Barbaridactylus

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Barbaridactylus
Temporal range: Late Cretaceous, 66  Ma
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Holotype
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Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Order: Pterosauria
Suborder: Pterodactyloidea
Clade: Aponyctosauria
Family: Nyctosauridae
Genus: Barbaridactylus
Longrich, Martill, & Andres, 2018
Type species
Barbaridactylus grandis
Longrich, Martill, & Andres, 2018
Synonyms [1]

Barbaridactylus is a nyctosaurid pterosaur from the Ouled Abdoun Basin of Morocco, a basin that dates back to the Maastrichtian stage of the Late Cretaceous. It was published in 2018 by paleontologists Nicholas R. Longrich, David M. Martill, and Brian Andres. In the same publication, two other pterosaurs from the same basin were described: Alcione and Simurghia . [2] The type and only species is B. grandis.

Contents

Discovery and naming

All known specimens of Barbaridactylus were uncovered in a 3-year dig that unearthed about 200 pterosaur specimens. Its type specimen is FSAC-OB 232, which consists of its right femur, left radius, ulna, humerus, and scapulocoracoid, and partial mandible. Four other specimens have been referred to Barbaridactylus, FSAC-OB 8, 9, 10, and 11. They are all humeri. [2]

Barbaridactylus is named after the Barbary Coast of North Africa and the Pacific North Coast of North America, and the Greek dactylus (Greek : δάκτυλος) [3] meaning "finger." [2] Its specific name, grandis, means "great" in Latin. [2]

Description

Size of Barbaridactylus (top, third highest) compared to other pterosaurs, birds, and a human Size disparity of late Maastrichtian pterosaurs and birds.svg
Size of Barbaridactylus (top, third highest) compared to other pterosaurs, birds, and a human

Barbaridactylus was one of the larger nyctosaurids, with a humerus length of 22.5 cm (8.9 in), wingspan of approximately 4 m (13 ft) and a body mass of 4 kg (8.8 lb), making it one of the largest nyctosaurids. [2] [4] [a] Like other nyctosaurids, Barbaridactylus had upward-curving jaws. The only known cervical is also rather typical for nyctosaurids, as it is proportionately short and broad, a morphology also present in the related pteranodontids. The scapulocoracoid is fused, meaning that the animal was probably an adult. It is boomerang shaped, and the two bones (the scapula and coracoid) form a 60-degree angle. The humeral shaft is long and thin. The hatchet-shaped deltopectoral crest (a distinctive feature of nyctosaurids) is in a notably distal location in relation to the humeral head, more similar to that of Nyctosaurus than Alcione . This crest is short and broad, and the expanded tip is weakly developed, which are basal features. The deltopectoral crest appears warped from an anterior view, more so than in other nyctosaurids, but much less than in pteranodontids. There is a pneumatic fossa located on the ventral surface of each humeral head that is unique to this species. The ulna is relatively gracile, unlike the robust ulna of Alcione, and its ends are weakly expanded. The diameter radius is approximately two thirds that of the ulna. The femur of Barbaridactylus is relatively typical for a nyctosaurid, although it lacks the strong distal expansion present in other nyctosaurids. Instead, it expands more gently, similar to that of Pteranodon. [2]

Classification

Assigned right humerus Barbaridactylus Humerus - Longrich et al 2018.PNG
Assigned right humerus

Below is a cladogram showing the results of a phylogenetic analysis first presented by Andres and colleagues in 2014, and updated with additional data by Longrich and colleagues in 2018. In this analysis, they found Barbaridactylus to be the sister taxon of the Nyctosaurus species N. lamegoi, both placed within the family Nyctosauridae. [5] [2]

Ornithocheiroidea

As part of a 2022 monograph on Quetzalcoatlus , Brian Andres suggested that Barbaridactylus may represent an additional species of Nyctosaurus. [1]

Pteranodontia
Nyctosauromorpha

Alamodactylus

Cretornis

Nyctosauridae

Muzquizopteryx

Nyctosaurus grandis(Barbaridactylus)

Nyctosaurus lamegoi

Nyctosaurus nanus

Nyctosaurus gracilis

In a 2024 phylogenetic analysis, Barbaridactylus was recovered as the sister taxon of Muzquiopteryx outside of the genus Nyctosaurus , and " Nyctosaurus " lamegoi was included as a species of Simurghia . [6]

Paleoecology

Locality and stratigraphy of the discovery site of Barbaridactylus. Phosphate mines in Morocco.PNG
Locality and stratigraphy of the discovery site of Barbaridactylus.

