." PeerJ 5 (May 3, 2017): e3256. http://dx.doi.org/10.7717/peerj.3256.
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The fossil record of Australian pterosaurs is sparse, consisting of only a small number of isolated and fragmentary remains from the Cretaceous of Queensland, Western Australia and Victoria. Here, we describe two isolated pterosaur teeth from the Lower Cretaceous (middle Albian) Griman Creek Formation at Lightning Ridge (New South Wales) and identify them as indeterminate members of the pterodactyloid clade Anhangueria. This represents the first formal description of pterosaur material from New South Wales. The presence of one or more anhanguerian pterosaurs at Lightning Ridge correlates with the presence of ‘ornithocheirid’ andAnhanguera-like pterosaurs from the contemporaneous Toolebuc Formation of central Queensland and the global distribution attained by ornithocheiroids during the Early Cretaceous. The morphology of the teeth and their presence in the estuarine- and lacustrine-influenced Griman Creek Formation is likely indicative of similar life habits of the tooth bearer to other members of Anhangueria.
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Wang, Xiaolin, Alexander W. A. Kellner, Shunxing Jiang, and Xi Meng. "An unusual long-tailed pterosaur with elongated neck from western Liaoning of China." Anais da Academia Brasileira de Ciências 81, no. 4 (2009): 793–812. http://dx.doi.org/10.1590/s0001-37652009000400016.
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A new long-tailed pterosaur, Wukongopterus lii gen. et sp. nov, is described based on an almost complete skeleton (IVPP V15113) representing an individual with an estimated wing span of 730 mm. The specimen was discovered in strata that possibly represent the Daohugou Bed (or Daohugou Formation) at Linglongta, Jianchang, Liaoning Province, China. Wukongopterus lii is a non-pterodactyloid pterosaur diagnosed by the first two pairs of premaxillary teeth protruding beyond the dentary, elongated cervical vertebrae (convergent with Pterodactyloidea), and a strongly curved second pedal phalanx of the fifth toe. The specimen further has a broken tibia that indicates an injury occurred while the individual was still alive. Taphonomic aspects provide indirect evidence of an uropatagium, supporting the general hypothesis that at least all non-pterodactyloid pterosaurs show a membrane between the hind limbs. A phylogenetic analysis including most non-pterodactyloid pterosaurs shows that Wukongopterus lii gen. et sp. nov. lies outside the Novialoidea, being cladistically more primitive than the Rhamphorhynchidae and Capylognathoides. This analysis differs from previous studies and indicates that more work is needed before a stable picture of non-pterodactyloid pterosaur relationships is achieved.
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Palmer, Colin. "Flight in slow motion: aerodynamics of the pterosaur wing." Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences 278, no. 1713 (2010): 1881–85. http://dx.doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2010.2179.
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The flight of pterosaurs and the extreme sizes of some taxa have long perplexed evolutionary biologists. Past reconstructions of flight capability were handicapped by the available aerodynamic data, which was unrepresentative of possible pterosaur wing profiles. I report wind tunnel tests on a range of possible pterosaur wing sections and quantify the likely performance for the first time. These sections have substantially higher profile drag and maximum lift coefficients than those assumed before, suggesting that large pterosaurs were aerodynamically less efficient and could fly more slowly than previously estimated. In order to achieve higher efficiency, the wing bones must be faired, which implies extensive regions of pneumatized tissue. Whether faired or not, the pterosaur wings were adapted to low-speed flight, unsuited to marine style dynamic soaring but adapted for thermal/slope soaring and controlled, low-speed landing. Because their thin-walled bones were susceptible to impact damage, slow flight would have helped to avoid injury and may have contributed to their attaining much larger sizes than fossil or extant birds. The trade-off would have been an extreme vulnerability to strong or turbulent winds both in flight and on the ground, akin to modern-day paragliders.
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Díaz-Martínez, Ignacio, Arturo M. Heredia, Santiago N. González, et al. "Pterosaur Tracks from the Upper Cretaceous Anacleto Formation (Neuquén Basin), Northern Patagonia, Argentina: Insights into Campanian Pterosaur Diversity in Gondwana." Diversity 14, no. 11 (2022): 1007. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/d14111007.
