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Lacusovagus

Genus of azhdarchoid pterosaur from the Early Cretaceous

Summary

Genus of azhdarchoid pterosaur from the Early Cretaceous

Lacusovagus (meaning "lake wanderer") is a genus of azhdarchoid pterodactyloid pterosaur from the Lower Cretaceous of Brazil.

Discovery and naming

It is based on SMNK PAL 4325, a partial upper jaw comprising sections of the skull in front of the eyes. This specimen was found in rocks of the Early Cretaceous-age (probably Aptian stage, about 120 to 93 million years ago) Nova Olinda Member of the Crato Formation.

Description

The skull was long, and unusually wide. The section in front of the combined nasal-antorbital fenestra was relatively short. Also unusual was the combination of its toothless jaws and no bony head crest. Lacusovagus was described in 2008 by Mark Witton. The type species is L. magnificens, meaning "grand lake wanderer", in reference to its large size—it is currently the largest pterosaur known from the Crato Formation with an estimated wingspan of approximately 4 m and a body mass of 30 kg.

Classification

Lacusovagus shares many characteristics with the basal azhdarchoid family Chaoyangopteridae. Preliminary studies suggested it was a member of that clade, However, alternative phylogenetic analyses have recovered it within the genus Tupuxuara, a member of the Thalassodromidae, or within Tapejaridae.

References

References

  1. Witton, Mark P.. (2008). "A new azhdarchoid pterosaur from the Crato Formation (Lower Cretaceous, Aptian?) of Brazil". Palaeontology.
  2. Paul, Gregory S.. (2022). "The Princeton Field Guide to Pterosaurs". Princeton University Press.
  3. (2018). "Cervical vertebrae of an enigmatic pterosaur from the Crato Formation (Lower Cretaceous, Araripe Basin, NE Brazil)". Geological Society, London, Special Publications.
  4. (2025). "A taxonomic note on the tapejarid pterosaurs from the Pterosaur Graveyard site (Caiuá Group, ?Early Cretaceous of Southern Brazil): Evidence for the presence of two species". Historical Biology.
  5. (2025). "Cretaceous Pterosaurs of the Araripe Basin: A Comprehensive Taxonomic Update and Paleobiological Insights". Anais da Academia Brasileira de Ciências.
  6. (2017). "The toothless pterosaur ''Jidapterus edentus'' (Pterodactyloidea: Azhdarchoidea) from the Early Cretaceous Jehol Biota and its paleoecological implications". PLOS ONE.
  7. (2021). "Phylogenetic systematics of ''Quetzalcoatlus'' Lawson 1975 (Pterodactyloidea:Azhdarchoidea)". Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology.
Wikipedia Source

This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page.

azhdarchoidea early-cretaceous-pterosaurs-of-south-america cretaceous-brazil fossils-of-brazil crato-formation fossil-taxa-described-in-2008 pterosaur-genera
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