Multiple new pterosaurs

["Thomas R. Holtz, Jr." <tholtz@geol.umd.edu>]

The following is forwarded from Darren Naish.  *I* don't have a copy of this
volume yet, so don't ask me about it...

-------------------

The new Buffetaut & Mazin pterosaur volume arrived a
couple of days ago. The full citation is...

Buffetaut, E. & Mazin, J.-M. 2003. _Evolution and
Palaeobiology of Pterosaurs. Geological Society Special
Publication 217_. The Geological Society of London, pp.
347. ISBN 1-86239-143-2.

If you're into pterosaurs it is, needless to say, a MUST have.
I don't have the time to do a full summary of the contents,
that would take ages, but here is a brief report on the new
taxa described or named therein...

Carpenter et al. describe the new Morriosn Fm
scaphognathine rhamphorhynchid _Harpactognathus
gentryii_. Similar to _Scaphognathus_, superficially at least.

The famous 'pterosaur predicted by the toy industry'/'leaf-
biter' or whatever you want to call it (the new crested
Brazilian ornithocheirid) is named _Ludodactylus sibbicki_
by Frey et al. _Ludodactylus_ = 'play pterosaur' (in allusion
to 'predictive' toy pterosaurs).

In another paper, Frey et al. name _Tapejara navigans_ for
the Crato Fm tapejarid (depicted in Walking With
Dinosaurs) which has a near-vertical crest: rather like that
of _T. imperator_ but not directed caudodorsally, nor
apparently with the rod-like caudodorsal occipital process.

Pereda Suberbiola et al. name _Phosphatodraco
mauritanicus_ for a Moroccan azhdarchid.

In a review of pterosaur phylogeny, Kellner proposes the
new names Asiaticognathidae (_Batrachognathus_ +
_Dendrorhynchoides_) and Novialoidea
(campylognathoidids and all higher pterosaurs).

Unwin also has a large paper on pterosaur phylogeny (as
expected, quite different in some details from Kellner's but
actually not _that_ different overall) and the following new
taxa are named; Macronychoptera (ADMRCA of
_Dimorphodon_ and _Quetz._, thus excluding
_Preondactylus_); Caelidracones (ADMRCA of
_Anurognathus_ and _Quetz._, thus excluding
_Preondactylus_ and dimorphodontids); Lonchognatha
(ADMRCA of _Eudimorphodon_, _Rhamphorhynchus_
and _Quetz._); Breviquartossa (ADMRCA of
_Rhamphorhynchus_ and _Quetz._); Euornithocheira
(ADMRCA of _Ornithocheirus_ and _Pteranodon_, thus
excluding [within Ornithocheiroidea] _Istiodactylus_);
Pteranodontia (converted from Marsh, 1876 for the
pteranodontid-nyctosaur clade); Lophocratia (ADMRCA of
_Pterodaustro_ and _Quetz._); Euctenochasmatia
(ADMRCA of _Pterodactylus_ and _Pterodaustro_, thus
excluding [within Ctenochasmatoidea] _Cycnorhamphus_);
and Neoazhdarchia (ADMRCA of _Tupuxuara_ and
_Quetz., thus excluding [within Azhdarchoidea]
_Tapejara_. Note that the latter means bye-bye to
Tapejaridae.

On the subject of pterosaurs, there was an article all about
Dave Peters' SVP presentation in The Times' Higher
Education Supplement last week. Without spilling the
beans, I will say that it took a somewhat err, critical, view of
Dave's research.

Back to work... see some of you at the British Dinosaurs
conference (this week: Nov' 5th and 6th).

--
Darren Naish
School of Earth & Environmental Sciences
University of Portsmouth UK, PO1 3QL

email: darren.naish@port.ac.uk
tel: 023 92846045

                Thomas R. Holtz, Jr.
                Vertebrate Paleontologist
Department of Geology           Director, Earth, Life & Time Program
University of Maryland          College Park Scholars
                College Park, MD  20742
http://www.geol.umd.edu/~tholtz/tholtz.htm
http://www.geol.umd.edu/~jmerck/eltsite
Phone:  301-405-4084    Email:  tholtz@geol.umd.edu
Fax (Geol):  301-314-9661       Fax (CPS-ELT): 301-405-0796