SANTANA PTEROSAURS

["Darren Naish" <dwn194@soton.ac.uk>]

Hello all.

I've only just seen the following book:

MARTILL, D.M. 1995. _Fossils of the Santana and Crato Formations,
Brazil_. The Palaeontological Assoc. (London), pp. 159

As far as I can thus far tell, there is no discussion of birds,
crocodiles or theropods here. Pterosaurs have a two page review
(pp. 73-73). A good list of references is provided in th body of the
text, and interesting comments include 'many taxa are based on
incomplete skeletons and many forms should be considered _incertae
sedis_ until new material becomes available (D. Unwin pers. comm.)'
(p. 73). Most importantly, there is this:

'...similar forms (to the Santana pterosaurs) are known from the
Aptian/Albian of the United Kingdom (D. Unwin pers. comm.) and from
poorly dated deposits of Mongolia (N. Bakhurina pers. comm.). The
Santana Formation pterosaurs appear to have had a global distribution;
perhaps some migrated large distances as do modern large sea birds.'
(p. 74).

Text-fig. 5.2 is a reproduction of one of Wellnhofer's figures, and
depicts what is known of the crania of _Anhanguera_ (I don't know
which one), _Caeradactylus_, _Brasileodactylus_, _Santanadactylus_ and
_Tropeognathus_ (again, I don't know which one).

At the back of the book, Appendix 2 lists the fossil taxa. Of interest
to us, or to me anyway, are:

CROCODILIA 
   _Araripesuchus gomesei_ Price
   _Itasuchus camposi_ (Kellner)

PTEROSAURIA
   _Anhanguera blittersdorffi_ Campos and Kellner
   _A. santanae_ (Wellnhofer)
   _Araripedactylus dehmi_ Wellnhofer
   _Araripesaurus castillhoi_ Price
   _Brasileodactylus araripensis_ Kellner
   _Caeradactylus atrox_ Leonardi and Borgomonero
   _Santanadactylus araripensis_ Wellnhofer
   _S. brasiliensis_ de Buisonje
   _S. pricei_ Wellnhofer
   _S. spixi_ Wellnhofer
   _Tapejara wellnhoferi_ Kellner
   _Tropeognathus mesembrinus_ Wellnhofer
   _T. robustus_ Wellnhofer
   _Tupuxuara longicristatus_ Kellner and Campos

   The list of pterosaur taxa is almost certainly an overestimate. 
   Much of the type material is fragmentary and as new specimens 
   are discovered many of the genera and species will be synonymised.
   Part of the overestimation of pterosaur species may be due to a 
   failure to appreciate that head crest structures may be markedly sexually 
   dimorphic.

DINOSAURIA
   At least two undescribed species.

---------------

>From pp. 153-154. The two undescribed dinosaurs referred to are (almost
certainly) _Irritator_ and the indet. oviraptorid. 

"I want that ship"

[You and Peter Buchholz gonna do a duet for us? -- MR ]

DARREN NAISH 
dwn194@soton.ac.uk