Tetrapod biodiversity in sambaquis from southern Brazil.

Fishermen-hunter-gatherers of sambaquis (Brazilian shell mounds) had an intimate affinity with marine-coastal environments, where they exploited a great variety of fish and mollusks that comprise the best documented fauna from sambaquis. However, other groups of animals as mammals, birds, reptiles, and amphibians are also present in these sites, but are relatively less studied. This paper is the first one focused exclusively on the Tetrapoda biodiversity of sambaquis and aimed to identify tetrapods of ten sites from southern Brazil.

Cervical anatomy and its relation to foraging habits in aquatic birds (Aves: Neornithes: Neoaves).

Birds have extremely flexible necks, which help in their search for food. However, studies on the variation in bird cervical anatomy and its relationship with foraging are rare, despite the different habits presented between species. Here, we analyze the anatomy of the neck of aquatic birds and relate it to their foraging strategies.

Arthrological reconstructions of the pterosaur neck and their implications for the cervical position at rest.

The lack of any pterosaur living descendants creates gaps in the knowledge of the biology of this group, including its cervical biomechanics, which makes it difficult to understand their posture and life habits. To mitigate part of this issue, we reconstructed the cervical osteology and arthrology of three pterosaurs, allowing us to make inferences about the position of the neck of these animals at rest. We used scans of three-dimensionally preserved cervical series of , and for the reconstructions, thus representing different lineages.

A new toothless pterosaur from the Early Cretaceous Jehol Biota with comments on the Chaoyangopteridae.

The Chaoyangopteridae is a clade of azhdarchoid pterosaurs that stands out in China, particularly in the Jehol Biota, as a Cretaceous group of medium-sized and high-crested pterosaurs. Herein, we describe a new species, Meilifeilong youhao gen. et sp.

Quantitative assessment of the vertebral pneumaticity in an anhanguerid pterosaur using micro-CT scanning.

Research on the postcranial skeletal pneumaticity in pterosaurs is common in the literature, but most studies present only qualitative assessments. When quantitative, they are done on isolated bones. Here, we estimate the Air Space Proportion (ASP) obtained from micro-CT scans of the sequence from the sixth cervical to the fourth dorsal vertebra of an anhanguerine pterosaur to understand how pneumaticity is distributed in these bones.

Mass mortality events of autochthonous faunas in a Lower Cretaceous Gondwanan Lagerstätte.

Mass mortality events are unusual in the Crato Formation. Although mayflies' accumulations have been previously reported from that unit, they lacked crucial stratigraphic data. Here we provide the first taphonomic analysis of a mayfly mass mortality event, from a layer 285 cm from the top of the Formation, with 40 larvae, and an overview of the general biological community structure of a three meters deep excavated profile.

Unmasking a gap: A new oligoneuriid fossil (Ephemeroptera: Insecta) from the Crato Formation (upper Aptian), Araripe Basin, NE Brazil, with comments on Colocrus McCafferty.

The Crato Formation (Araripe Basin) preserves one of the most diverse entomofaunas of the Cretaceous. Among the groups of insects, mayflies stand out in abundance, but among them oligoneuriids are especially rare. A newly discovered adult oligoneuriid from this unit is here described as Incogemina nubila gen.

Author Correction: An Early Cretaceous pterosaur with an unusual mandibular crest from China and a potential novel feeding strategy.

An amendment to this paper has been published and can be accessed via a link at the top of the paper.

Pterodactyloid pterosaur bones from Cretaceous deposits of the Antarctic Peninsula.

Fossil vertebrates from Antarctica are considerably rare, hampering our understanding of the evolutionary history of the biota from that continent. For several austral summers, the PALEOANTAR project has been carrying out fieldwork in the Antarctic Peninsula in search for fossils, particularly Cretaceous vertebrates. Among the specimens recovered so far are two bones referable to Pterosauria, more specifically to the Pterodacyloidea, the first volant reptiles from Antarctica to be fully described.

Comparative analysis of the vertebral pneumatization in pterosaurs (Reptilia: Pterosauria) and extant birds (Avialae: Neornithes).

Birds and pterosaurs have pneumatic bones, a feature likely related to their flight capabilities but whose evolution and origin is still poorly understood. Pneumatic foramina are present on the external surface of the bone and are reliable indicators of post-cranial skeletal pneumatization present in Pterosauria, Eusauropoda, and Neotheropoda. Here, we carried out a qualitative analysis of the position, size and number of pneumatic foramina of the cervical and thoracic/dorsal vertebrae of pterosaurs and birds, as they have the potential to challenge hypotheses about the emergence and evolution of the respiratory trait in these groups.

The Evolution of Pneumatic Foramina in Pterosaur Vertebrae.