Barbaridactylus was discovered in upper Maastrichtian phosphates located in the Ouled Abdoun Basin of Northern Morocco. This geological formation does not belong to a formation. It is divided into couches, with Barbaridactylus being discovered in Couche III. This layer dates back to the latest Maastrichtian, about 1 million years before the extinction event at the end of the Cretaceous. Couche III represents the most diverse marine ecosystem known from the time. [2]

A large variety of marine life is known from the region, including sharks and bony fish, in addition to turtles, plesiosaurs and mosasaurs. A few rare, fragmentary dinosaur fossils are known, including an abelisaur and a sauropod. Other pterosaurs in the formation were originally only represented by the azhdarchid Phosphatodraco mauritanicus . However, in addition to Barbaridactylus, more recent studies have revealed at least five more pterosaur species from this location, including Alcione , Simurghia and Tethydraco . [2]

Notes

  1. Paul's estimate of the wingspan and body mass is actually written for Alcione in his book, based on his assumption that Barbaridactylus represents the adult stage of Alcione. [4] However, the 2018 study directly refutes this claim based on the hatchet-shaped deltopectoral crest different from Alcione; the wingspan of approximately 4 m (13 ft) is noted in the supplement of this study which concurs with Paul's estimate. [2]

Related Research Articles

<i>Nyctosaurus</i> Genus of nyctosaurid pterosaur from the Late Cretaceous

Nyctosaurus is a genus of nyctosaurid pterosaur from the Late Cretaceous period of what is now the Niobrara Formation of the mid-western United States, which, during the time Nyctosaurus was alive, was covered in an extensive shallow sea. Some remains belonging to a possible Nyctosaurus species called "N." lamegoi have been found in Brazil, though it likely belongs to a different genus Simurghia. The genus Nyctosaurus has had numerous species referred to it, though how many of these may actually be valid requires further study. At least one species possessed an extraordinarily large antler-like cranial crest.

<i>Arambourgiania</i> Genus of large azhdarchid pterosaur from the Late Cretaceous

Arambourgiania is an extinct genus of azhdarchid pterosaur from the Late Cretaceous period of Jordan, and possibly the United States and Morocco. With a wingspan of around 10 metres (33 ft), Arambourgiania was among the largest members of its family, the Azhdarchidae, and it is also one of the largest flying animals ever known.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pteranodontidae</span> Family of pteranodontian pterosaurs

The Pteranodontidae are a family of large pterosaurs from the Late Cretaceous of North America and possibly other continents including Europe and Africa. The family was named in 1876 by Othniel Charles Marsh. Pteranodontids had a distinctive, elongated crest jutting from the rear of the head. The spectacularly-crested Nyctosaurus is sometimes included in this family, though usually placed in its own family, the Nyctosauridae.

<i>Hatzegopteryx</i> Genus of large azhdarchid pterosaur from the Late Cretaceous

Hatzegopteryx is a genus of azhdarchid pterosaur found in the late Maastrichtian deposits of the Densuş Ciula Formation, an outcropping in Transylvania, Romania. It is known only from the type species, Hatzegopteryx thambema, named by Buffetaut et al. in 2002 based on parts of the skull and humerus. Additional specimens, including a neck vertebra, were later placed in the genus, representing a range of sizes. The largest of these remains indicate it was among the biggest pterosaurs, with an estimated wingspan of 10 to 12 metres.

