Thursday, November 28, 2019

[Paleontology • 2019] On Targaryendraco wiedenrothi gen. nov. (Pterodactyloidea, Pteranodontoidea, Lanceodontia) and Recognition of A New Cosmopolitan Lineage of Cretaceous Toothed Pterodactyloids


Targaryendraco wiedenrothi (Wild, 1990) 

in Pêgas, Holgado & Leal, 2019.
Illustration: Vítor Silva 

Holotype SMNS 56628 (Hauterivian, Engelbostel clay pit, Hannover).
in Rodrigues & Kellner, 2013. 

ABSTRACT
Ornithocheirus wiedenrothi, from the Hauterivian (Early Cretaceous of Germany), is a taxon represented by three-dimensional remains of the lower jaw and wing elements. Its phylogenetic affinities have for long been elusive, though several works had already pointed out that it probably did not belong within the wastebasket genus Ornithocheirus. In the present contribution, we redescribe this species, assigning it to the new genus Targaryendraco and offering updated morphological comparisons. Subsequently, we present a phylogenetic analysis in which we recover a clade formed by Targaryendraco, Aussiedraco, Barbosania, Aetodactylus, Camposipterus and Cimoliopterus. This newly recognised clade is interesting in being quite cosmopolitan and spanning from the Hauterivian to the Cenomanian, like its sister-group, the Anhangueria. The recognition of this clade helps fill the temporal gap between the Anhangueria and Cimoliopterus, and also demonstrates that the diversity of Cretaceous toothed pterosaurs was higher than previously thought.

KEYWORDS: Pterosaur phylogeny, systematics, taxonomy, skull morphology, Targaryendraconia


Systematic palaeontology
Pterosauria Kaup, 1834
Pterodactyloidea Plieninger, 1901
Ornithocheiroidea Seeley 1870 sensu Bennett, 1994
Pteranodontoidea Marsh, 1876 sensu Kellner 2003

Lanceodontia Andres et al. 2014

Targaryendraconia new clade

Type genus: Targaryendraco gen. nov. 
Content: Targaryendraco, Aussiedraco, Barbosania, Aetodactylus, Camposipterus and Cimoliopterus.

Cimoliopteridae new clade 
Type genus: Cimoliopterus. 
Content: Aetodactylus, Camposipterus and Cimoliopterus.




‘Ornithocheirus’ wiedenrothi, holotype SMNS 56628 (Hauterivian, Engelbostel clay pit, Hannover), anterior part of the mandibular symphysis. A dorsal view B respective line drawing C left lateral view D respective line drawing.
 Abbreviations: d – dentary, sul – sulcus. Arrows and numbers indicate alveoli or teeth and their respective position.
 Scale bar = 10 mm.

Rodrigues & Kellner, 2013. DOI: 10.3897/zookeys.308.5559

Targaryendraconidae new clade 

Type genus: Targaryendraco gen. nov. 
Content: Targaryendraco, Aussiedraco and Barbosania.


Targaryendraco gen. nov. 

Etymology A combination of Targaryen and draco (from the Latin word for dragon), in reference to the fictional dragons of the saga A Song of Ice and Fire that exhibit dark-coloured bones. This refers to the dark colour of the type specimen of Targaryendraco wiedenrothi comb. nov., as well as to the classic association between pterosaurs and dragons (e.g. Seeley 1870). This reference also honours the fact that pterosaurs have inspired some biological aspects of the dragons featured in the novels. 

Type species Ornithocheirus wiedenrothi Wild 1990. 

Targaryendraco wiedenrothi (Wild 1990) comb. nov.

  


Rodrigo V. Pêgas, Borja Holgado and Maria Eduarda C. Leal. 2019. On Targaryendraco wiedenrothi gen. nov. (Pterodactyloidea, Pteranodontoidea, Lanceodontia) and Recognition of A New Cosmopolitan Lineage of Cretaceous Toothed Pterodactyloids. Historical Biology: An International Journal of Paleobiology. DOI: 10.1080/08912963.2019.1690482 

Taissa Rodrigues and Alexander Wilhelm Armin Kellner. 2013. Taxonomic Review of the Ornithocheirus complex (Pterosauria) from the Cretaceous of England. ZooKeys. 308: 1-112. DOI:  10.3897/zookeys.308.5559

  

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