Anhanguera robustus

Anhanguera robustus
Temporal range: Early Cretaceous, 108 Ma
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Scientific classification
Kingdom:Animalia
Phylum:Chordata
Order:†Pterosauria
Suborder:†Pterodactyloidea
Family:†Anhangueridae
Genus:†Anhanguera
Species: †A. robustus
Binomial name
Anhanguera robustus
Synonyms

Anhanguera robustus is a large pterosaur species known from fossil remains dating to the Early Cretaceous Period of South America.

Description

A. robustus is based on several specimens, including the holotype (BSP 1987 I 47), consisting of a complete lower jaw, and additional referred specimens representing more of the skull and upper jaw.

As in other ornithocheirids, both the upper and lower jaw bore thin, rounded, projecting crests. The lower jaw crest of A. robustus had relatively steep front and back edges, was short front to back but tall from top to bottom. Like other species of Coloborhynchus, the jaw was flared and expanded toward the end, and the tip was blunt and triangular in cross section, with teeth angled outward and downward. The upper jaw crest had a distinctively concave front edge.[1]

Classification

A. robustus is known from a partial lower jaw originally from the Romualdo Member of the Santana Formation in Brazil with a convoluted taxonomic history. It was originally placed in the genus Tropeognathus by Peter Wellnhofer in 1987, but was re-assigned to the genus Coloborhynchus in 2001 by Fastnacht, as Coloborhynchus robustus. In 2002, David Unwin supported this position, and also synonymized the more well-known species Anhanguera piscator with C. robustus. Rodrigues and Kellner disagreed with this classification, however, noting that both did not possess the unique straightened crest beginning at the snout tip, or sideways pointed teeth, of Coloborhynchus clavirostris. Instead, Rodrigues and Kellner regarded both Anhanguera robustus and Anhanguera piscator as valid species of Anhanguera.[2]

Paleobiology

Study of the vertebrae of SMNK PAL 1133, a specimen referred to A. robustus, reveals it had lumbosacral neural canals similar in size to those of the azhdarchoid Vectidraco, proportionally larger than in another specimen of Anhanguera. This implies that A. robustus may have been more terrestrial than contemporary relatives, potentially allowing niche partitioning between similar contemporary species.[3]

References

  1. ↑ Veldmeijer, A.J., H.J.M. Meijer, and M. Signore (2006). "Coloborhynchus from the Lower Cretaceous Santana Formation, Brazil (Pterosauria, Pterodactyloidea, Anhangueridae); an update." PalArch’s Journal of Vertebrate Palaeontology, 3(2): 15-29.
  2. ↑ Rodrigues, T. and Kellner, A.W.A. (2008). "Review of the pterodactyloid pterosaur Colobrohynchus." Pp. 219–228 in: Hone, D.W.E. and Buffetaut, E. (eds), Flugsaurier: pterosaur papers in honour of Peter Wellnhofer. Zitteliana B, 28.
  3. ↑ Martin-Silverstone, E., Sykes, D., Naish, D. (2018). "Does Postcranial Palaeoneurology Provide Insight into Pterosaur Behavior and Lifestyle? New Data from the Azhdarchoid Vectidraco and the Ornithocheirids Coloborhynchus and Anhanguera". Palaeontology. doi:10.1111/pala.12390


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