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Canejo L, Holgado B, Weinschütz LC, Ricetti JHZ, Wilner E, Kellner AWA. Novel information on the cranial anatomy of the tapejarine pterosaur Caiuajara dobruskii. PLoS One 2022; 17:e0277780. [PMID: 36520711 PMCID: PMC9754175 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0277780] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/11/2022] [Accepted: 11/03/2022] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Caiuajara dobruskii is a tapejarid pterosaur from the Cretaceous of the 'Cemitério dos Pterossauros' (pterosaur graveyard) site, a unique pterosaur bonebed which is located at the municipality of Cruzeiro do Oeste (Paraná, Brazil). Preliminary inferences on Caiuajara morphology were founded on a few partial skeletons, with no detail on the skull anatomy. Here we describe a new specimen from the pterosaur graveyard site, which corresponds to the most complete skull of Caiuajara dobruskii known so far. Furthermore, we describe and compare other specimens including the holotype, a paratype, and several other undescribed specimens. The new specimen preserves the posterior portion of the skull, allowing a better comprehension of its morphology and provides an appreciation of the anatomic structures of the basicranium, enabling better interpretation of this region. We also described the lower jaw of Caiuajara, reporting a unique feature of its symphyseal which adds to the diagnosis for the species. A variability in the premaxillary crest is also noted in different specimens of Caiuajara, which might be interpreted as sexual dimorphism or ontogenetic variability. Therefore, those new findings allow a better comprehension of its skull and enables a more precise comparison between the skulls of those extinct flying reptiles.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lucas Canejo
- Laboratory of Systematics and Taphonomy of Fossil Vertebrates, Departamento de Geologia e Paleontologia, Museu Nacional/Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil
- * E-mail: (LC); (BH)
| | - Borja Holgado
- Laboratory of Systematics and Taphonomy of Fossil Vertebrates, Departamento de Geologia e Paleontologia, Museu Nacional/Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil
- Institut Català de Paleontologia Miquel Crusafont, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain
- * E-mail: (LC); (BH)
| | - Luiz C. Weinschütz
- Centro de Pesquisa Paleontológica, Universidade do Contestado, Mafra, SC, Brazil
| | - João H. Z. Ricetti
- Centro de Pesquisa Paleontológica, Universidade do Contestado, Mafra, SC, Brazil
| | - Everton Wilner
- Centro de Pesquisa Paleontológica, Universidade do Contestado, Mafra, SC, Brazil
| | - Alexander W. A. Kellner
- Laboratory of Systematics and Taphonomy of Fossil Vertebrates, Departamento de Geologia e Paleontologia, Museu Nacional/Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil
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Kellner AW, Holgado B, Grillo O, Pretto FA, Kerber L, Pinheiro FL, Soares MB, Schultz CL, Lopes RT, Araújo O, Müller RT. Reassessment of Faxinalipterus minimus, a purported Triassic pterosaur from southern Brazil with the description of a new taxon. PeerJ 2022; 10:e13276. [PMID: 35529502 PMCID: PMC9074864 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.13276] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/05/2021] [Accepted: 03/24/2022] [Indexed: 01/13/2023] Open
Abstract
Faxinalipterus minimus was originally described as a purported pterosaur from the Late Triassic (early Norian) Caturrita Formation of southern Brazil. Its holotype comprises fragmentary postcranial elements, whereas a partial maxilla was referred to the species. The assignment of Faxinalipterus minimus to Pterosauria has been questioned by some studies, but the specimen has never been accessed in detail after its original description. Here we provide a reassessment of Faxinalipterus minimus after additional mechanical preparation of the holotype. Our interpretations on the identity of several bones differ from those of the original description, and we found no support favoring pterosaur affinities for the taxon. The maxilla previously referred to Faxinalipterus minimus is disassociated from this taxon and referred to a new putative pterosauromorph described here from a partial skull and fragmentary postcranial elements. Maehary bonapartei gen. et sp. nov. comes from the same fossiliferous site that yielded Faxinalipterus minimus, but the lack of overlapping bones hampers comparisons between the two taxa. Our phylogenetic analysis places Faxinalipterus minimus within Lagerpetidae and Maehary bonapartei gen. et sp. nov. as the earliest-diverging member of Pterosauromorpha. Furthermore, the peculiar morphology of the new taxon reveals a new dental morphotype for archosaurs, characterized by conical, unserrated crowns, with a pair of apicobasally oriented grooves. These two enigmatic archosaurs expand our knowledge on the Caturrita Formation fauna and reinforce the importance of its beds on the understanding of Late Triassic ecosystems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexander W.A. Kellner
- Laboratório de Sistemática e Tafonomia de Vertebrados Fósseis, Setor de Paleovertebrados, Departamento de Geologia e Paleontologia, Museu Nacional, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Borja Holgado
- Laboratório de Sistemática e Tafonomia de Vertebrados Fósseis, Setor de Paleovertebrados, Departamento de Geologia e Paleontologia, Museu Nacional, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil,Institut Català de Paleontologia Miquel Crusafont, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Barcelona, Cataluña, Spain
