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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