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The Campanian Anacleto Formation holds an abundant and diverse ichnofossil and body-fossil vertebrate record. Despite the striking diversity of this record, pterosaur fossils had never been described from the unit. Here, we report four pterosaur manus tracks from fluvial red beds cropping out in the Área Natural Protegida Municipal Paso Córdoba (Río Negro Province, northern Patagonia, Argentina). Tracks are longer than wide, tridactyl with digit impressions of different lengths (I < II < III), anteriorly directed and laterally asymmetrical. Being on loose slabs and lacking direct examination of pes morphology, the material is classified as undetermined pterosaur tracks. The new find represents the first occurrence of pterosaurs from the lower–middle Campanian of Argentina and one of the few evidences from South America for this time interval. In addition, it is one of the few ichnological pterosaur records from Gondwana, thus shedding light on the palaeobiogeography of this clade during the latest Cretaceous. Pterosaur tracks from the Anacleto Formation allow us to integrate the body-fossil record from the unit and to add a new component, along with birds, to the flying archosaur fauna coexisting with non-avian dinosaurs, notosuchians, chelonians, squamates and mammals in the Campanian of northern Patagonia.
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Hazlehurst, Grant A., and Jeremy M. V. Rayner. "Flight characteristics of Triassic and Jurassic Pterosauria: an appraisal based on wing shape." Paleobiology 18, no. 4 (1992): 447–63. http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/s009483730001099x.
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The mass, wingspan, and wing area of pterosaurs were reconstructed. Mass was estimated by determining volume and multiplying by avian density. This method was considered appropriate only for smaller pterosaur species because there is evidence for lower density in larger species. These reconstructions were used to compare the wing shapes of Triassic and Jurassic pterosaurs with those of birds. Pterosaurs had wings of below-average loading and above-average aspect compared to the avian mean. This wing design was compatible with relatively slow and highly efficient flight, with high maneuverability. Wing area depends on the reconstruction model adopted; wings attached to the hindlimb principally reduced aspect, and secondarily reduced loading, which would improve take-off performance at the expense of efficiency. The wing shape and cranial feeding adaptations of pterosaurs were most compatible with a marine or aerial predatory adaptive zone. The reconstructed pterosaurs show a limited range of wing shape compared to birds. This may partly reflect preservational bias favoring species living in marine or lagoonal environments, but this is not a complete explanation because there is a lack of pterosaurs with wings of high loading like the marine ducks and auks. Structural, physiological, or adaptive factors may have limited pterosaur wing shape.
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Arbour, Victoria M., and Philip J. Currie. "An istiodactylid pterosaur from the Upper Cretaceous Nanaimo Group, Hornby Island, British Columbia, Canada." Canadian Journal of Earth Sciences 48, no. 1 (2011): 63–69. http://dx.doi.org/10.1139/e10-083.
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An unusual jaw found in a calcite nodule from Collishaw Point, Hornby Island, British Columbia (off the east coast of Vancouver Island) represents the first definitive pterosaur found in British Columbia, and the first istiodactylid from Canada. The nodule was derived from the Northumberland Formation (Nanaimo Group), a fossiliferous formation known for producing numerous plants, invertebrates, sharks, and mosasaurs. The pterosaur is represented by the anterior portion of the rostrum, including the anterior edge of the nasoantorbital fenestra, and numerous small, triangular teeth lacking denticles. These teeth are similar in overall morphology to the teeth of istiodactylids, but are smaller, more numerous, more tightly packed, and have proportionately smaller crowns. Although fragmentary, this specimen is diagnostic and represents a new genus of istiodactylid pterosaur. Its presence in the upper Campanian Northumberland Formation makes this the latest occurring istiodactylid and extends the stratigraphic and geographic range of this enigmatic group of pterosaurs.
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BUFFETAUT, ERIC, ATTILA ŐSI, and EDINA PRONDVAI. "The pterosaurian remains from the Grünbach Formation (Campanian, Gosau Group) of Austria: a reappraisal of ‘Ornithocheirus buenzeli’." Geological Magazine 148, no. 2 (2010): 334–39. http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/s0016756810000981.
