Luchibang, Petrodactyle and Pterodactylus longicollum, no. 58

Reptilia/Amniota

Gephyrostegus

Lepidosauromorpha

Pterosauria

Eudimorphodon clade

Campylognathoides clade

Scaphognathia

Ornithocephalia

Archosauromorpha

Basal Archosauromorpha

Pterodactylus sp. (unnumbered Lauer collection). This specimen nests at the base of the larger Pterodactylus specimens (below) and basal to Ningchengopterus and that clade of Pterodactylus specimens.

Pterodactylus longicollum and Luchibang skeletons

Pterodactylus longicollum (= Ardeadactylus, Diopecephalus longicollum Seeley 1871, SMNS-56603, No. 58 of Wellnhofer 1970) may have been the largest Pterodactylus and the last of this lineage (but see below). It was derived from a sister to Pterodactylus antiquus and Pterodactylus micronyx.

Distinct from P. antiquus, the skull of P. longicollum was relatively small (shorter than the cervicals) with a concave rostral profile. The cranium was most similar to that of the Frey and Tischlinger specimen. The teeth erupted somewhat laterally, similar to those of Ctenochasma. The lacrimal process of the jugal was deeper. The jawline was ventrally convex.

Distinct from P. micronyx, the cervicals were longer than the skull and 1.5x longer than the torso. The neural spines were as long as each centrum. The neural spines merged dorsally to form a notarium. The sacral series was shorter.

The sternal complex was shaped most like that of Pterodactylus no. 20, septagonal without any curves. The wing was gracile. The metacarpus was longer than the ulna. Metacarpals I-III were expanded distally. Manual 4.1 was likewise elongated.

The pelvis was short. The hind limb was longer.

The family tree of the Ornithocephalia and Germanodactylia is here. The expanded family tree of the Pterosauria is here.

Normannognathus wellnhoferi MGC L 59’583 (Buffetaut, Lepage & Lepage (1998, small box at left) was originally allied with the germanodactylids, but the rostrum is not sharp, the jawline is not straight, the premaxillary dentition is not reduced and the maxillary dentition is not vertically implanted with expanded alveoli. Plus the similarly broad mandible bears a deep sulcus, as in No. 58.

Santanadactylus? brasilensis GIUA M 4895 (Buisonjé 1980) had similar cervical vertebrae to No. 58 (small box at right). They were nearly twice the size. If related, this would be the largest and latest Pterodactylus species.

Petrodactyle reconstruction and comparison

Petrodactyle wellnhoferi (Hone, Lauer, Lauer and Spindler 2023, Late Jurassic, Lauer Collection) is one of the largest pterodactylids from the Solnhofen Formation. Originally eyeballed as a ctenochasmatid or a cycnorhamphid, here it nests as a pterodactylid after analysis in the LPT.

Luchibang xingzhe (Hone, Fitch, Ma and Xu 2020; Hone and Xu 2018). Originally and later considered an odd, young istiodactylid from Early Cretaceous China, this specimen nests with the large pterodactylids when tested in the large pterosaur tree.

Pterodactylus sp. BMMS 7 (Bennett 2012) nests between Luchibang and P. longicollum.

Nurhachius iuei (Zhou et al. 2019; Early Cretaceous) was originally considered congeneric with the holotype genus, but here nests with Pterodactylus longicollum. The rostrum is narrow, the orbit is not invaded by circumorbital processes, the teeth are lanceolate with narrow roots, convergent with istiodactylids.

Pterodactylus sp. MBR 5591.1 (Elgin and Hone 2020) is a relatively large wing alone.

Bennett SC (2012) [2013] New information on body size and cranial display structures of Pterodactylus antiquus, with a revision of the genus. Paläontologische Zeitschrift (advance online publication) doi: 10.1007/s12542-012-0159-8

Buffetaut E, Lepage JJ and Lepage G1998. A new pterodactyloid pterosaur from the Kimmeridgian of the Cap de la Hève (Normandy, France). Geology Magazine135: 719–722.

de Buisonjé PH 1980. Santandactylus brasilensis nov. gen. nov. sp., a long necked, large pterosaurier from the Aptian of Brasil. II. Proceedings of the Koninklijke Nederlandse Akademie van Wetenchappen B 83(2): 158–172.

Elgin RA and Hone DWE 2020. A review of two large Jurassic pterodactyloid specimens from the Solnhofen of southern Germany. Palaeontologica Electronica23(1):a13. https://doi.org/10.26879/741

Hone DWE and Xu 2018. An unusual and nearly complete young istiodactylid from the Yixian Formation, China. Flugsaurier 2018: the 6th International Symposium on Pterosaurs. Los Angeles, USA. Abstracts: 53–56.

Hone, DWE, Fitch AJ, Ma F, and Xu X 2020. An unusual new genus of istiodactylid pterosaur from China based on a near complete specimen. Palaeontologica Electronica 23(1):a09 Online link to PDF

Hone DWE, Lauer R, Lauer B and Spindler F 2023. Petrodactyle wellnhoferi gen. et sp. nov.: A new and large ctenochasmatid pterosaur from the Late Jurassic of Germany. Palaeontologia Electronica, 26(2):a25.
https://doi.org/10.26879/1251
palaeo-electronica.org/content/2023/3878-a-new-solnhofen-pterosaur

Seeley HG 1871. Additional evidence of the structure of the head in ornithosaurs from the Cambridge Upper Greensand; being a supplement to “The Ornithosauria.” Annals of the Magazine of Natural History(7) 37: 20–36 and pls. 2–3.

Wellnhofer P 1970. Die Pterodactyloidea (Pterosauria) der Oberjura-Plattenkalke Süddeutschlands. Abhandlungen der Bayerischen Akademie der Wissenschaften, N.F., Munich 141: 1-133.

wiki/Pterodactylus
wiki/Luchibang
wiki/Petrodactyle

Ornithocephalia

Ornithocephalus No. 29

No. 9

No. 31

SMNS 81775

Pterodactylidae

Ningchengopterus?

Pterodactylus n20

Pterodactylus Vienna

Pterodactylus n21

Pterodactylus Frey Tischlinger