Taxonomic review of the Ornithocheirus complex (Pterosauria) from the Cretaceous of England
Author
Rodrigues, Taissa
Department of Biology, Agrarian Sciences Center, Universidade Federal do Espirito Santo. Alto Universitario s / n, Caixa Postal 16, Guararema, CEP 29500 - 000, Alegre, ES, Brazil
taissa.rodrigues@gmail.com
Author
Kellner, Alexander Wilhelm Armin
Laboratory of Systematics and Taphonomy of Fossil Vertebrates, Department of Geology and Paleontology, Museu Nacional / Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro. Quinta da Boa Vista s / n, Sao Cristovao, CEP 20940 - 040, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil
text
ZooKeys
2013
2013-06-12
308
1
112
http://dx.doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.308.5559
journal article
http://dx.doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.308.5559
1313-2970-308-1
EEC31850AAAB4081B05AB80A2D944658
FFA2FFFEFFE74632FFB7FFC7D553CE26
577662
Camposipterus nasutus
comb. n.
Fig. 9
"Ptenodactylus"
nasutus
Seeley:
Seeley 1869
: p. xvi [disclaimed]
Ornithocheirus nasutus
Seeley:
Seeley 1870
: p. 120
Ornithocheirus nasutus
Seeley:
Hooley 1914
: p. 535
Anhanguera fittoni
(Owen):
Unwin 2001
: fig. 10C-E, table 1 [synonymy]
Holotype.
CAMSM B 54556, anterior portion of the rostrum (
Fig. 9A-D
).
Type locality.
Haslingfield, Cambridgeshire, England.
Type horizon.
Cambridge Greensand (Cenomanian; fossils Albian in age).
Diagnosis.
Pterodactyloid pterosaur with the following combination of characters that distinguishes it from other members of the clade (autapomorphies are marked with an asterisk): dorsal margin of the rostrum straight to gently concave in lateral view; palatal ridge extends anteriorly until just posterior to the second pair of alveoli; spacing between alveoli irregular, with the anterior alveoli closer and the posterior ones more distant from each
other
; density of almost 3 alveoli each 3 cm anteriorly and 2,5 alveoli each 3 cm posteriorly*; tip of the rostrum dorsoventrally flattened, wider than high in anterior view*; second and third alveoli face lateroventrally; anterior portion of the premaxillae slightly expanded.
Description.
Camposipterus
nasutus
was originally described by
Seeley (1870)
as
Ornithocheirus nasutus
. Seeley noted that it has an expansion at the tip of the rostrum, a palatal ridge extending posteriorly to the level of the second pair of alveoli, the first pair of alveoli facing forward, and a dorsoventrally compression of the tip of the rostrum. It differs from
Cimoliopterus cuvieri
, which possesses a premaxillary crest but no anterior expansion of the rostrum, and which is higher than wide in anterior view, in contrast with the wider than high tip of the rostrum of
Camposipterus nasutus
.
Remarks.
Unwin (2001)
synonymized the species with
Anhanguera fittoni
[=
Pterodactylus fittoni
, here considered a
nomen dubium
, see below]. We do not agree with this view because the holotype of
Camposipterus nasutus
is dorsoventrally flattened and has an anterior expansion. By contrast,
Pterodactylus fittoni
is known from a fragmentary rostrum that, although incomplete anteriorly, does not share these features. It can also be excluded from
Anhanguera
because it does not have a premaxillary crest; furthermore, no species definitely referable to
Anhanguera
has a dorsoventrally flattened rostrum. It can be expected that the description of new, more complete specimens from the Romualdo Formation of the Santana Group, currently under work by several researchers, will help shed light in its relationships with taxa such as
Brasileodactylus araripensis
Kellner, 1984 (see
Kellner 1984
), but so far the dorsoventrally flattened anterior end of the rostrum seems to be diagnostic for
Camposipterus nasutus
.
Figure 9.
Camposipterus nasutus
comb. n. Holotype CAMSM B 54556 (Albian, Cambridge Greensand), anterior part of the rostrum
A
left lateral view
B
respective line drawing
C
ventral view
D
respective line drawing. Abbreviations:
m
- maxillae,
pm
- premaxillae,
prid
- palatal ridge. Arrows and numbers indicate alveoli or teeth and their respective position. Scale bar = 10 mm.