| | - Orlando Grillo
- Laboratório de Sistemática e Tafonomia de Vertebrados Fósseis, Setor de Paleovertebrados, Departamento de Geologia e Paleontologia, Museu Nacional, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Flávio Augusto Pretto
- Centro de Apoio à Pesquisa Paleontológica da Quarta Colônia, Universidade Federal de Santa Maria, São João do Polêsine, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil,Programa de Pós-Graduação em Biodiversidade Animal, Universidade Federal de Santa Maria, Santa Maria, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil
| | - Leonardo Kerber
- Centro de Apoio à Pesquisa Paleontológica da Quarta Colônia, Universidade Federal de Santa Maria, São João do Polêsine, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil,Programa de Pós-Graduação em Biodiversidade Animal, Universidade Federal de Santa Maria, Santa Maria, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil
| | - Felipe Lima Pinheiro
- Laboratório de Paleobiologia, Universidade Federal do Pampa, São Gabriel, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil
| | - Marina Bento Soares
- Laboratório de Sistemática e Tafonomia de Vertebrados Fósseis, Setor de Paleovertebrados, Departamento de Geologia e Paleontologia, Museu Nacional, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Cesar Leandro Schultz
- Departamento de Paleontologia e Estratigrafia, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil
| | - Ricardo Tadeu Lopes
- Laboratório de Instrumentação Nuclear, Programa de Engenharia Nuclear, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Olga Araújo
- Laboratório de Instrumentação Nuclear, Programa de Engenharia Nuclear, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Rodrigo Temp Müller
- Centro de Apoio à Pesquisa Paleontológica da Quarta Colônia, Universidade Federal de Santa Maria, São João do Polêsine, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil,Programa de Pós-Graduação em Biodiversidade Animal, Universidade Federal de Santa Maria, Santa Maria, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil
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Jiang S, Wang X, Zheng X, Cheng X, Wang X, Wei G, Kellner AWA. Two emetolite-pterosaur associations from the Late Jurassic of China: showing the first evidence for antiperistalsis in pterosaurs. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2022; 377:20210043. [PMID: 35125005 PMCID: PMC8819363 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2021.0043] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Knowledge about the pterosaur diet and digestive system is limited, and there is little direct evidence in the fossil record. Here, we report two specimens of the wukongopterid Kunpengopterus sinensis, a juvenile and an adult, from the Late Jurassic Yanliao Biota of China with associated bromalites. Both of these concentrations are identified as emetolites, fossilized gastric pellets. These pellets contain scales of an unnamed palaeonisciform fish, confirming the pterosaur was a piscivore. It probably vomited the pellets, indicating the presence of two-part stomachs and efficient antiperistalsis in both juveniles and adults. Comparing the ganoid scales found in the pellets with those of complete fishes, it was possible to determine that the prey of the smaller pellet is an average-sized individual, while the prey of the larger pellet represents a large specimen. Kunpengopterus sinensis might have preyed on the same fish during ontogeny, with adults being able to feed on larger individuals. This article is part of the theme issue 'The impact of Chinese palaeontology on evolutionary research'.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shunxing Jiang
- Key Laboratory of Vertebrate Evolution and Human Origins, Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology, Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), Beijing 100044, People's Republic of China.,CAS Center for Excellence in Life and Paleoenvironment, Beijing 100044, People's Republic of China
| | - Xiaoli Wang
- Institute of Geology and Paleontology, Linyi University, Linyi 276000, People's Republic of China.,Tianyu Natural History Museum of Shandong, Pingyi 273300, People's Republic of China
| | - Xiaoting Zheng
- Institute of Geology and Paleontology, Linyi University, Linyi 276000, People's Republic of China.,Tianyu Natural History Museum of Shandong, Pingyi 273300, People's Republic of China
| | - Xin Cheng
- College of Earth Sciences, Jilin University, Changchun 130061, People's Republic of China.,Laboratório de Paleontologia, Universidade Regional do Cariri, Crato 63195-000, Brazil
| | - Xiaolin Wang
- Key Laboratory of Vertebrate Evolution and Human Origins, Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology, Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), Beijing 100044, People's Republic of China.,CAS Center for Excellence in Life and Paleoenvironment, Beijing 100044, People's Republic of China.,College of Earth and Planetary Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, People's Republic of China
| | - Guangjin Wei
- Institute of Geology and Paleontology, Linyi University, Linyi 276000, People's Republic of China.,Tianyu Natural History Museum of Shandong, Pingyi 273300, People's Republic of China
| | - Alexander W A Kellner
- Laboratory of Systematics and Taphonomy of Fossil Vertebrates, Department of Geology and Paleontology, Museu Nacional/Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro 20940-040, Brazil
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