An unusual pterosaur specimen (Pterodactyloidea, ?azhdarchoidea) from the early cretaceous Romualdo formation of Brazil, and the evolution of the pterodactyloid palate.

Felipe L Pinheiro,Cesar L Schultz,Andrew A Farke

doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0050088

Felipe L Pinheiro, Cesar L Schultz + Show 1 more

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https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0050088

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Abstract

A new and unusual specimen of a probable azhdarchoid pterosaur is described for the Early Cretaceous (Albian) Romualdo Formation of Brazil. The specimen consists of a palate that, although fragmentary, has a unique morphology differing from all other known pterosaurs with preservation of palatal elements. The new specimen probably indicates the presence of a yet undescribed pterodactyloid taxon for Romualdo Formation and brings new information on pterosaur diversity of this sedimentary unity. Mainly due to the rarity of pterodactyloid specimens with palate preservation, this structure has been overlooked in this clade. Here, we reassess the palatal anatomy of Pterodactyloidea, revealing an intriguing variety of morphotypes and evolutionary trends, some of them described here for the first time. The morphological disparity displayed by different pterodactyloid taxa may be further evidence of the presence of diverse feeding strategies within the clade.

Highlights

The fragile nature of pterosaur skeletons has had the effect of limiting superior preservation of their remains to isolated Lagerstatten throughout the world [1,2]
Istiodactylids have exceptionally large nasoantorbital fenestrae, in these pterosaurs, the tip of the rostrum is remarkably blunt, but the maxillae converge in a higher angle than what is observed in MPSC R 859
The new specimen makes it clear that palatal features can be of great relevance in diagnosing azhdarchoid pterosaurs and that the variation is probably related to the development of a diversity of feeding habits among the members of this clade

Summary

Introduction

The fragile nature of pterosaur skeletons has had the effect of limiting superior preservation of their remains to isolated Lagerstatten throughout the world [1,2]. Even in these deposits, three-dimensional preservation rarely occurs. A good example of this is the pterosaur palate, because its study depends on either threedimensionally preserved specimens or on exceptionally rare palatal views of compressed skulls. Because of this limitation, some bones and structures have been misidentified throughout the literature [3]

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