Mythunga
Encyclopedia
Mythunga is a genus
of pterodactyloid
pterosaur
from the late Early Cretaceous
of Australia
. It is known from a partial skull found in marine rocks of the Albian
-age Toolebuc Formation
near Hughenden
, Queensland
. Only the snout and part of the jaws are known. The teeth in the lower jaw were relatively tall (half the depth of the supporting bone), and the teeth toward the rear of the known material were widely spaced. The snout apparently was hollow, with a supporting internal boxwork of bone. Mythunga was described by Ralph Molnar
and R. A. Thulborn in 2008, and provisionally thought to be related to plesiomorphic, and thus possibly basal
, pterodactyloids. The type species
is M. camara.
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 pterodactyloid
Pterodactyloidea
Pterodactyloidea forms one of the two suborders of pterosaurs , and contains the most derived members of this group of flying reptiles...
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 Early Cretaceous
Early Cretaceous
The Early Cretaceous or the Lower Cretaceous , is the earlier or lower of the two major divisions of the Cretaceous...
of Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
. It is known from a partial skull found in marine rocks of 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...
-age Toolebuc Formation
Toolebuc Formation
The Toolebuc Formation is a geological formation in Queensland, Australia whose strata date back to the Early Cretaceous. Dinosaur remains are among the fossils that have been recovered from the formation.-Vertebrate paleofauna:...
near Hughenden
Hughenden, Queensland
Hughenden is a town in Queensland, Australia situated on the banks of the Flinders River. It was named after Hughenden Manor, the home of former British Prime Minister Benjamin Disraeli. At the 2006 census, Hughenden had a population of 1,154.-History:...
, Queensland
Queensland
Queensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales to the west, south-west and south respectively. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean...
. Only the snout and part of the jaws are known. The teeth in the lower jaw were relatively tall (half the depth of the supporting bone), and the teeth toward the rear of the known material were widely spaced. The snout apparently was hollow, with a supporting internal boxwork of bone. Mythunga was described by Ralph Molnar
Ralph Molnar
Ralph E. Molnar is a paleontologist who had been Curator of Mammals at the Queensland Museum and more recently associated with the Museum of Northern Arizona. He is also a research associate at the Texas natural Science Centre. He co-authored descriptions of the dinosaurs Muttaburrasaurus, Kakuru,...
and R. A. Thulborn in 2008, and provisionally thought to be related to plesiomorphic, and thus possibly basal
Basal (phylogenetics)
In phylogenetics, a basal clade is the earliest clade to branch in a larger clade; it appears at the base of a cladogram.A basal group forms an outgroup to the rest of the clade, such as in the following example:...
, pterodactyloids. 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 M. camara.