The pterosaur Tethydraco regalis was named by Longrich et al. in 2018. The holotype is FSAC-OB 1, a left humerus, and referred were two ulnae, two femurs, and a tibia. All of this material hails from the Ouled Abdoun Basin of Morocco, specifically the latest Maastrichtian "Couche III" phosphate bed. A bunch of other pterosaur … Continue reading What is Tethydraco? (plus a few words on azhdarchid habits)
As you probably already know, Sinopterus is a genus of tapejarid pterosaur from the Jiufotang Formation of China. The holotype of Sinopterus dongi was first named by Wang and Zhou (2003). Since then, a bunch of other species of tapejarid from the Jiufotang Formation have been named (incl. Li et al. 2003, Lü et al. … Continue reading Cladistic ontogeny of Jiufotang tapejarids
The early Cretaceous had a great diversity of pterosaurs. All four major groups of pterodactyloid - Archaeopterodactyloidea, Dsungaripteridae, Pteranodontoidea, and Azhdarchoidea - are present, and very diverse (Barrett et al., 2008). Even a few anurognathids were still present until at least the Aptian. By the end of the Cretaceous, this diversity had been reduced to … Continue reading A Turonian pterosaur turnover?
Santanadactylus brasiliensis is one of the many Romualdo Formation pterosaurs, named by P.H. de Buisonje (1980). The holotype is University of Amsterdam M 4894, an associated humerus and scapulocoracoid. The humerus looks pretty standard for Anhangueria, and it likely belongs to this clade (in fact I would not be surprised if it is within Anhanguera … Continue reading On the paratype of Santanadactylus brasiliensis
Distribution of preserved pycnofibres in NJU-57003 (left) and CAGS-Z070 (right). From Yang et al. 2019 As you probably know, a recent paper reports complex branched filaments in two anurognathid specimens (Yang et al. 2019). While this hasn't been the first time branched pycnofibres have been reported (Czerkas and Ji 2002, Cincotta et al. 2016), this … Continue reading Fuzzy anurognathids!
Vremir et al. recently published a paper on a new partial mandible of a large (+8 m wingspan) Azhdarchoid pterosaur from Romania. This specimen was collected in 1984 and is... not particularly well-preserved, but it is informative enough to give us an idea of its relations. The authors tentatively proposed a position as a primitive … Continue reading The Romanian azhdarchid mandible: the “missing piece”?
Ah, Lonchodectids. One of the most obscure and little-known pterosaur clades. The clade could include Lonchodectes, Lonchodraco , "Palaeornis" cliftii, Prejanopterus, Serradraco, Unwindia, Yixianopterus, the unnamed specimen BEXHM 2015.18, and an unpublished specimen nicknamed "Chang-e". Most of these, except Yixianopterus and allegedly Chang-e, are known from pretty fragmentary remains; and of those two, the latter is unpublished … Continue reading Lonchodectid lifestyle logic
In 1988, Alexander Kellner and Diogenes de Almedeia Campos described a new species of pterosaur, Tupuxuara longicristatus, known from an anterior section of skull, mostly the front part of the nasoantorbital fenestra. Six years later, it was joined by T. leonardii, which is also fragmentary but distinguishable by a less extensive palatal ridge. Later, a … Continue reading On Caupedactylus and Tupuxuara deliradamus
Update 10/4/2022: This post is five years old and very outdated. A lot of newer research on Kem Kem pterosaurs has occurred since this post, including the naming of many new taxa. Do not use this as a source anymore. The Kem Kem Beds lie on the border of Morocco and Algeria. This formation produces … Continue reading Pterosaurs of the Kem Kem Beds
Those with Pycnofibres 