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AbstractThe fragmentary pterosaur material from the Campanian Grünbach Formation (Gosau Group) of Muthmannsdorf (Austria), previously identified as Ornithocheirus buenzeli Bunzel, 1871, is revised. A lower jaw fragment shows a helical type of articulation, which is known in several families of pterosaurs, and cannot be identified with great accuracy. The proximal part of a humerus shows distinctive features that allow it to be referred to as a member of the family Azhdarchidae, which is widespread in the Late Cretaceous Period of Europe. Ornithocheirus buenzeli is considered a nomen dubium. The pterosaur material from the Grünbach Formation cannot be used as evidence for the presence of ornithocheirids in the Late Cretaceous of Europe.
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Palmer, Colin, and Gareth J. Dyke. "Biomechanics of the unique pterosaur pteroid." Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences 277, no. 1684 (2009): 1121–27. http://dx.doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2009.1899.
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Pterosaurs, flying reptiles from the Mesozoic, had wing membranes that were supported by their arm bones and a super-elongate fourth finger. Associated with the wing, pterosaurs also possessed a unique wrist bone—the pteroid—that functioned to support the forward part of the membrane in front of the leading edge, the propatagium. Pteroid shape varies across pterosaurs and reconstructions of its orientation vary (projecting anteriorly to the wing leading edge or medially, lying alongside it) and imply differences in the way that pterosaurs controlled their wings. Here we show, using biomechanical analysis and considerations of aerodynamic efficiency of a representative ornithocheirid pterosaur, that an anteriorly orientated pteroid is highly unlikely. Unless these pterosaurs only flew steadily and had very low body masses, their pteroids would have been likely to break if orientated anteriorly; the degree of movement required for a forward orientation would have introduced extreme membrane strains and required impractical tensioning in the propatagium membrane. This result can be generalized for other pterodactyloid pterosaurs because the resultant geometry of an anteriorly orientated pteroid would have reduced the aerodynamic performance of all wings and required the same impractical properties in the propatagium membrane. We demonstrate quantitatively that the more traditional reconstruction of a medially orientated pteroid was much more stable both structurally and aerodynamically, reflecting likely life position.
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Murry, Phillip A., Dale A. Winkler, and Louis L. Jacobs. "An azhdarchid pterosaur humerus from the Lower Cretaceous Glen Rose Formation of Texas." Journal of Paleontology 65, no. 1 (1991): 167–70. http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/s0022336000020291.
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Pterosaurs are rare components of Texas Cretaceous faunas. The best known is Quetzalcoatlus northropi, from the Javelina Formation (Maastrichtian) of Big Bend National Park, with a wingspan of some 11-12 m (Lawson, 1975; Langston, 1986; Busbey and Lehmann, 1989). Texas pterosaur specimens of less spectacular proportions include a pteranodontid partial humerus (USNM 13804) from the Eagle Ford Formation (late Cenomanian-late Turonian) of Austin (Gilmore, 1935; Bennett, 1989) and a first wing phalanx of a pterodactyloid from the Buda Formation (Cenomanian) of Hays County (Langston, 1974; Lawson, 1975). Pterosaur bones were also recorded at localities near Forestburg, Montague County (Zangerl and Denison, 1950), in the Antlers Formation (Winkler et al., 1990), although these specimens are undiagnostic hollow bone fragments.
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UNWIN, DAVID M. "Pterosaur tracks and the terrestrial ability of pterosaurs." Lethaia 29, no. 4 (1996): 373–86. http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1502-3931.1996.tb01673.x.
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Buchmann, Richard, and Taissa Rodrigues. "Arthrological reconstructions of the pterosaur neck and their implications for the cervical position at rest." PeerJ 12 (February 21, 2024): e16884. http://dx.doi.org/10.7717/peerj.16884.
