New Bakonydraco (azhdarchid) material from Hungary

[bh480@scn.org]

From: Ben Creisler
bh480@scn.org

A new pterosaur paper:

Attila Osi, Eric Buffetaut and Edina Prondvai (2011)
New pterosaurian remains from the Late Cretaceous 
(Santonian) of Hungary (Iharkút, Csehbánya Formation). 
Cretaceous Research (advance online publication)
doi:10.1016/j.cretres.2011.01.011 

Abstract
The Late Cretaceous (Santonian) continental vertebrate 
locality of Iharkút, western Hungary has provided 
numerous azhdarchid pterosaur remains including the 
recently described, Bakonydraco galaczi. Since the first 
report of these fossils, additional remains have been 
discovered that improve considerably our knowledge of 
some aspects of the anatomy of azhdarchid pterosaurs. New 
cranial material described here indicates an edentulous, 
non-crested premaxillary rostrum in Bakonydraco similar 
to that of Quetzalcoatlus and reveals that this rostrum 
was considerably thinner and more lightly built than the 
relatively massive, pointed mandibular symphysis. In 
addition, the contact surface of the upper and lower jaws 
of Bakonydraco at least in the symphyseal region was more 
similar to Tapejara wellnhoferi than to other azdarchids: 
the contact is irregular and the premaxilla does not fit 
closely the rostral part of the mandible. Among the 
postcranial material the atlas?axis complex possessing 
lateral pneumatic foramina is of great importance because 
it further supports the notion of interspecific 
variability of vertebral pneumaticity among pterosaurs.

Key words: Pterosauria; Azhdarchidae; Rostrum; 
Postcranial remains; Iharkút; Hungary


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