re: Sericipterus (Andres, Clark and Xu 2010)

[David Peters <davidpeters@att.net>]

A new pterosaur specimen, Sericipterus wucaiwanensis, (Jurassic, China) was 
well researched and compared to 19 pterosaurs. Angustinaripterus makes a good 
sister taxon. Too bad no ctenochasmatids were also compared. That's where those 
long, thin, curved teeth were evolving toward.

Also, the authors identify a nasoantorbital fenestra in Anurognathidae, which 
they say is the sister taxon to the Pterodactyloidea. They say the ascending 
proces of the maxilla, which divided the naris from the aof is absent in 
Jeholopterus and Batrachognathus. But then, they also buy into the 
reconstruction by Bennett which places the sclerotic ring in the traditional 
antorbital fenestra. So, yeah, in front of this, there IS only one more 
fenestra. 

Jeez. Let's get back to making some skull tracings and reconstructions, guys! 
What the heck are you identifying as what?? This is getting curiouser and 
curiouser.

Appropriate that Alice in Wonderland just came out. 

David Peters
St. Louis