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The lack of any pterosaur living descendants creates gaps in the knowledge of the biology of this group, including its cervical biomechanics, which makes it difficult to understand their posture and life habits. To mitigate part of this issue, we reconstructed the cervical osteology and arthrology of three pterosaurs, allowing us to make inferences about the position of the neck of these animals at rest. We used scans of three-dimensionally preserved cervical series of Anhanguera piscator, Azhdarcho lancicollis and Rhamphorhynchus muensteri for the reconstructions, thus representing different lineages. For the recognition of ligaments, joint cartilages, and levels of overlapping of the zygapophyses, we applied the Extant Phylogenetic Bracket method, based on various extant birds and on Caiman latirostris. We inferred that pterosaur intervertebral joints were probably covered by a thin layer of synovial cartilage whose thickness varied along the neck, being thicker in the posterior region. Ignoring this cartilage can affect reconstructions. According to the vertebral angulation, their neck was slightly sinuous when in rest position. Our analyses also indicate that pterosaurs had segmented and supra-segmented articular cervical ligaments, which could confer stabilization, execute passive forces on the neck and store elastic energy.
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Li, Yang, Xiaolin Wang, and Shunxing Jiang. "A new pterosaur tracksite from the Lower Cretaceous of Wuerho, Junggar Basin, China: inferring the first putative pterosaur trackmaker." PeerJ 9 (June 1, 2021): e11361. http://dx.doi.org/10.7717/peerj.11361.
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We report the discovery of 114 small pterosaur footprints preserved in a greyish-green fine sandstone slab comprising 57 manus imprints and 57 pes imprints. Due to the chaotic distribution of footprints, the trackways are difficult to recognize. The pes imprints are sub-triangular and enlongate, the metatarsal part is roughly subequal to the digital part. The manus imprints are asymmetrical, longer than wide, and the lengths of digits I–III gradually increase. According to the diagnostic features of the Wuerho small pterosaur tracks, the present set was classified as Pteraichnus and is different from the nine reported valid ichnospecies of Pteraichnus. We therefore propose a new ichnospecies, Pteraichnus wuerhoensis isp. nov. The description is based on the anatomical characteristics (lengths of digits I–IV, length of digital part, length of metatarsal part) extracted from the pes imprints and comparisons with the pes bone fossils of Noripterus complicidens. We infer that the footprints were probably left by N. complicidens and the total width of the wings was presumably 2–2.3 m. In addition, the high density (365 per square meter) and varied sizes of the Wuerho small pterosaur tracks suggest that many pterosaurs of different ages lived in Huangyangquan Reservoir tracksite 1 area. Thus the trackmakers may have had gregarious behavior.
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KELLNER, ALEXANDER W. A., DIOGENES A. CAMPOS, JULIANA M. SAYÃO, et al. "The largest flying reptile from Gondwana: a new specimen of Tropeognathus cf. T. mesembrinusWellnhofer, 1987 (Pterodactyloidea, Anhangueridae) and other large pterosaurs from the Romualdo Formation, Lower Cretaceous, Brazil." Anais da Academia Brasileira de Ciências 85, no. 1 (2013): 113–35. http://dx.doi.org/10.1590/s0001-37652013000100009.
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A very large pterosaur (MN 6594-V) from the Romualdo Formation (Aptian/Albian), Santana Group, Araripe Basin, is described. The specimen is referred to Tropeognathus cf. T. mesembrinus mainly due to the presence of a low and blunt frontoparietal crest, the comparatively low number of teeth and the inclined dorsal part of the occipital region. Two distinct wingspan measurements for pterosaurs are introduced: the maximized wingspan (maxws), which essentially consists of doubling the addition of all wing elements and the length of the scapula or the coracoid (the smaller of the two), and the normal wingspan (nws), which applies a reducing factor (rfc) to the maximized wingspan to account for the natural flexures of the wing. The rfc suggested for pteranodontoids is 5%. In the case of MN 6594-V, the maxws and nws are 8.70 m and 8.26 m, respectively, making it the largest pterosaur recovered from Gondwana so far. The distal end of a larger humerus (MCT 1838-R) and a partial wing (MPSC R 1395) are also described showing that large to giant flying reptiles formed a significant part of the pterosaur fauna from the Romualdo Formation. Lastly, some comments on the nomenclatural stability of the Santana deposits are presented.
