Re: Pterosaur wing shape

["Habib, Michael" <MHabib@Chatham.edu>]

I disagree - the Jeholopterus specimens show a broader wingtip than what Palmer 
and Dyke suggest for ornithocheirids, but it is not clearly convex.  In fact, 
it is not at all clear how it could be highly convex, as often restored, 
because even a quite stiff membrane would flutter excessively with that 
conformation.  The trailing edge of anurognathid membranes was probably 
relatively straight.  The Kellner et al. 2009 membrane description does not 
show any strong evidence for a robust trailing edge tendon, so significant 
roaching in the wing seems unlikely to me at this time.

Cheers,

--Mike H.


Sent from my iPhone

On Oct 4, 2011, at 5:44 PM, "GSP1954@aol.com" <GSP1954@aol.com> wrote:

> Palmer and Dyke (2011) Constraints on the wing morphology of pterosaurs 
> Proceedings of the Royal Society B restore the outer tip of the wing as very 
> slender and concave directed aft because the wing membrane is supposed to be 
> to flexible to show the convex wing tip often restored. But they cite Kellner 
> et al.'s paper 2009 paper in the same journal without noting that on both 
> Jeholopterus wing tips the preserved membranes are much broader than P & D 
> retore, so much so that they must have been convex. So I'm sticking with the 
> latter. 
> 
> GSPaul
> 
> </HTML>