Juvenile specimens of the pterosaur Germanodactylus cristatus, with a review of the genus

Abstract

ABSTRACT Two juvenile specimens of the pterodactyloid pterosaur Germanodactylus cristatus are identified from the Solnhofen Limestone of southern Germany. The specimens had been referred to the nominal species Pterodactylus kochi and P. micronyx. They have edentulous tips on the upper and lower jaws; their skulls are taller and less elongate and have fewer teeth than similarly sized specimens assigned to P. antiquus and P. micronyx; and they have tall neural spines on their cervical vertebrae. In addition, they exhibit a distinctive suite of skeletal proportions that distinguishes them from similarly sized specimens assigned to P. antiquus and P. micronyx. The specimens do not exhibit any trace of a cranial crest, which supports the interpretation that the cranial crest developed late in ontogeny, probably as the individual approached skeletal and/or sexual maturity. The taxonomy of Germanodactylus is reviewed and revised diagnoses are presented.