New pterosaur specimens with geographic and stratigraphic procedence from the romualdo formation (lower cretaceous, araripe basin, Brazil)

Abstract

Pterosaurs are the second most abundant fossil vertebrates in the Araripe Basin, Northeastern Brazil. As a matter of fact, this sedimentary unit has produced some of the best-preserved pterosaur fossils worldwide. In spite of that, most Araripe pterosaur fossils lack collection data, including precise geographic coordinates and fine-scale stratigraphic procedence. Here we describe the first pterosaur fossils from the Sobradinho site (Ceará state, Northeast Brazil). The new specimens have full collection data, being composed by exceptionally-preserved, uncompressed bones. Preserved materials include one humerus, two scapulae, two coracoids, one vertebra, one rib, and a fragment of the pelvic girdle with diagnostic features of the Pteranodontoidea. Aside from the morphological description of the new specimen, we also discuss its ontogeny, associated fauna, and the importance of geographic and stratigraphically controlled pterosaur collections, especially within the context of the Araripe Basin.