Prejanopterus
Encyclopedia
Prejanopterus is an extinct genus
of pterodactyloid
pterosaur
from the Lower Cretaceous (lower Aptian
age) layers of the Leza Formation of La Rioja
, Spain
.
In 1980 a fossil site was discovered near Yacimiento de Fuente Amarga on the western slopes of the Peña Isasa. In 1993 and 1994 ten fossiliferous blocks were recovered, containing numerous disarticulated fossil bones and bone fragments, among them those of a pterosaur.
The type species
Prejanopterus curvirostra was named and described in 2010
by Carolina Fuentes Vidarte and Manuel Meijide Calvo. The generic name is derived from the village of Préjano
and a Latinised Greek pteron, "wing". The specific name is derived from Latin
curvus, "bent", and rostrum, "snout", a reference to the fact that all fossils of the snout show a distinctive bend to the left.
The holotype
, F. A. 112, consists of a fragmented snout. Another snout, specimen F. A. 185, is the paratype
. Numerous other elements of the skull and the postcrania
have been assigned to the species, mostly from the wing, the pelvis and the hindlimbs. A humerus
or vertebrae are still lacking. The species represents the best preserved pterosaur known from Spain and the first named from the Early Cretaceous of that country.
The bent snout features twenty pairs of small teeth with an oval cross-section. That the curvature is no preservation artefact, a post mortem distortion, is indicated by the fact that both known snouts show it. Remarkably, all lower jaws found are straight. The wing span has been estimated at 4.26 metres (14 ft).
The authors have assigned Prejanopterus to the Pterodactyloidea
. Using the comparative method
they established that no pterodactyloid group has obvious strong affinities to the species.
Genus
In biology, a genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, which is an example of definition by genus and differentia...
of pterodactyloid
Pterodactyloidea
Pterodactyloidea forms one of the two suborders of pterosaurs , and contains the most derived members of this group of flying reptiles...
pterosaur
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...
from the Lower Cretaceous (lower 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...
age) layers of the Leza Formation of La Rioja
La Rioja (Spain)
La Rioja is an autonomous community and a province of northern Spain. Its capital is Logroño. Other cities and towns in the province include Calahorra, Arnedo, Alfaro, Haro, Santo Domingo de la Calzada, and Nájera.-History:...
, Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
.
In 1980 a fossil site was discovered near Yacimiento de Fuente Amarga on the western slopes of the Peña Isasa. In 1993 and 1994 ten fossiliferous blocks were recovered, containing numerous disarticulated fossil bones and bone fragments, among them those of a pterosaur.
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...
Prejanopterus curvirostra was named and described in 2010
2010 in paleontology
-Anomalocaridids:-Newly named crustaceans:-Newly named insects:* A new family, Cascopleciidae, is published by Poinar Jr.* A new family of ceraphronoid Hymenopters, Radiophronidae, is published by Ortega-Blanco, Rasnitsyn, and Delclòs....
by Carolina Fuentes Vidarte and Manuel Meijide Calvo. The generic name is derived from the village of Préjano
Préjano
Préjano is a village in the province and autonomous community of La Rioja, Spain.-References:...
and a Latinised Greek pteron, "wing". The specific name is derived from Latin
Latin
Latin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. It, along with most European languages, is a descendant of the ancient Proto-Indo-European language. Although it is considered a dead language, a number of scholars and members of the Christian clergy speak it fluently, and...
curvus, "bent", and rostrum, "snout", a reference to the fact that all fossils of the snout show a distinctive bend to the left.
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...
, F. A. 112, consists of a fragmented snout. Another snout, specimen F. A. 185, is the paratype
Paratype
Paratype is a technical term used in the scientific naming of species and other taxa of organisms. The exact meaning of the term paratype when it is used in zoology is not the same as the meaning when it is used in botany...
. Numerous other elements of the skull and the postcrania
Postcrania
Postcrania[p] in zoology and vertebrate paleontology refers to all or part of the skeleton apart from the skull. Frequently, fossil remains, e.g...
have been assigned to the species, mostly from the wing, the pelvis and the hindlimbs. A humerus
Humerus
The humerus is a long bone in the arm or forelimb that runs from the shoulder to the elbow....
or vertebrae are still lacking. The species represents the best preserved pterosaur known from Spain and the first named from the Early Cretaceous of that country.
The bent snout features twenty pairs of small teeth with an oval cross-section. That the curvature is no preservation artefact, a post mortem distortion, is indicated by the fact that both known snouts show it. Remarkably, all lower jaws found are straight. The wing span has been estimated at 4.26 metres (14 ft).
The authors have assigned Prejanopterus to the Pterodactyloidea
Pterodactyloidea
Pterodactyloidea forms one of the two suborders of pterosaurs , and contains the most derived members of this group of flying reptiles...
. Using the comparative method
Comparative anatomy
Comparative anatomy is the study of similarities and differences in the anatomy of organisms. It is closely related to evolutionary biology and phylogeny .-Description:...
they established that no pterodactyloid group has obvious strong affinities to the species.