re: Pneumaticity in Triassic pterosaurs

[David Peters <davidpeters@att.net>]

I haven't seen the paper, but the following appears as supplemental  
data:

>>The former view, that pterosaurs are archosaurs, appears to be  
best supported
by the data at present (Hone & Benton 2007), and is followed here. If  
future work
demonstrates conclusively that pterosaurs are positioned outside of  
Archosauria, this would
have significant implications for the present study. A non-archosaur  
position for pterosaurs
would substantially decrease the likelihood that the soft-tissue  
systems responsible for PSP in
pterosaurs and birds are homologous. This would in turn decrease the  
robustness of using
particular patterns of PSP in pterosaurs to infer pneumatisation by  
distinct components of an
air-sac system based upon comparisons with birds. <<

Interesting that they didn't even test the other option.  
Sharovipteryx has hollow leg bones and no one has looked for  
peneumatic foramina in it. Opportunity missed. All other fenestrasaur  
taxa are well crushed or 'impressionistic'.

The authors found evidence of postcranial skeletal pneumaticity (PSP)  
in Dimorphodon, Raeticodactylus and Eudimorphodon spp. (BSP 1994 I  
51) among early pterosaurs.

David Peters
davidpeters@att.net