A new species of Tapejarid Pterodactyl from the Early Cretaceous Las Hoyas Lagerstätte of eastern Spain.

The Tapejarid Pterodactyls are a group of bizarre, toothless Pterosaurs known from the Early Cretaceous (Aptian–Albian stages, 125–99 million years ago) of Brazil and China, with a single possible Late Cretaceous specimen from Morocco. The Tapejarids sported large, distinctive crests that varied a great deal between species. The lifestyle and diet of the Tapejarids is unclear, but it has been noted that a number of groups of Pterosaurs independently evolved toothless forms in the Early Cretaceous, implying that a new ecological niche had become available. It has further been suggested that this coincided with the expansion of the Angiosperms (flowering plants), and that this might be connected, possibly implying that these toothless Pterosaurs may have been among the first frugivores. However there is at this time no actual evidence to confirm or contradict this theory, and it is unlikely that it could be resolved without finding Pterosaurs with preserved stomach contents, which is quite a hard requirement.

In a paper published in the journal PLoS One on 3 July 2012, a team of scientists led by Romain Vullo of the Laboratoire Géosciences Rennes at the Université de Rennes 1 and the Unidad de Paleontología at the Departamento de Biología at the Universidad Autónoma de Madrid describe a new species of Tapejarid Pterodactyl from the Early Cretaceous Las Hoyas Lagerstätte of eastern Spain.

The Las Hoyas is a Konservat-Lagerstätten (deposit producing numerous excellently preserved fossils) of Barremian age (125-130 million years old) formed in a stagnant, microbe rich lake. It is noted for its excellently preserved vertebrate fossils, including Fish, Crocodiles, Dinosaurs and Birds.

The new species is named from a single, incomplete, skull and lower jaw from the Las Hoyas deposits. It is named as Europejara olcadesorum, where Europejara is a combination of Europe and Tapejara, the first described genus of Tapejarid Pterodactyls, and olcadesorum derives from the Olcades, a Celtic tribe who inhabited the region in ancient times. It is not well enough preserved to resolve its exact taxonomic position within the group, though it clearly is a Tapejarid, and being Barremian in age it is the earliest known member of the group, and indeed the earliest known toothless Pterosaur from any group, suggesting that whatever ecological niche these Pterosaurs filled had arisen by this time.

Skull of Europejara olcadesorum. (A) Close-up of the crushed left post-orbital region of the skull (acid-prepared counterslab) in lateral view showing the narrowness of the lower temporal fenestra (ltf), the mandibular condyle of the quadrate (cq) and the distal extremities of the hyoid apparatus (hy). (B) Close-up of the posterior area of the palate (main slab under ultraviolet light) in dorsal view showing the thin, elongated vomer (v) septum separating the two choanae (ch). Note the medial surface of the left dentary (ld) and the hyoid apparatus (hy), adjacent to the ventral margin of the mandible. (C) Detail of the posterior area of the palate (acid-prepared counterslab) in dorsal view showing the pterygoid (pt), the ectopterygoid (ec), and the right maxilla (rm). Note the robustness of right mandibular ramus (in lateral view) and its thin, edentulous dorsal edge (arrow). ch, choanae; cq, mandibular condyle of the quadrate; ec, ectopterygoid; hy, hyoid apparatus; j, jugal; lbd, lingual bulge of the dentary; ld, left dentary; lft, lower temporal fenestra; po, postorbital; pt, pterygoid; q, quadrate; rd, right dentary; rm, right maxilla; sq, squamosal; v, vomer. Scale bars: 10 mm. Vullo et al. (2012).

Lower jaw of Europejara olcadesorum. (A) Close-up of the symphyseal area (acid-prepared counterslab) in right lateral view showing the typical step-like dorsal margin of the dentary in tapejarines (arrow). Note the strong lateral compression of the mandible and the trabecular structure of the sagittal crest of the dentary (scd). (B) Close-up of the best preserved margin of the dentary crest (main slab). Note the concave posterior border (arrow) giving the peculiar recurved aspect of the dentary crest of Europejara. scd, sagittal crest of the dentary. Scale bars: 10 mm. Vullo et al. (2012).

Reconstructions of Europejara olcadesorum. (A) Interpretative line drawing of the skull as observed on the acid-prepared counterslab. (B) Reconstruction of the skull (based in part on Tapejara) showing preserved parts in red. Life restoration of the head of Europejara in lateral (C) and frontal (D) views. apj, anterior process of the jugal; aprj, anterior process of the right jugal; d, dentary; ec, ectopterygoid; hy, hyoids; j, jugal; l, lacrimal; ld, left dentary; lj, left jugal; lm, left maxilla; lpo, left postorbital; lq, left quadrate; lsa, left surangular; lsq, left squamosal; ltf, lower temporal fenestra; m, maxilla; naof, nasoantorbital fenestra; o, orbit; pf, postfrontal; po, postorbital; pt, pterygoid; q, quadrate; rap, retroarticular process; rd, right dentary; rm, right maxilla; scd, sagittal crest of the dentary; scp, scleral plates; sq, squamosal. Scale bar: 50 mm. Vullo et al. (2012).

See also An Eucryptodiran Turtle from the Early Cretaceous of Spain, Skull shape and diet in an Ornithocheiroid Pterodactyl, A new Pterosaur from the Early Cretaceous of Brazil and A Pterosaur from the Jurassic of Dorset, England.

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Skull shape and diet in an Ornithocheiroid Pterodactyl.

Istiodactylus latidens was first described in 1901 by Harry Govier Seely, under the name Ornithodesmus latidens, based upon material from the Early Cretaceous of southern England (this was changed after it was realized that the name Istiodactylus had already been assigned to a small Therapod Dinosaur). A reconstruction of the Pterodactyl was made by Reginald Hooley in 1913, which has served as the model for our understanding of the animal till the present; other reconstructions have been made in the intervening time, but all have essentially followed the pattern set by Hooley.