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Funston, Gregory F., Elizabeth Martin-Silverstone, and Philip J. Currie. "The first pterosaur pelvic material from the Dinosaur Park Formation (Campanian) and implications for azhdarchid locomotion." FACETS 2, no. 1 (2017): 559–74. http://dx.doi.org/10.1139/facets-2016-0067.
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A partial pterosaur pelvis from the Campanian Dinosaur Park Formation of Canada adds to our knowledge of Late Cretaceous pterosaurs. The pelvis is tentatively referred to Azhdarchidae and represents the first pelvic material from a North American azhdarchid. The morphology of the ilium is bizarre compared with other pterosaurs: it is highly pneumatized, the preacetabular process tapers anteriorly, and muscle scars show that it would have anchored strong adductor musculature for the hindlimb. The acetabulum is deep and faces ventrolaterally, allowing the limb to be positioned underneath the body. These features support previous suggestions that azhdarchids were well adapted to terrestrial locomotion.
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BUFFETAUT, ERIC, and PAUL JEFFERY. "A ctenochasmatid pterosaur from the Stonesfield Slate (Bathonian, Middle Jurassic) of Oxfordshire, England." Geological Magazine 149, no. 3 (2012): 552–56. http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/s0016756811001154.
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AbstractThe anterior end of a lower jaw bearing long slender teeth, from the Bathonian Stonesfield Slate of Oxfordshire, was hitherto referred to the crocodilian Teleosaurus. It is reinterpreted as belonging to a ctenochasmatid pterosaur reminiscent of Gnathosaurus. It is the earliest known representative of the Ctenochasmatidae, and one of the earliest known pterodactyloids. The diversity of pterosaurs from the Stonesfield Slate is higher than previously recognized, comprising at least three taxa.
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Chinsamy, A., L. Codorniú, and L. Chiappe. "Developmental growth patterns of the filter-feeder pterosaur, Pterodaustro guiñazui." Biology Letters 4, no. 3 (2008): 282–85. http://dx.doi.org/10.1098/rsbl.2008.0004.
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Life-history parameters of pterosaurs such as growth and ontogenetic development represent an enigma. This aspect of pterosaur biology has remained perplexing because few pterosaur taxa are represented by complete ontogenetic series. Of these, Pterodaustro is unique in that besides being represented by hundreds of individuals with wing spans ranging from 0.3 to 2.5 m, it includes an embryo within an egg. Here we present a comprehensive osteohistological assessment of multiple skeletal elements of a range of ontogenetic sizes of Pterodaustro , and we provide unparalleled insight into its growth dynamics. We show that, upon hatching, Pterodaustro juveniles grew rapidly for approximately 2 years until they reached approximately 53% of their mature body size, whereupon they attained sexual maturity. Thereafter, growth continued for at least another 3–4 years at comparatively slower rates until larger adult body sizes were attained. Our analysis further provides definitive evidence that Pterodaustro had a determinate growth strategy.
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Codorniú, Laura, Ariana Paulina Carabajal, Diego Pol, David Unwin, and Oliver W. M. Rauhut. "A Jurassic pterosaur from Patagonia and the origin of the pterodactyloid neurocranium." PeerJ 4 (August 30, 2016): e2311. http://dx.doi.org/10.7717/peerj.2311.
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Pterosaurs are an extinct group of highly modified flying reptiles that thrived during the Mesozoic. This group has unique and remarkable skeletal adaptations to powered flight, including pneumatic bones and an elongate digit IV supporting a wing-membrane. Two major body plans have traditionally been recognized: the primitive, primarily long-tailed paraphyletic “rhamphorhynchoids” (preferably currently recognized as non-pterodactyloids) and the derived short-tailed pterodactyloids. These two groups differ considerably in their general anatomy and also exhibit a remarkably different neuroanatomy and inferred head posture, which has been linked to different lifestyles and behaviours and improved flying capabilities in these reptiles. Pterosaur neuroanatomy, is known from just a few three-dimensionally preserved braincases of non-pterodactyloids (as Rhamphorhynchidae) and pterodactyloids, between which there is a large morphological gap. Here we report on a new Jurassic pterosaur from Argentina,Allkaruen koigen. et sp. nov., remains of which include a superbly preserved, uncrushed braincase that sheds light on the origins of the highly derived neuroanatomy of pterodactyloids and their close relatives. A µCT ray-generated virtual endocast shows that the new pterosaur exhibits a mosaic of plesiomorphic and derived traits of the inner ear and neuroanatomy that fills an important gap between those of non-monofenestratan breviquartossans (Rhamphorhynchidae) and derived pterodactyloids. These results suggest that, while modularity may play an important role at one anatomical level, at a finer level the evolution of structures within a module may follow a mosaic pattern.
