Batrachognathus
Encyclopedia
Batrachognathus is an extinct genus
of "rhamphorhynchoid
" pterosaur
from the Late Jurassic
(Oxfordian
- Kimmeridgian
) Karabastau Svita
of the central Asian republic of Kazakhstan
.
The genus was named in 1948 by the Russian paleontologist Anatoly Nicolaevich Ryabinin. The type species
is Batrachognathus volans. The genus name is derived from Greek batrakhos, "frog" and gnathos, "jaw", in reference to the short wide head. The specific epithet means "flying" in Latin
.
Three fossils have been found in a lacustrine
sediment in the North-West Tien Shan foothills of the Karatau Mountains
. In the Jurassic this area had some similarities in habitat to the Solnhofen
lagoon deposits in Bavaria
, Germany. The genus is based on holotype
PIN 52-2, an incomplete and disarticulated skeleton consisting of skull fragments, jaws, vertebrae, ribs, legs and wing bones. The skull of 48 mm long is high, short and broad. The upper jaws have in total 22 or 24 recurved conical teeth; with the lower jaws they make a short and very wide mouth. The animal is not preserved with a tail. Whether it had one is debatable; usually it is assumed a short tail was present. The wingspan has been estimated at 50 cm; David Unwin in 2000 gave a higher estimate of 75 cm.
Batrachognathus was assigned to the Anurognathidae, as a relative of Anurognathus
. In 2003 it was joined with the Asian anurognathids Dendrorhynchoides
and Jeholopterus
in a clade Asiaticognathidae by Alexander Kellner
. According to an analysis in 2006 by Lü Junchang Batrachognathus and Jeholopterus were sister taxa.
Like all anurognathids Batrachognathus is assumed to have been an insectivore
, catching insects on the wing with its broad mouth.
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 "rhamphorhynchoid
Rhamphorhynchoidea
The Rhamphorhynchoidea forms one of the two suborders of pterosaurs and represent an evolutionary grade of primitive members of this group of flying reptiles. This suborder is paraphyletic in relation to the Pterodactyloidea, which arose from within the Rhamphorhynchoidea, not from a more distant...
" 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 Late Jurassic
Late Jurassic
The Late Jurassic is the third epoch of the Jurassic Period, and it spans the geologic time from 161.2 ± 4.0 to 145.5 ± 4.0 million years ago , which is preserved in Upper Jurassic strata. In European lithostratigraphy, the name "Malm" indicates rocks of Late Jurassic age...
(Oxfordian
Oxfordian stage
The Oxfordian is, in the ICS' geologic timescale, the earliest age of the Late Jurassic epoch, or the lowest stage of the Upper Jurassic series. It spans the time between 161.2 ± 4 Ma and 155.7 ± 4 Ma...
- Kimmeridgian
Kimmeridgian
In the geologic timescale, the Kimmeridgian is an age or stage in the Late or Upper Jurassic epoch or series. It spans the time between 155.7 ± 4 Ma and 150.8 ± 4 Ma . The Kimmeridgian follows the Oxfordian and precedes the Tithonian....
) Karabastau Svita
Karabastau Svita
The Karabastau Svita is a geological formation in Kazakhastan whose strata date back to the Late Jurassic. Pterosaur remains are among the fossils that have been recovered from the formation.-Vertebrates:-Invertebrates:...
of the central Asian republic of Kazakhstan
Kazakhstan
Kazakhstan , officially the Republic of Kazakhstan, is a transcontinental country in Central Asia and Eastern Europe. Ranked as the ninth largest country in the world, it is also the world's largest landlocked country; its territory of is greater than Western Europe...
.
The genus was named in 1948 by the Russian paleontologist Anatoly Nicolaevich Ryabinin. 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 Batrachognathus volans. The genus name is derived from Greek batrakhos, "frog" and gnathos, "jaw", in reference to the short wide head. The specific epithet means "flying" in 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...
.
Three fossils have been found in a lacustrine
Lake
A lake is a body of relatively still fresh or salt water of considerable size, localized in a basin, that is surrounded by land. Lakes are inland and not part of the ocean and therefore are distinct from lagoons, and are larger and deeper than ponds. Lakes can be contrasted with rivers or streams,...
sediment in the North-West Tien Shan foothills of the Karatau Mountains
Karatau Mountains
The Karatau Mountains are located in southern Kazakhstan just north of the Syrdaria River, and they display a unique geomorphology. The name Karatau means Black Mountain in the Kazakh language...
. In the Jurassic this area had some similarities in habitat to the Solnhofen
Solnhofen
Solnhofen is a municipality in the district of Weißenburg-Gunzenhausen in the region of Franconia in the Land of Bavaria in Germany. It lies within the Altmühl valley....
lagoon deposits in Bavaria
Bavaria
Bavaria, formally the Free State of Bavaria is a state of Germany, located in the southeast of Germany. With an area of , it is the largest state by area, forming almost 20% of the total land area of Germany...
, Germany. The genus is based on 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...
PIN 52-2, an incomplete and disarticulated skeleton consisting of skull fragments, jaws, vertebrae, ribs, legs and wing bones. The skull of 48 mm long is high, short and broad. The upper jaws have in total 22 or 24 recurved conical teeth; with the lower jaws they make a short and very wide mouth. The animal is not preserved with a tail. Whether it had one is debatable; usually it is assumed a short tail was present. The wingspan has been estimated at 50 cm; David Unwin in 2000 gave a higher estimate of 75 cm.
Batrachognathus was assigned to the Anurognathidae, as a relative of Anurognathus
Anurognathus
Anurognathus is a genus of small pterosaur that lived approximately 150 million years ago during the late Jurassic Period ....
. In 2003 it was joined with the Asian anurognathids Dendrorhynchoides
Dendrorhynchoides
Dendrorhynchoides was a genus of anurognathid pterosaur from the Early Cretaceous Yixian Formation, near Beipiao, Chaoyang, Liaoning, China...
and Jeholopterus
Jeholopterus
Jeholopterus was a small anurognathid pterosaur from the Daohugou Beds of northeastern China , between 168 and 152 million years ago), preserved with hair and skin remains.-Naming:...
in a clade Asiaticognathidae by Alexander Kellner
Alexander Kellner
Alexander Wilhelm Armin Kellner is a Liechtensteinian/Brazilian paleontologist, a leading expert in the field of the study of pterosaurs....
. According to an analysis in 2006 by Lü Junchang Batrachognathus and Jeholopterus were sister taxa.
Like all anurognathids Batrachognathus is assumed to have been an insectivore
Insectivore
An insectivore is a type of carnivore with a diet that consists chiefly of insects and similar small creatures. An alternate term is entomophage, which also refers to the human practice of eating insects....
, catching insects on the wing with its broad mouth.