| Title |
An Unusual Pterosaur Specimen (Pterodactyloidea, ?Azhdarchoidea) from the Early Cretaceous Romualdo Formation of Brazil, and the Evolution of the Pterodactyloid Palate
|
|---|---|
| Published in |
PLOS ONE, November 2012
|
| DOI | 10.1371/journal.pone.0050088 |
| Pubmed ID | |
| Authors |
Felipe L. Pinheiro, Cesar L. Schultz |
| Abstract |
A new and unusual specimen of a probable azhdarchoid pterosaur is described for the Early Cretaceous (Albian) Romualdo Formation of Brazil. The specimen consists of a palate that, although fragmentary, has a unique morphology differing from all other known pterosaurs with preservation of palatal elements. The new specimen probably indicates the presence of a yet undescribed pterodactyloid taxon for Romualdo Formation and brings new information on pterosaur diversity of this sedimentary unity. Mainly due to the rarity of pterodactyloid specimens with palate preservation, this structure has been overlooked in this clade. Here, we reassess the palatal anatomy of Pterodactyloidea, revealing an intriguing variety of morphotypes and evolutionary trends, some of them described here for the first time. The morphological disparity displayed by different pterodactyloid taxa may be further evidence of the presence of diverse feeding strategies within the clade. |
X Demographics
The data shown below were collected from the profiles of 5 X users who shared this research output. Click here to find out more about how the information was compiled.
Geographical breakdown
| Country | Count | As % |
|---|---|---|
| Brazil | 2 | 40% |
| Spain | 1 | 20% |
| Argentina | 1 | 20% |
| Unknown | 1 | 20% |
Demographic breakdown
| Type | Count | As % |
|---|---|---|
| Members of the public | 3 | 60% |
| Scientists | 2 | 40% |
Mendeley readers
The data shown below were compiled from readership statistics for 36 Mendeley readers of this research output. Click here to see the associated Mendeley record.
Geographical breakdown
| Country | Count | As % |
|---|---|---|
| United Kingdom | 1 | 3% |
| Spain | 1 | 3% |
| Argentina | 1 | 3% |
| Unknown | 33 | 92% |
Demographic breakdown
| Readers by professional status | Count | As % |
|---|---|---|
| Student > Doctoral Student | 6 | 17% |
| Student > Bachelor | 6 | 17% |
| Student > Master | 6 | 17% |
| Student > Ph. D. Student | 5 | 14% |
| Researcher | 4 | 11% |
| Other | 3 | 8% |
| Unknown | 6 | 17% |
| Readers by discipline | Count | As % |
|---|---|---|
| Earth and Planetary Sciences | 19 | 53% |
| Agricultural and Biological Sciences | 6 | 17% |
| Unspecified | 1 | 3% |
| Environmental Science | 1 | 3% |
| Social Sciences | 1 | 3% |
| Other | 2 | 6% |
| Unknown | 6 | 17% |