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Eudimorphodon workshop (not so) short report
Dear listmembers,
The two days workshop celebrating the 30th anniversary from the
discovery of Eudimorphodon is just ended and I wish to share here some
comments and notes for those interested .Here I post a very short report,
focused only on reptiles for brevity (and partisanry), however all
contributions were well worth and informative.Who ever wants more details
may order the special issue of the museum journal dedicated to this event
at a ridiculous price (around 8 euros if I'm not wrong), where there are
the extended abstracts and figures.Just send a mail to
museogeo@comune.bg.it
and await for instructions, or ask me for help.
The first day was focused on scientific communications, strictly on
pterosaurs in the morning session and on the fauna of the Eudimorphodon
sites in the afternoon session.
Natasha Bakhurina proposed a reconstruction of Eudimorphodon with wing
patagium extended to ankles and a wide uropatagium, on the basis of
skeletal preservation and data available from a specimen in which the
membrane is in part preserved.
Chris Bennett explored the anatomy of Anurognathids proposing a detailed
restoration of the skull pattern and of the wing structure, suggesting
that the large gape of the mouth, the very wide orbits and the low loading
ratio of the wing may represent an adaptation for chasing insects on the
wing in dim light, something like nightjars and vespertilionids bats.
David Unwin and Alexander Kellner proposed different phylogenies for
pterosaurs and the following discussion was both informative and stimulating .
Fabio Dalla Vecchia made a valuable survey of the diversity of Triassic
pterosaurs, In particular I want to remember he pointed out the strict
affinity (if not synonymy at genus level) between Austriadactylus and
Preondactylus. A new specimen of this latter shows, among other characters,
the serrated teeth which were described for Austriadactylus a(it has to be
remembered that in the holotype of Preondactylus only impressions of the
bones were preserved, thus many characters were lost or not observable in
detail.
The afternoon session regarded the history of the finding (Anna Paganoni),
the geology and taphonomy of the Zorzino Limestone (Andrea Tintori), the
diversity of adaptation in the fish fauna (Cristina Lombardo) with
interesting insights in that blooming of non teleosts just before their
decline, the biomechanics of Saurichthys a top predator fish of that fauna
(Emanuele Gozzi) and the news about drepanosaurids (Silvio Renesto): the
latter are that NO drepanosaurid is adapted to aquatic life, that
drepanosaurids had a wide geographical distribution in the middle-Late
Triassic and that the reconstruction of the skull is progressing,
testifying that it was quite pterosaur like (as were the cervical
vertebrae) but no antorbital fenestra was present. Possibly a final
descripton will be ready for publication at the beginning of next year.
The second day was dedicatedto examination of specimen by convenors and I
am pretty convinced it was really fruitful for pterosaur research. Possibly
some new will sort out in a not long time.
Hospitality etc. was excellent as usual.
Thanks to everyone who read until here...and comments welcome
Silvio Renesto
_
"there's treasure everywhere"
(from a strip of Calvin & Hobbes)
"The bad man is the job of the good man"
(Lao Tzu)
Prof. Silvio Renesto
Department of Structural and Functional Biology
Università degli Studi dell'Insubria
via Dunant 3
21100 Varese
Tel. +39-0332-421560
e-mail: silvio.renesto@uninsubria.it