Abstract
A remarkably well-preserved, almost complete and articulated new specimen (GP/2E 9266) of Tupandactylus navigans is here described for the Early Cretaceous Crato Formation of Brazil. The new specimen comprises an almost complete skeleton, preserving both the skull and post-cranium, associated with remarkable preservation of soft tissues, which makes it the most complete tapejarid known thus far. CT-Scanning was performed to allow the assessment of bones still covered by sediment. The specimen can be assigned to Tupa. navigans due to its vertical supra-premaxillary bony process and short and rounded parietal crest. It also bears the largest dentary crest among tapejarine pterosaurs and a notarium, which is absent in other representatives of the clade. The new specimen is here regarded as an adult individual. This is the first time that postcranial remains of Tupa. navigans are described, being also an unprecedented record of an articulated tapejarid skeleton from the Araripe Basin.
Highlights
The pterosaur clade Tapejaridae was a major component of Early Cretaceous continental faunas, achieving a widespread distribution in Gondwana and Eurasia (e.g. [1,2,3])
Tupandactylus navigans can be distinguished from other tapejarid pterosaurs by 1) previously defined autapomorphies [9]: premaxillomaxilla concave anteriorly; a striated premaxillary crest; supra-premaxillary bony process perpendicular to the long axis of the skull; parietal crest short and rounded; 2) autapomorphies identified in GP/2E 9266: anteriorly deflected expansion of premaxillary crest; deep and blade-shaped dentary crest with subvertical posterior margin; lateral surfaces of cervical vertebrae postzygapophyses with longitudinal grooves
We identified previously unrecorded diagnostic features that distinguish Tupa. navigans from other tapejarine pterosaurs, such as a deep, blade-shaped dentary crest (dentary crest height/ mandibular ramus height (DCH/MRH) ratio = 5.3) with a subvertical posterior margin, and cervical postzygapophyses displaying lateral longitudinal grooves. This is the first time that some features are reported for Tapejarinae, such as the fusion of the atlas-axis complex, the presence of a notarium and a synsacral supraneural plate, and metacarpals I-III barely reaching the proximal half of metacarpal IV
Summary
The pterosaur clade Tapejaridae was a major component of Early Cretaceous continental faunas, achieving a widespread distribution in Gondwana and Eurasia (e.g. [1,2,3]). Most Brazilian tapejarids are known from isolate skulls or partial skeletons, with the exceptions of Caiuajara dobruskii and Tapejara
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