catching up on pterosaurs

[david peters <davidrpeters@earthlink.net>]

It's been awhile since I've able to look at some of the new pteros coming out 
of China. 

Nuhachius is indeed a basal istiodactlid. I'm not sure about that skull 
reconstruction published in Nature. It appears to be upside down, and not only 
because the pmx teeth are shown on the doral side. A couple of pics can be seen 
at pterosaurinfo.com > taxa > Nurhachius. It's cryptic, no doubt. SAM 1136 PAL, 
an unnamed istiodactylid, has a similar goblet shaped postorbital, which is a 
prominent element.

Feilongus nests between cycnorhamphus and basal ornithocheirids. The skull is 
quite extraordinary and beautiful, perhaps leaner than drawn in Nature. I think 
the maxillary portion of the palate (the majority) have opened like bomb bay 
doors creating the illusion of a deeper skull. I'll post drawings shortly. Also 
the rostrum is well preserved giving a good look at the various holes one finds 
there.

Eopteranodon has a surprisingly elongated neck. It nests at the base of 
Nyctosaurus + Pteranodon, and just above Pterodactylus No. 13 from Wellnhofer's 
list and a loose reconstruction can be seen at pterosaurinfo.com. 

The new unnamed anurognathid considered a Dendrorhynchoides by Norell in his 
book and a Jeholopeterus by Unwin in his book turns out to be a new genus 
closer to Batrachognathus. The distal wing phalanges can be found beneath the 
pterosaur where they help twist what remains of the wing membrane. What appears 
to be an extraordinary propatagium festooned with actinofibrils may be a 
coincidence. Propatagia do not usually include actinofibrils in the pattern of 
brachiopatagia and this can be seen on the other propatagium on the specimen. 
The questionable propatagium actually extends a bit beyond both the pteroid and 
the humerus, which is the second clue that it is not what it seems. Third, the 
real propatagium can be seen below the questionable one, and it occupies a 
traditional area between the deltopectoral crest and the base (this time) of 
the detached pteroid. Finally, if you lift the questionable propatagium, the 
one with all the actinofibrils and move it to the right it fits
 perfectly beneath the arm exactly as if it had originate there as a 
brachiopatagium. Strange but (perhaps) true. Anyway, there's a good case for it.

More later,

David Peters
St. Louis