Pterosaurs possess skeletal pneumatization, which can be assessed externally through the observation of pneumatic foramina. These foramina vary in position, shape, and number among taxa. Here we propose new characters referring to the position and number of pneumatic foramina present in cervical and dorsal vertebrae of pterosaurs.

On a new crested pterodactyloid from the Early Cretaceous of the Iberian Peninsula and the radiation of the clade Anhangueria.

The pterosaur record from the Iberian Peninsula is mostly scarce and undefined, but in the last few years some new taxa have been described from different Lower Cretaceous sites of Spain. Here we describe a new genus and species of toothed pterodactyloid pterosaur from the Barremian of the Iberian Peninsula, Iberodactylus andreui gen. et sp.

Egg accumulation with 3D embryos provides insight into the life history of a pterosaur.

Fossil eggs and embryos that provide unique information about the reproduction and early growth of vertebrates are exceedingly rare, particularly for pterosaurs. Here we report on hundreds of three-dimensional (3D) eggs of the species from a Lower Cretaceous site in China, 16 of which contain embryonic remains. Computed tomography scanning, osteohistology, and micropreparation reveal that some bones lack extensive ossification in potentially late-term embryos, suggesting that hatchlings might have been flightless and less precocious than previously assumed.

taxonomy revisited: is our understanding of Santana Group pterosaur diversity biased by poor biological and stratigraphic control?

Background: Anhanguerids comprise an important clade of pterosaurs, mostly known from dozens of three-dimensionally preserved specimens recovered from the Lower Cretaceous Romualdo Formation (northeastern Brazil). They are remarkably diverse in this sedimentary unit, with eight named species, six of them belonging to the genus . However, such diversity is likely overestimated, as these species have been historically diagnosed based on subtle differences, mainly based on the shape and position of the cranial crest.

Eggshell and Histology Provide Insight on the Life History of a Pterosaur with Two Functional Ovaries.

The counterpart of a previously described non-pterodactyloid pterosaur with an egg revealed the presence of a second egg inside the body cavity of this gravid female. It clearly shows that pterosaurs had two functional oviducts and demonstrates that the reduction of one oviduct was not a prerequisite for developing powered flight, at least in this group. Compositional analysis of one egg suggests the lack of a hard external layer of calcium carbonate.

An Early Cretaceous pterosaur with an unusual mandibular crest from China and a potential novel feeding strategy.

The Aptian Jiufotang Formation of northeast China is a Konservat Lagerstätte particularly rich in pterosaurs, notably azhdarchoids. Here we describe a new genus and species of toothed pteranodontoid pterosaur, Ikrandraco avatar gen. et sp.

Sexually dimorphic tridimensionally preserved pterosaurs and their eggs from China.

Background: The pterosaur record is generally poor, with little information about their populations, and pterosaur eggs are even rarer, with only four isolated and flattened eggs found to date.

Results: We report here a population of a new sexually dimorphic pterosaur species (Hamipterus tianshanensis gen. et sp.

Taxonomic review of the Ornithocheirus complex (Pterosauria) from the Cretaceous of England.

Over a decade after the last major review of the Cambridge Greensand pterosaurs, their systematics remains one of the most disputed points in pterosaur taxonomy. Ornithocheiridae is still a wastebasket for fragmentary taxa, and some nomenclatural issues are still a problem. Here, the species from the Cretaceous of England that, at some point, were referred in Ornithocheirus, are reviewed.

The largest flying reptile from Gondwana: a new specimen of Tropeognathus cf. T. mesembrinus Wellnhofer, 1987 (Pterodactyloidea, Anhangueridae) and other large pterosaurs from the Romualdo Formation, Lower Cretaceous, Brazil.

A very large pterosaur (MN 6594-V) from the Romualdo Formation (Aptian/Albian), Santana Group, Araripe Basin, is described. The specimen is referred to Tropeognathus cf. T.

Short note on a Pteranodontoid pterosaur (Pterodactyloidea) from western Queensland, Australia.

Flying reptiles from Australia are very rare, represented mostly by isolated bones coming from the Early Cretaceous (Albian) Toolebuc Formation, which crops out in western Queensland. Among the first pterosaur specimens discovered from this deposit is a mandibular symphysis that some authors thought to have a particular affinity to species found in the Cambridge Greensand (Cenomanian) of England. It was further referred as a member of or closely related to one of the genera Ornithocheirus, Lonchodectes or Anhanguera.

New long-tailed pterosaurs (Wukongopteridae) from western Liaoning, China.

Two almost complete long-tailed pterosaurs from the Linglongta, Jianchang County, western Liaoning, China, are described and represent new taxa referred to the non-pterodactyloid clade Wukongopteridae. Kunpengopterus sinensis gen. et sp.