Reginald Hooley's 1913 interpretation of Istiodactylus latidens. Witton (2012).

This reconstruction of a weekly muscled, long snouted Pterodactyl with razor-like teeth has been hard to interpret. Three theories have been put forward, but none seems to completely fit with the available data. I has been suggested that Istiodactylus latidens could have been a dabbling filter-feeder, similar to a modern duck, a feeding technique that requires little strength, but ducks have short broad bills, whereas I. latidens has a long thin one, and no duck has razor sharp teeth. Alternatively I. latidens could have been a fish eater. Long thin shouts are good for catching fish, and do not necessarily need to be well muscled, but this hunting strategy normally requires pointed teeth, ideally curving backwards within the jaw, to catch and hold fish; razor blades would not be very useful, as they could hurt a fish, but not necessarily hold it. A third theory os that I. latidens could have been a carrion eater, as razor blade shaped teeth are good for cutting meat, but this requires a degree of physical strength that I. latidens apparently lacked.

In a paper published in the journal PLoS One on 21 March 2012, Mark Witton of the School of Earth and Environmental Sciences at the University of Portsmouth re-examines the original Istiodactylus latidens material to construct a new model of the skull, and is able to draw new conclusions about the animal's lifestyle from this.

Witton found that where Hooley had interpreted a gap in the centre part of the fossil as evidence for an elongate skull, the 'missing' piece of the skull was present; Hooley even described this, though he did not use it in his reconstruction. By reconstructing the skull with the missing piece in place, Witton came up with a shorter, stronger skull.

Istiodactylus latidens. (A-D) The fossil material. (E) Witton's reconstruction. Witton (2012).

Witton's shorter interpretation of the skull gives a stronger muscle attachment, at least for a shearing action. This strongly supports the carrion-feeding theory, as carrion feeders need to be able to cut through and ingest meat quickly (before anything else gets it) but do not need to deal with struggling prey, as with a carnivore. Witton also noted that Istiodactylus latidens lacked binocular vision, with eyes on the side of its head. This is strongly associated with carrion feeding in modern birds; carrion feeders need to be able to scan a lot of ground visually, but do not need to look for prey actively hiding or strike at prey trying to escape, both of which require good binocular vision. Based upon this Witton concludes that I. latidens was almost certainly a carrion feeder.

Reconstruction of Istiodactylus latidens as a carrion feeder. Witton (2012).

See also A new Pterosaur from the Early Cretaceous of Brazil, A Pterosaur from the Jurassic of Dorset, England

A Pterosaur from the Jurassic of Dorset, England.

The Pterosaurs were winged archaeosaurian reptiles that lived during the Mesozoic. They are divided into two groups, the more primitive Rhamphorhynchoids, which were generally small animals, with long tails and teeth, and the more derived Pterodactyls which had mostly lost their tails and teeth, and grew to large, even immense sizes. The Rhamphorhynchoids arose in the Middle Triassic, and were the dominant group till the end of the Jurassic, when the the majority of lineages died out, though a few groups survived into the Early Cretaceous. The Pterodactyls arose from within the Rhamphorhynchoids in the Middle Jurassic, and reached their peak diversity in the Cretaceous, going extinct at the end of the period.

In a paper published in a draught form on the Acta Palaeontologica Polonica website in November 2011, and accepted for publication in the journal at a later date, David Martill of the School of Earth and Environmental Sciences at the University of Portsmouth and amateur palaeontologist Steve Etches describe a new Pterosaur specimen from the Late Jurassic of Kimmeridge Bay in Dorset.

The new specimen belongs to a group of Rhamphorhynchoids called the Monofenestratens, considered to be the closest relatives of the Pterodactyls, which are not well known outside of China, making the new find significant. Late Jurassic pterosaurs have a patchy record in the UK, with quite a few specimens, but most not well enough preserved for good taxonomic analysis; in particular many specimens lack their heads, which is the most important part of the body in Pterosaur Taxonomy.

The new specimen consists of a flattened skull preserved in dark grey mudstone, from the Lower Kimmeridge Clay Formation. It was found within the Autissiodorensis ammonite biozone, making it about 155 million years old. It consists of a skull 326 mm long and 55 mm high at its highest point (the rear). The skull is extremely pointed, and has been named Cuspicephalus scarfi; making it Scarf's Pointy-Headed Pterosaur, in honour of the cartoonist Gerald Scarf, who often draws caricatures with very pointy noses.

(A) Photograph of the skull of Cuspicephalus Scarfi in the original matrix, scale bar = 50 mm, by Bob Loverage of the School of Earth and Environmental Sciences at the University of Portsmouth and used in Martill and Etches (2011). (B) Line drawing of the skull showing (j) Jugal, (naof) Nasoantorbital fenestra, (m) Maxilla, (o) Orbit, (pm) Premaxilla, (q) Quadrate, (sc) Sagital Crest, (sq) Squamosal, (tr np) Traces of Nasal Process. From Martill and Etches (2012). (C) Reconstruction of the intact skull. From Martill and Etches (2012).

The specimen was discovered by Steve Etches in 2009 on the foreshore at Kimmeridge Bay, Dorset, part of the Jurassic Coast World Heritage Site. The area is well known for the discovery of vertebrate fossils, having in the past produced sharks, boney fish, ichthyosaurs, plesiosaurs, crocodiles and a variety of dinosaurs. Despite the area's World Heritage Site status, it is still quite possible to collect fossils there legally, since the area is an eroding coast, and fossils left in place will be consumed by the sea.

Simplified geological map of the area where the fossil was found. From Martill and Etches (2011).

See also The Weymouth Pliosaur.