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Griffin, Benjamin W., Elizabeth Martin-Silverstone, Rodrigo V. Pêgas, et al. "Modelling take-off moment arms in an ornithocheiraean pterosaur." PeerJ 12 (August 5, 2024): e17678. http://dx.doi.org/10.7717/peerj.17678.
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Take-off is a vital part of powered flight which likely constrains the size of birds, yet extinct pterosaurs are known to have reached far larger sizes. Three different hypothesised take-off motions (bipedal burst launching, bipedal countermotion launching, and quadrupedal launching) have been proposed as explanations for how pterosaurs became airborne and circumvented this proposed morphological limit. We have constructed a computational musculoskeletal model of a 5 m wingspan ornithocheiraean pterosaur, reconstructing thirty-four key muscles to estimate the muscle moment arms throughout the three hypothesised take-off motions. Range of motion constrained hypothetical kinematic sequences for bipedal and quadrupedal take-off motions were modelled after extant flying vertebrates. Across our simulations we did not find higher hindlimb moment arms for bipedal take-off motions or noticeably higher forelimb moment arms in the forelimb for quadrupedal take-off motions. Despite this, in all our models we found the muscles utilised in the quadrupedal take-off have the largest total launch applicable moment arms throughout the entire take-off sequences and for the take-off pose. This indicates the potential availability of higher leverage for a quadrupedal take-off than hypothesised bipedal motions in pterosaurs pending further examination of muscle forces.
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NA. "A diminutive pterosaur (Pterosauria: Eudimorphodontidae) from the Greenlandic Triassic." Bulletin of the Museum of Comparative Zoology at Harvard College 156 (June 5, 2001): 151–70. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.13396206.
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VULLO, ROMAIN, ÁNGELA D. BUSCALIONI, JESÚS MARUGÁN-LOBÓN, and JOSÉ J. MORATALLA. "First pterosaur remains from the Early Cretaceous Lagerstätte of Las Hoyas, Spain: palaeoecological significance." Geological Magazine 146, no. 6 (2009): 931–36. http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/s0016756809990525.
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AbstractPterosaur teeth from the Early Cretaceous Lagerstätte of Las Hoyas (Spain) are described. We reassess the track from this site previously ascribed to a pterosaur, concluding that it is a theropod footprint. The teeth belong to two pterodactyloid taxa: a basal Istiodactylidae similar toHaopterusand an indeterminate Ornithocheiridae. From a palaeoecological point of view, the occurrence of such pterosaurs in the freshwater wetland palaeobiota of Las Hoyas strengthens the evidence of the similarity of this Spanish locality to the famous Early Cretaceous Lagerstätten of Liaoning in China.
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Averianov, Alexander, Gareth Dyke, Igor Danilov, and Pavel Skutschas. "The paleoenvironments of azhdarchid pterosaurs localities in the Late Cretaceous of Kazakhstan." ZooKeys 483 (February 20, 2015): 59–80. https://doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.483.9058.