<i>Montanazhdarcho</i> Genus of azhdarchoid pterosaur from the Late Cretaceous

Montanazhdarcho is a genus of azhdarchoid pterosaur from the Late Cretaceous period of what is now the state of Montana, United States. Montanazhdarcho is known from only one species, M. minor.

<i>Bennettazhia</i> Genus of tapejaromorph pterosaur from the Early Cretaceous

Bennettazhia is a genus of tapejaromorph pterosaur which lived during the Albian stage of the Early Cretaceous from what is now the Hudspeth Formation of the state of Oregon in the United States. Although originally identified as a species of the pteranodontoid pterosaur Pteranodon, Bennettazhia is now thought to have been a different animal. The type and only species is B. oregonensis.

<i>Phosphatodraco</i> Late Cretaceous genus of pterosaur

Phosphatodraco is a genus of azhdarchid pterosaur that lived during the Late Cretaceous of what is now Morocco. In 2000, a pterosaur specimen consisting of five cervical (neck) vertebrae was discovered in the Ouled Abdoun Phosphatic Basin. The specimen was made the holotype of the new genus and species Phosphatodraco mauritanicus in 2003; the genus name means "dragon from the phosphates", and the specific name refers to the region of Mauretania. Phosphatodraco was the first Late Cretaceous pterosaur known from North Africa, and the second pterosaur genus described from Morocco. It is one of the only known azhdarchids preserving a relatively complete neck, and was one of the last known pterosaurs. Additional cervical vertebrae have since been assigned to the genus, and it has been suggested that fossils of the pterosaur Tethydraco represent wing elements of Phosphatodraco.

<i>Muzquizopteryx</i> Genus of nyctosaurid pterosaur from the Late Cretaceous

Muzquizopteryx is a genus of nyctosaurid pterodactyloid pterosaur from the Late Cretaceous period of what is now Coahuila, Mexico.

Elanodactylus is a genus of ctenochasmatid pterodactyloid pterosaur from the Early Cretaceous period of what is now the Yixian Formation of Liaoning, China.

<i>Volgadraco</i> Genus of ornithocheiroid pterosaur from the Late Cretaceous

Volgadraco is a genus of pteranodontian pterosaur from the Upper Cretaceous of European Russia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nyctosauridae</span> Family of pteranodontian pterosaurs

Nyctosauridae is a family of specialized soaring pterosaurs of the late Cretaceous Period of North America, Africa, and possibly other continents including South America. It was named in 1889 by Henry Alleyne Nicholson and Richard Lydekker.

<i>Alanqa</i> Genus of azhdarchid pterosaur from the Late Cretaceous

Alanqa is a genus of pterodactyloid pterosaur from the Late Cretaceous period of what is now the Kem Kem Beds of southeastern Morocco. The name Alanqa comes from the Arabic word العنقاءal-‘Anqā’, for a mythical bird of Arabian culture.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pteranodontia</span> Clade of pteranodontoid pterosaurs

Pteranodontia is an extinct group of ornithocheiroid pterodactyloid pterosaurs. It lived during the Late Cretaceous of North America, South America, Europe and Africa. They were some of the most advanced pterosaurs, and possessed highly specialized cranial crests that may have served as sexual attraction, with males having a much larger crest.

<i>Aerotitan</i> Genus of azhdarchid pterosaur from the Late Cretaceous

Aerotitan is a genus of large azhdarchid pterosaur known from the Late Cretaceous period of what is now the Allen Formation of the Neuquén Basin in northern Patagonia, Argentina.

Alamodactylus is an extinct genus of pteranodontian pterosaur known from the Late Cretaceous of Texas, southern United States. It contains a single species, Alamodactylus byrdi.

Radiodactylus is an extinct genus of non-azhdarchid azhdarchoid pterosaur known from the Early Cretaceous period of what is now Texas, southern United States. It contains a single species, Radiodactylus langstoni.

