Barbosania
Encyclopedia
Barbosania is an extinct genus
of crestless ornithocheirid pterosaur
from the Cretaceous
Romualdo Member of the Santana Formation
of Northeastern Brazil
, dating to the Albian
-Cenomanian
stage.
Barbosania was named and described by Ross A. Elgin and Eberhard Frey in 2011
and the type species
is Barbosania gracilirostris. The generic name honours Professor Miguel Barbosa of the Portuguese Museu de História Natural de Sintra in whose collection the type specimen is present. The specific epithet is derived from Latin
rostrum, "snout", and gracilis, "slender", in reference to the slender form of the anterior skull.
The holotype
, MNHS/00/85, was originally acquired for Barbosa's personal collection, the basis of the new Sintra
museum, from Brazilian fossil dealers. Its provenance is probably the Sierra de Maõsina, implying an Early Cretaceous
late Albian age, about a hundred million years old. It consists of an almost complete skeleton
including the skull
, that is partially articulated and uncompressed. The lower legs and most of the neck are missing. The specimen was prepared in the German Staatliches Museum für Naturkunde Karlsruhe. It is probably of a subadult individual, though the closure of the respective sutures provides somewhat contradictory information, the fusion of some elements indicating it was full-grown.
Several specimens previously referred to Brasileodactylus
may instead be individuals of Barbosania.
Barbosania was a medium-sized pterodactyloid
with a skull length of 392 millimetres. Its body was 209.5 millimetres long. The skull is elongated with a slight upwards bend in the snout. Its lack of a rostral and dentary median sagittal crest allows a distinction from other related pterosaurs. Also a parietal crest on top of the skull is absent. The authors considered it unlikely that this morphology was age-related and rejected the explanation of such traits by sexual dimorphism
unless there was specific evidence to prove this. The describers established a single autapomorphy
, unique trait: the possession of thirteen dorsal vertebrae instead of the normal twelve. The first four tooth pairs are extremely long, forming a rosette to catch slippery prey like fish or squids. This rosette is however not laterally expanded, which was reflected in the specific name. There are at least twenty-four teeth in the upper jaw and twenty in the lower jaw for a total of eighty-eight.
Barbosania was assigned to the Ornithocheiroidea
sensu Unwin and more precisely to the Ornithocheiridae
.
Genus
In biology, a genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, which is an example of definition by genus and differentia...
of crestless ornithocheirid pterosaur
Pterosaur
Pterosaurs were flying reptiles of the clade or order Pterosauria. They existed from the late Triassic to the end of the Cretaceous Period . Pterosaurs are the earliest vertebrates known to have evolved powered flight...
from the Cretaceous
Cretaceous
The Cretaceous , derived from the Latin "creta" , usually abbreviated K for its German translation Kreide , is a geologic period and system from circa to million years ago. In the geologic timescale, the Cretaceous follows the Jurassic period and is followed by the Paleogene period of the...
Romualdo Member of the Santana Formation
Santana Formation
The Santana Formation is a geologic Lagerstätte in northeastern Brazil's Araripe Basin where the states of Pernambuco, Piauí and Ceará come together. The geological formation, named after the village of Santana do Cariri, lies at the base of the Araripe Plateau...
of Northeastern Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
, dating to the Albian
Albian
The Albian is both an age of the geologic timescale and a stage in the stratigraphic column. It is the youngest or uppermost subdivision of the Early/Lower Cretaceous epoch/series. Its approximate time range is 112.0 ± 1.0 Ma to 99.6 ± 0.9 Ma...
-Cenomanian
Cenomanian
The Cenomanian is, in the ICS' geological timescale the oldest or earliest age of the Late Cretaceous epoch or the lowest stage of the Upper Cretaceous series. An age is a unit of geochronology: it is a unit of time; the stage is a unit in the stratigraphic column deposited during the corresponding...
stage.
Barbosania was named and described by Ross A. Elgin and Eberhard Frey in 2011
2011 in paleontology
-Lobopods:-Arachnids:-Insects:-Newly named jawless vertebrates:-Newly named acanthodian:-Newly named cartilaginous fishes:-Newly named bony fishes:-Newly named lepospondyls:-Newly named temnospondyls:-Newly named lissamphibians:...
and the type species
Type species
In biological nomenclature, a type species is both a concept and a practical system which is used in the classification and nomenclature of animals and plants. The value of a "type species" lies in the fact that it makes clear what is meant by a particular genus name. A type species is the species...
is Barbosania gracilirostris. The generic name honours Professor Miguel Barbosa of the Portuguese Museu de História Natural de Sintra in whose collection the type specimen is present. The specific epithet is derived from Latin
Latin
Latin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. It, along with most European languages, is a descendant of the ancient Proto-Indo-European language. Although it is considered a dead language, a number of scholars and members of the Christian clergy speak it fluently, and...
rostrum, "snout", and gracilis, "slender", in reference to the slender form of the anterior skull.