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Five pterosaur localities are currently known from the Late Cretaceous in the northeastern Aral Sea region of Kazakhstan. Of these, one is Turonian-Coniacian in age, the Zhirkindek Formation (Tyulkili), and four are Santonian in age, all from the early Campanian Bostobe Formation (Baibishe, Akkurgan, Buroinak, and Shakh Shakh). All so far collected and identifiable Late Cretaceous pterosaur bones from Kazakhstan likely belong to Azhdarchidae: Azhdarcho sp. (Tyulkili); Aralazhdarcho bostobensis (Shakh Shakh); and Samrukia nessovi (Akkurgan). These latter two taxa, both from the Bostobe Formation might be synonyms. Azhdarcho sp. from the Zhirkindek Formation lived in a tropical-to-subtropical relatively humid climate on the shore of an estuarine basin connected to the Turgai Sea. Known fossils were collected in association with brackish-water bivalves and so the overall paleoenvironment of this pterosaur was likely an estuarine marsh as indicated by the dominance of conifers and low relative counts of ferns and angiosperms. Aralazhdarcho bostobensis, from the Bostobe Formation, lived on a coastal fluvial plain along the Turgai Sea. This paleoenvironment was either floodplain (Akkurgan, Buroinak, and Shakh Shakh) or estuarine (Baibishe). In the Santonian – early Campanian, shallow waters near this coastal plain were sites for the intensive accumulation of phosphates under upwelling conditions caused by strong winds from the ancient Asian landmass. These winds also caused significant aridization of the climate during this time. We speculate that pterosaurs may have been attracted to this area by the abundant resources in the bio-productive estuaries and nearshore upwelling waters.
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MARTILL, DAVID M., EBERHARD FREY, GUILLERMO CHONG DIAZ, and C. M. BELL. "Reinterpretation of a Chilean pterosaur and the occurrence of Dsungaripteridae in South America." Geological Magazine 137, no. 1 (2000): 19–25. http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/s0016756800003502.
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A fragmentary specimen of pterosaur originally assigned to the genus Pterodaustro Bonaparte, 1970 is reassessed. The presence of a sagittal dorsal cranial crest on a fragment of nasopreorbital arcade with linear vertical trabeculae and the occurrence of alveolar protuberances on the os dentale indicate the new specimen has similarities with crested pterodactyloid pterosaurs of the family Ctenochasmatidae, and with members of the Dsungaripteridae. The presence of alveolar protuberances allows us to assign the specimen to the Dsungaripteridae. It forms the basis of a new genus and species, Domeykodactylus ceciliae.
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Sneed, Annie. "Pterosaur Tech." Scientific American 311, no. 2 (2014): 22–23. http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/scientificamerican0814-22a.
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Koroljov, A. V. "Pterosaur flight." Biology Bulletin Reviews 7, no. 3 (2017): 179–228. http://dx.doi.org/10.1134/s2079086417030045.
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D’Alba, Liliana. "Pterosaur plumage." Nature Ecology & Evolution 3, no. 1 (2018): 12–13. http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/s41559-018-0767-0.
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Alarcón_Muñoz, Jhonatan, Karina Buldrini Oviedo, Dániel Bajor, and David Rubilar Rogers. "Note on new pterosaur remains (Archosauria: Pterodactyloidea) from Cerro La Isla, Atacama region, northern Chile." Boletín Museo Nacional de Historia Natural 71, no. 2 (2022): 1–8. http://dx.doi.org/10.54830/bmnhn.v71.n2.2022.213.
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In this study, new isolated fragmentary pterosaur bones are described from Lower Cretaceous outcrops exposed at Cerro La Isla, a site located approximately 95 km east of Copiapó city, Atacama region, northern Chile. The material consists of a jaw fragment with broken teeth, the caudal portion of a mid-cervical vertebra and the distal portion of a femur. Based on their morphology, the jaw and cervical fragments are assigned to Ctenochasmatidae, a group of pterodactyloid pterosaurs that has been previously reported from this locality, while the femur lacks diagnostic characters that would allow its referral to a more exclusive taxon than Pterodactyloidea indet. This new material confirms the previously proposed presence of ctenochasmatid pterosaurs in the Cretaceous outcrops of Cerro La Isla, and increases the diversity of their skeletal elements discovered at the site.
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Chen, He, Shunxing Jiang, Alexander W. A. Kellner, et al. "New anatomical information on Dsungaripterus weii Young, 1964 with focus on the palatal region." PeerJ 8 (April 1, 2020): e8741. http://dx.doi.org/10.7717/peerj.8741.