<i>Tethydraco</i> Genus of ornithocheiroid pterosaur from the Late Cretaceous

Tethydraco is a genus of pterodactyloid pterosaur that lived during the Late Cretaceous period of what is now the area of present Morocco, about 66 million years ago. Tethydraco was originally assigned to the family Pteranodontidae. Some researchers argued that subsequently described material suggests that it may have been an azhdarchid, and possibly synonymous with Phosphatodraco, though this has been disputed. The type and only species is T. regalis.

<i>Alcione elainus</i> Genus of pterosaur from the Late Cretaceous

Alcione is a genus of pterosaur from the Ouled Abdoun Basin of Morocco, dating back to the Maastrichtian stage of the Late Cretaceous period. Only one species, A. elainus, is known. This pterosaur lived in a marine environment alongside several other pterosaurs, including Simurghia and Barbaridactylus.

<i>Simurghia</i> Genus of pterosaur from the Late Cretaceous

Simurghia is a genus of pterosaur from the Ouled Abdoun Basin of Morocco, a basin that dates to the Maastrichtian stage of the Late Cretaceous period, about 66 million years ago. It was published in 2018 by paleontologists Nicholas R. Longrich, David M. Martill, and Brian Andres, along with two other pterosaurs from the same basin: Alcione and Barbaridactylus. The type species is S. robusta. A possible second species, S. ("Nyctosaurus") lamegoi, is known from the Campanian-Maastrichtian age strata of Brazil.

<i>Thalassotitan</i> Large bodied African mosasaur

Thalassotitan is an extinct genus of large mosasaurs that lived during the late Maastrichtian of the Cretaceous period in what is now Morocco, around 67 to 66 million years ago. The only known species is T. atrox, described in 2022 from fossils discovered in the Ouled Abdoun Basin, initially identified as coming from other genera such as Mosasaurus or Prognathodon. Hypothetical Thalassotitan specimens may have been found in other corners of the world, although researchers also note the possibility that they come from distinct, related taxa. It is considered to be close to the genera Prognathodon and Gnathomortis, together forming the tribe Prognathodontini. The prognathodontines are separated from other mosasaurs based on their massive jaws and robust teeth.

References

  1. 1 2 Andres, Brian (2021-12-14). "Phylogenetic systematics of Quetzalcoatlus Lawson 1975 (Pterodactyloidea: Azhdarchoidea)". Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology. 41 (sup2): 203–217. Bibcode:2021JVPal..41S.203A. doi: 10.1080/02724634.2020.1801703 . ISSN   0272-4634. S2CID   245078533.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Longrich, Nicholas R.; Martill, David M.; Andres, Brian; Penny, David (2018). "Late Maastrichtian pterosaurs from North Africa and mass extinction of Pterosauria at the Cretaceous-Paleogene boundary". PLOS Biology. 16 (3): e2001663. doi: 10.1371/journal.pbio.2001663 . PMC   5849296 . PMID   29534059.
  3. Liddell, H.G. & Scott, R. (1940). A Greek-English Lexicon. Revised and augmented throughout by Sir Henry Stuart Jones with the assistance of Roderick McKenzie.Oxford: Clarendon Press.
  4. 1 2 Paul, Gregory S. (2022). The Princeton Field Guide to Pterosaurs. Princeton University Press. p. 175. doi:10.1515/9780691232218. ISBN   9780691232218. S2CID   249332375.
  5. Andres, B.; Clark, J.; Xu, X. (2014). "The Earliest Pterodactyloid and the Origin of the Group". Current Biology. 24 (9): 1011–6. Bibcode:2014CBio...24.1011A. doi: 10.1016/j.cub.2014.03.030 . PMID   24768054.
  6. Pêgas, Rodrigo V. (2024-06-10). "A taxonomic note on the tapejarid pterosaurs from the Pterosaur Graveyard site (Caiuá Group, ?Early Cretaceous of Southern Brazil): evidence for the presence of two species". Historical Biology : 1–22. doi:10.1080/08912963.2024.2355664. ISSN   0891-2963.