A new unusual tapejarid (Pterosauria, Pterodactyloidea) from the Early Cretaceous Romualdo Formation, Araripe Basin, Brazil
A new unusual tapejarid (Pterosauria, Pterodactyloidea) from the Early Cretaceous Romualdo Formation, Araripe Basin, Brazil
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DOI：
10.1017/s1755691013000327
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发表时间：
2012-09-01
影响因子：
1.2
通讯作者：
Kellner, Alexander W. A.
中科院分区：
文献类型：
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作者：
Kellner, Alexander W. A.
根据头骨、下颌和一些颅后元素，描述了一种来自早白垩世罗穆阿尔多组（巴西阿拉里佩盆地）的新奇特翼龙。 Caupedactylus ybaka gen.等显示了 Thalassodrominae 典型的高鼻眶孔，但缺乏腭脊，并且与 Tapejarinae 具有一些共同特征，包括下垂的喙端，使其可以分配到该分支。此外，新物种的不同之处在于具有前后扩张的前上颌矢状嵴、强烈倾斜的颈泪突以及狭缝状的腭后窗孔等特征。左侧颊方区域显示出可能是感染所致的病理。前上颌骨嵴的侧面有凹槽，在其他翼龙中被解释为血管印记，这证实了越来越多的证据表明颅嵴可能参与了体温调节。此外，该新物种的上颚保存完好，有一个大腭，形成后鼻孔的前部区域和腭后窗孔以及次级颞下窗孔。由于后者被认为是非翼手龙所独有的，它在有尾龙中的出现表明翼龙腭部区域的进化比之前认为的更为复杂。
A new unusual tapejarid pterosaur from the Early Cretaceous Romualdo Formation (Araripe Basin, Brazil) is described, based on a skull, lower jaw and some postcranial elements. Caupedactylus ybaka gen. et sp. shows the typical high nasoantorbital fenestra of the Thalassodrominae but lacks a palatal ridge, and shares with the Tapejarinae several features, including a downturned rostral end, allowing its allocation to that clade. Furthermore, the new species differs in having an anteriorly and posteriorly expanded premaxillary sagittal crest, the lacrimal process of the jugal strongly inclined, and a slit-like postpalatine fenestra, among other characters. The region of the left jugal-quadratojugalquadrate shows a pathology that is likely the result of an infection. The lateral surface of the premaxillary crest presents grooves that were interpreted in other pterosaurs as impressions of blood vessels, corroborating growing evidence that cranial crests could have been involved in thermoregulation. Also, the new species has a well-preserved palate with a large palatine forming the anterior region of the choanae and the postpalatine fenestra and a secondary subtemporal fenestra. Since the latter has been regarded as unique to non-pterodactyloids, its occurrence in Caupedactylus demonstrates that the evolution of palatal region in pterosaurs is more complex than previously thought.