Triassic pterosaurs

• DOI: 10.1144/sp379.14
• Publication Date: 2013-04-26T04:01:47Z
• Authors: Fabio M. Dalla Ve...
• Keywords: 01 natural sciences; 0105 earth and related environmental sciences

Abstract Pterosaurs are a clade of highly specialized, volant archosauromorphs recorded from the Upper Triassic to uppermost Cretaceous. Problematic remains referred Pterosauria reported Europe and both North South America, but unequivocal pterosaur specimens only known Alps (Italy, Austria Switzerland: Preondactylus buffarinii , Austriadactylus cristatus Peteinosaurus zambellii Eudimorphodon ranzii Carniadactylus rosenfeldi Caviramus schesaplanensis Raeticodactylus filisurensis ) Greenland (‘ Eudimorphodon’ cromptonellus ). diagnosed mostly by features associated with advent powered flight. They generally considered be archosaurians more closely related dinosaurs than crocodilians, non-archosaurian positions have also been proposed. There is lack general agreement about ingroup relationships, particularly among basal pterosaurs. pterosaurs differ other non-pterodactyloid in dentition caudal vertebral column. A ‘Big Bang’ model for their early history fits better fossil record: earliest show sudden geographically limited appearance record, as well relatively high burst diversity considerable morphologic disparity. Absence deposits where they expected found suggests that had not yet evolved pre-Norian times.