The holotype
Holotype
A holotype is a single physical example of an organism, known to have been used when the species was formally described. It is either the single such physical example or one of several such, but explicitly designated as the holotype...
, MNHS/00/85, was originally acquired for Barbosa's personal collection, the basis of the new Sintra
Sintra
Sintra is a town within the municipality of Sintra in the Grande Lisboa subregion of Portugal. Owing to its 19th century Romantic architecture and landscapes, becoming a major tourist centre, visited by many day-trippers who travel from the urbanized suburbs and capital of Lisbon.In addition to...
museum, from Brazilian fossil dealers. Its provenance is probably the Sierra de Maõsina, implying an Early Cretaceous
Early Cretaceous
The Early Cretaceous or the Lower Cretaceous , is the earlier or lower of the two major divisions of the Cretaceous...
late Albian age, about a hundred million years old. It consists of an almost complete skeleton
Skeleton
The skeleton is the body part that forms the supporting structure of an organism. There are two different skeletal types: the exoskeleton, which is the stable outer shell of an organism, and the endoskeleton, which forms the support structure inside the body.In a figurative sense, skeleton can...
including the skull
Skull
The skull is a bony structure in the head of many animals that supports the structures of the face and forms a cavity for the brain.The skull is composed of two parts: the cranium and the mandible. A skull without a mandible is only a cranium. Animals that have skulls are called craniates...
, that is partially articulated and uncompressed. The lower legs and most of the neck are missing. The specimen was prepared in the German Staatliches Museum für Naturkunde Karlsruhe. It is probably of a subadult individual, though the closure of the respective sutures provides somewhat contradictory information, the fusion of some elements indicating it was full-grown.
Several specimens previously referred to Brasileodactylus
Brasileodactylus
Brasileodactylus is the name assigned to the remains of a pterosaur from the Lower Santana formation of the Aptian of Chapada do Araripe, Ceará, Brazil....
may instead be individuals of Barbosania.
Barbosania was a medium-sized pterodactyloid
Pterodactyloidea
Pterodactyloidea forms one of the two suborders of pterosaurs , and contains the most derived members of this group of flying reptiles...
with a skull length of 392 millimetres. Its body was 209.5 millimetres long. The skull is elongated with a slight upwards bend in the snout. Its lack of a rostral and dentary median sagittal crest allows a distinction from other related pterosaurs. Also a parietal crest on top of the skull is absent. The authors considered it unlikely that this morphology was age-related and rejected the explanation of such traits by sexual dimorphism
Sexual dimorphism
Sexual dimorphism is a phenotypic difference between males and females of the same species. Examples of such differences include differences in morphology, ornamentation, and behavior.-Examples:-Ornamentation / coloration:...
unless there was specific evidence to prove this. The describers established a single autapomorphy
Autapomorphy
In cladistics, an autapomorphy is a distinctive anatomical feature, known as a derived trait, that is unique to a given terminal group. That is, it is found only in one member of a clade, but not found in any others or outgroup taxa, not even those most closely related to the group...
, unique trait: the possession of thirteen dorsal vertebrae instead of the normal twelve. The first four tooth pairs are extremely long, forming a rosette to catch slippery prey like fish or squids. This rosette is however not laterally expanded, which was reflected in the specific name. There are at least twenty-four teeth in the upper jaw and twenty in the lower jaw for a total of eighty-eight.
Barbosania was assigned to the Ornithocheiroidea
Ornithocheiroidea
Ornithocheiroidea is an extinct group of pterosaurs within the suborder Pterodactyloidea.-Locomotion:Ornithocheiroids, like other pterosaurs, are considered to have been skilled fliers as well as adept at moving on the ground...
sensu Unwin and more precisely to the Ornithocheiridae
Ornithocheiridae
Ornithocheiridae is a group of pterosaurs within the suborder Pterodactyloidea. They were among the last pterosaurs to possess teeth.-Classification:Listing of genera after Unwin , except where noted.* Family Ornithocheiridae** ?Aetodactylus...
.