Discovery of the holotype of the giant pterosaur Titanopteryx philadelphiae Arambourg 1959, and the status of Arambourgiania and Quetzalcoatlus

Martill, David M.; Sadaqah, Rushdie M.; Khoury, Hani

doi:10.1127/njgpa/207/1998/57

Cited by 49 publications

(52 citation statements)

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“…The giant azhdarchids of the terminal Cretaceous, with wing spans reaching or exceeding 10 m, were the largest known flying creatures. Specimens from the Maastrichtian of North America (Lawson 1975;Langston 1981), western Asia (Arambourg 1959;Martill et al 1998) and Europe (Buffetaut et al 1997) are usually fragmentary, consisting mainly of cervical vertebrae and limb bones. Relatively complete skull material was hitherto known only in Quetzalcoatlus sp.…”

Section: Description and Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A new giant pterosaur with a robust skull from the latest Cretaceous of Romania

Buffetaut

Grigorescu

Csiki

2002

Naturwissenschaften

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A new giant pterosaur, Hatzegopteryx thambema, nov.gen., nov.sp., from the Maastrichtian Densuş-Ciula Formation of Romania is remarkable for its very large size (estimated wing span > or = 12 m) and for the robustness of its large skull, which may have been nearly 3 m long. The stout skull bones contrast with the usually thin and slender skull elements of other pterosaurs, and raise the question of how the weight of the skull was reduced in order to make flight possible. The answer probably lies in the very peculiar internal structure of the bones, which consists of a dense network of very thin trabeculae enclosing small alveoli. This structure is reminiscent of expanded polystyrene and, like it, probably combined strength with lightness.

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Section: Description and Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A new giant pterosaur with a robust skull from the latest Cretaceous of Romania

Buffetaut

Grigorescu

Csiki

2002

Naturwissenschaften

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“…Ammonites ( Libycoceras ismaeli , Didymoceras sp. ), orectolobiforms, lamniforms ( Squalicorax sp., Scapanorhynchus sp., and others), enchodontiforms, tetraodontiforms, alepisauriforms, cheloniid turtles, plesiosaurs, mosasaurs, crocodyliforms, ornithopods (Avnimelech 1949; Arambourg 1954, 1959; Arambourg et al 1959; Frey and Martill 1996; Martill et al 1996; Mustafa and Zalmout 1999; Cappetta et al 2000; Bardet and Pereda Suberbiola 2002).…”

Section: Review Of Localities Of Skeletal Fossils Of Azhdarchidaementioning

confidence: 99%

Review of taxonomy, geographic distribution, and paleoenvironments of Azhdarchidae (Pterosauria)

Averianov¹

2014

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The taxonomy, geographic distribution, and paleoenvironmental context of azhdarchid pterosaurs are reviewed. All purported pteranodontid, tapejarid, and azhdarchid specimens from the Cenomanian Kem Kem beds of Morocco are referred to a single azhdarchid taxon, Alanqa saharica. The four proposed autapomorphies of Eurazhdarcho langendorfensis from the lower Maastrichtian Sebeş Formation of Romania are based on misinterpretations of material and this taxon is likely a subjective junior synonym of Hatzegopteryx thambema. Among 54 currently reported azhdarchid occurrences (51 skeletal remains and 3 tracks) 13% are from lacustrine deposits, 17% from fluvial plain deposits, 17% from coastal plain deposits, 18% from estuarine and lagoonal deposits, and 35% from costal marine deposits. Azhdarchids likely inhabited a variety of environments, but were abundant near large lakes and rivers and most common in nearshore marine paleoenvironments.

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“…Such a trough or sulcus is commonly present in azhdarchid cervicals (e.g., Currie and Russell 1982;Frey and Martill 1996;Kellner and Mader 1996;Martill et al 1998;Pereda Suberbiola et al 2003), fur− ther supporting the azhdarchid affinity of this specimen.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 98%

“…The articular facet of the prezygapophysis lies well lateral to nal) in azhdarchid cervicals by Martill et al (1998), Godfrey and Currie (2005), and Henderson and Peterson (2006). This canal has a slit−like opening anteriorly and continues posteri− orly into a shallow trough that is bounded dorsally by a ridge extending from the ventral edge of the prezygapophysis and ventrally by another short ridge on the centrum.…”

Section: Descriptionmentioning

confidence: 96%