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Pterosaur specimens with complete and well-preserved palatal region are rare. Here we describe new and previously collected specimens of the pterodactyloid pterosaur Dsungaripterus weii that are three-dimensionally preserved and provide new anatomical information for this species. Among the unique features is a lateral process of the pterygoid divided into two parts: an anterior thin, parabolic arc shaped element that separates the secondary subtemporal and the subtemporal fenestrae, followed by a dorsoventrally flattened portion that is directed inside the subtemporal fenestrae. The interpterygoid fenestrae join forming an irregular oval shape with two symmetrical posterior notches and a smooth anterior margin. Among all pterosaurs where the palate is known, the posterior configuration of the palate of D. weii is similar to some azhdarchoids, which is consistent with the suggested phylogenetic position of the Dsungaripteridae as closely related to the Azhdarchoidea. Furthermore, we identify symmetrical grooves on the lateral surface of the upper and lower jaws, that likely represent the impression of the edge of a keratinous sheath that would cover the upturned toothless rostrum during foraging activity, most likely consisting of hard elements, as has been previously assumed. Wear facets on the teeth also support this feeding mode.
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Kellner, Alexander W. A. "Comments on Triassic pterosaurs with discussion about ontogeny and description of new taxa." Anais da Academia Brasileira de Ciências 87, no. 2 (2015): 669–89. http://dx.doi.org/10.1590/0001-3765201520150307.
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Eudimorphodon ranzii was the first Triassic pterosaur to be described and several specimens have been referred to this taxon mainly based on the presence of multicuspid teeth. Since this dental feature has been observed in several other pterosaurs, the revision of some specimens assigned to Eudimorphodon shows that they represent new taxa as follows: Arcticodactyluscromptonellus (comb. nov.), Austriadraco dallavecchiai (gen. et sp. nov.) and Bergamodactyluswildi (gen. et sp. nov.). A preliminary analysis of pterosaur ontogeny resulted in the recognition of six distinct ontogenetic stages (OS1-6). According to this classification, the holotype of Arcticodactyluscromptonellus has reached OS2, and although being ontogenetically much younger than others, the conspicuous anatomical differences lead to its exclusion from Eudimorphodon. The holotypes of Austriadraco dallavecchiai,Bergamodactyluswildi and Carniadactylus rosenfeldi have reached at least OS5, which demonstrates that the anatomical differences among them cannot be explained by ontogeny. Moreover, Bergamodactyluswildi reaches about 60% of the maximized wingspan of Carniadactylus rosenfeldi and further concurs that these specimens collected in distinct Triassic Islands of Europe are not conspecific. The present study increases the diversity of Triassic flying reptiles and further pushes the origins of this clade back to at least the Middle Triassic.
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Cheng, Xin, Shunxing Jiang, Xiaolin Wang, and Alexander W. A. Kellner. "New anatomical information of the wukongopteridKunpengopterus sinensisWang et al., 2010 based on a new specimen." PeerJ 5 (December 1, 2017): e4102. http://dx.doi.org/10.7717/peerj.4102.
Full textAbstract:
The Wukongopteridae compose a non-pterodactyloid clade of pterosaurs that are the most abundant flying reptiles in the deposits of the Middle-Late Jurassic Yanliao Biota. Until now, five species of three genera and two additional unnamed specimens have been described. Here we report on a new material, IVPP V 23674, that can be referred to the wukongopteridKunpengopterus sinensisdue to several features such as a comparably short nasoantorbital fenestra, the dorsally rising posterodorsal margin of the ischium, and the very short first pedal phalanx of digit V relative to metatarsal IV. IVPP V 23674 provides the first view of a wukongopterid palate, which differs from all other pterosaurs by having a very large postpalatine fenestra and laterally compressed choanae, indicating that the evolution of the pterosaur palate was more complex than previously thought. Sesamoid bones at the dorsal side of manual unguals are present and are reported for the first time in a wukongopterid suggesting an arboreal life-style for these pterosaurs.
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Witton, Mark P., and Michael B. Habib. "On the Size and Flight Diversity of Giant Pterosaurs, the Use of Birds as Pterosaur Analogues and Comments on Pterosaur Flightlessness." PLoS ONE 5, no. 11 (2010): e13982. http://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0013982.
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