Novel information on the cranial anatomy of the tapejarine pterosaur Caiuajara dobruskii
Canejo, Lucas (Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro. Departamento de Geologia e Paleontologia)
Holgado, Borja (Institut Català de Paleontologia Miquel Crusafont)
Weinschutz, Luiz Carlos (Universidade do Contestado. Centro de Pesquisa Paleontológica)
Ricetti, João Henrique Zahdi (Universidade do Contestado. Centro de Pesquisa Paleontológica)
Wilner, Everton (Universidade do Contestado. Centro de Pesquisa Paleontológica)
Kellner, Alexander W. A. (Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro. Departamento de Geologia e Paleontologia)

Date:	2022
Abstract:	Caiuajara dobruskii is a tapejarid pterosaur from the Cretaceous of the 'Cemitério dos Pterossauros' (pterosaur graveyard) site, a unique pterosaur bonebed which is located at the municipality of Cruzeiro do Oeste (Paraná, Brazil). Preliminary inferences on Caiuajara morphology were founded on a few partial skeletons, with no detail on the skull anatomy. Here we describe a new specimen from the pterosaur graveyard site, which corresponds to the most complete skull of Caiuajara dobruskii known so far. Furthermore, we describe and compare other specimens including the holotype, a paratype, and several other undescribed specimens. The new specimen preserves the posterior portion of the skull, allowing a better comprehension of its morphology and provides an appreciation of the anatomic structures of the basicranium, enabling better interpretation of this region. We also described the lower jaw of Caiuajara, reporting a unique feature of its symphyseal which adds to the diagnosis for the species. A variability in the premaxillary crest is also noted in different specimens of Caiuajara, which might be interpreted as sexual dimorphism or ontogenetic variability. Therefore, those new findings allow a better comprehension of its skull and enables a more precise comparison between the skulls of those extinct flying reptiles.
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Language:	Anglès
Document:	Article ; recerca ; Versió publicada
Published in:	PloS one, Vol. 17, Num. 22 (December 2022) , art. e0277780, ISSN 1932-6203

DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0277780
PMID: 36520711

23 p, 2.2 MB

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Research literature > UAB research groups literature > Research Centres and Groups (research output) > Experimental sciences > Institut Català de Paleontologia Miquel Crusafont (ICP)
Articles > Research articles
Articles > Published articles