Brasileodactylus
Encyclopedia
Brasileodactylus is the name assigned to the remains of a pterosaur
(flying reptile) from the Lower Santana formation
of the Aptian
(Early Cretaceous
) of Chapada do Araripe, Ceará, Brazil.
The genus was named by paleontologist Alexander Wilhelm Armin Kellner
in 1984. The genus name means 'pterosaur (literally, [wing] "finger") from Brasil'. The type species
is Brasileodactylus araripensis. The specific name refers to the Araripe Plateau. The holotype
, MN 4804-V, is the front part of a mandible.
Later remains referred to Brasileodactylus include SMNS 55414, a mandible, and MN 4797–V, the front of a snout and mandible. More complete fossils are BSP 1991 I 27, a fragmentary skeleton, and AMNH 24444, a 429 millimetre long skull, with mandible and proximal left wing. The last two specimina have been assigned to a Brasileodactylus sp. indet. by André Jacques Veldmeijer.
Kellner first assigned Brasileodactylus to the Ornithocheiridae
. In 1991 he changed that to a more cautious Pterodactyloidea incertae sedis
. In 2000 he affirmed a close affinity to the Anhangueridae. David Unwin in 2001 considered the form part of Anhanguera
but later retracted. Eberhard Frey in 2003 thought it was a species of Coloborhynchus
. In 2007 Unwin and David Martill suggested Ludodactylus
was a junior synonym of Brasileodactylus.
Brasileodactylus was a medium sized pterosaur with a wingspan of approximately four metres. It had a long pointed snout and conical teeth that in the extreme front of the jaws were long, thin and forward pointing. Unlike some other Brazilian pterosaurs it had no crest on the snout or lower jaw but might have had one on the back of the skull.
Pterosaur
Pterosaurs were flying reptiles of the clade or order Pterosauria. They existed from the late Triassic to the end of the Cretaceous Period . Pterosaurs are the earliest vertebrates known to have evolved powered flight...
(flying reptile) from the Lower Santana formation
Santana Formation
The Santana Formation is a geologic Lagerstätte in northeastern Brazil's Araripe Basin where the states of Pernambuco, Piauí and Ceará come together. The geological formation, named after the village of Santana do Cariri, lies at the base of the Araripe Plateau...
of the Aptian
Aptian
The Aptian is an age in the geologic timescale or a stage in the stratigraphic column. It is a subdivision of the Early or Lower Cretaceous epoch or series and encompasses the time from 125.0 ± 1.0 Ma to 112.0 ± 1.0 Ma , approximately...
(Early Cretaceous
Early Cretaceous
The Early Cretaceous or the Lower Cretaceous , is the earlier or lower of the two major divisions of the Cretaceous...
) of Chapada do Araripe, Ceará, Brazil.
The genus was named by paleontologist Alexander Wilhelm Armin Kellner
Alexander Kellner
Alexander Wilhelm Armin Kellner is a Liechtensteinian/Brazilian paleontologist, a leading expert in the field of the study of pterosaurs....
in 1984. The genus name means 'pterosaur (literally, [wing] "finger") from Brasil'. The type species
Type species
In biological nomenclature, a type species is both a concept and a practical system which is used in the classification and nomenclature of animals and plants. The value of a "type species" lies in the fact that it makes clear what is meant by a particular genus name. A type species is the species...
is Brasileodactylus araripensis. The specific name refers to the Araripe Plateau. The holotype
Holotype
A holotype is a single physical example of an organism, known to have been used when the species was formally described. It is either the single such physical example or one of several such, but explicitly designated as the holotype...
, MN 4804-V, is the front part of a mandible.
Later remains referred to Brasileodactylus include SMNS 55414, a mandible, and MN 4797–V, the front of a snout and mandible. More complete fossils are BSP 1991 I 27, a fragmentary skeleton, and AMNH 24444, a 429 millimetre long skull, with mandible and proximal left wing. The last two specimina have been assigned to a Brasileodactylus sp. indet. by André Jacques Veldmeijer.
Kellner first assigned Brasileodactylus to the Ornithocheiridae
Ornithocheiridae
Ornithocheiridae is a group of pterosaurs within the suborder Pterodactyloidea. They were among the last pterosaurs to possess teeth.-Classification:Listing of genera after Unwin , except where noted.* Family Ornithocheiridae** ?Aetodactylus...
. In 1991 he changed that to a more cautious Pterodactyloidea incertae sedis
Incertae sedis
, is a term used to define a taxonomic group where its broader relationships are unknown or undefined. Uncertainty at specific taxonomic levels is attributed by , , and similar terms.-Examples:*The fossil plant Paradinandra suecica could not be assigned to any...
. In 2000 he affirmed a close affinity to the Anhangueridae. David Unwin in 2001 considered the form part of Anhanguera
Anhanguera (pterosaur)
Anhanguera is a genus of pterodactyloid pterosaur known from the Lower-Cretaceous Santana Formation of Brazil, with referred specimens found in the Upper Chalk Formation and Cambridge Greensand of the UK...
but later retracted. Eberhard Frey in 2003 thought it was a species of Coloborhynchus
Coloborhynchus
Coloborhynchus is a genus in the pterosaur family Ornithocheiridae, and is known from the Lower Cretaceous of England , and possibly the Aptian age of Brazil and Texas, depending on which species are included.-Description:The type specimen of Coloborhynchus is known only from a partial upper jaw...
. In 2007 Unwin and David Martill suggested Ludodactylus
Ludodactylus
Ludodactylus was a genus of ornithocheirid pterodactyloid pterosaur from the Aptian-age Lower Cretaceous Crato Formation of Ceará, Brazil....
was a junior synonym of Brasileodactylus.
Brasileodactylus was a medium sized pterosaur with a wingspan of approximately four metres. It had a long pointed snout and conical teeth that in the extreme front of the jaws were long, thin and forward pointing. Unlike some other Brazilian pterosaurs it had no crest on the snout or lower jaw but might have had one on the back of the skull.