Plataleorhynchus
Encyclopedia
Plataleorhynchus was a genus
of ctenochasmatid
pterodactyloid pterosaur
from the Tithonian
-Berriasian
-age Upper Jurassic or Lower Cretaceous Purbeck Limestone of Dorset
, England
.
The genus was named in 1995 by Stafford Howse and Andrew Milner. The type species
is Plataleorhynchus streptorophorodon. The genus name is derived form Platalea, the spoonbill
, and Greek rhynchos, "snout", in reference to the distinctive form of the front of the skull. The specific name is derived from Greek streptophoros, "collared", and odon, "tooth", referring to the tooth form.
It is based on holotype
NHML R.11957 (earlier BMNH R.11957), an incomplete anterior upper jaw
with teeth found in a chalkstone quarry near Langton Matravers
. The fossil is present on a plate; its underside is visible. This jaw is notable because it expands to form a circular, spatula
-like shape at the front, holding 22 narrow teeth that point sideways. Forty other teeth (sockets) were present in the preserved remainder of the snout; the total for the upper jaws was estimated at 76.
The authors classified Plataleorhynchus as a member of the Ctenochasmatidae
, a group containing many filter feeders. David Unwin in 2005 placed it in the subgroup of the Gnathosaurinae.
Although Plataleorhychus would have been similar in size to large gnathosaurines like Gnathosaurus
; its skull length was estimated at a minimum of forty centimetres (15.75 in), the different shape of its spoonbill, presence of an apparently horn-covered pad on the palate
, and smaller teeth suggest it did not feed in the same way, perhaps stirring up water-dwelling animals from mud
dy or weed
y environments.
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 ctenochasmatid
Ctenochasmatidae
Ctenochasmatidae is a group of pterosaurs within the suborder Pterodactyloidea.-Classification:Listing of subfamilies and genera after Unwin 2006 unless otherwise noted.* Family Ctenochasmatidae** Elanodactylus** Gegepterus...
pterodactyloid 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 Tithonian
Tithonian
In the geologic timescale the Tithonian is the latest age of the Late Jurassic epoch or the uppermost stage of the Upper Jurassic series. It spans the time between 150.8 ± 4 Ma and 145.5 ± 4 Ma...
-Berriasian
Berriasian
In the geological timescale, the Berriasian is an age or stage of the Early or Lower Creteceous. It is the oldest or lowest subdivision in the entire Cretaceous. It spanned between 145.5 ± 4.0 Ma and 140.2 ± 3.0 Ma...
-age Upper Jurassic or Lower Cretaceous Purbeck Limestone of Dorset
Dorset
Dorset , is a county in South West England on the English Channel coast. The county town is Dorchester which is situated in the south. The Hampshire towns of Bournemouth and Christchurch joined the county with the reorganisation of local government in 1974...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
.
The genus was named in 1995 by Stafford Howse and Andrew Milner. 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 Plataleorhynchus streptorophorodon. The genus name is derived form Platalea, the spoonbill
Spoonbill
Spoonbills are a group of large, long-legged wading birds in the family Threskiornithidae, which also includes the Ibises.All have large, flat, spatulate bills and feed by wading through shallow water, sweeping the partly opened bill from side to side...
, and Greek rhynchos, "snout", in reference to the distinctive form of the front of the skull. The specific name is derived from Greek streptophoros, "collared", and odon, "tooth", referring to the tooth form.
It 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...
NHML R.11957 (earlier BMNH R.11957), an incomplete anterior upper jaw
Beak
The beak, bill or rostrum is an external anatomical structure of birds which is used for eating and for grooming, manipulating objects, killing prey, fighting, probing for food, courtship and feeding young...
with teeth found in a chalkstone quarry near Langton Matravers
Langton Matravers
Langton Matravers is a small village on the Isle of Purbeck, in the county of Dorset in the south of England.Langton Matravers is part of the Purbeck local government district and is within the South Dorset constituency of the House of Commons and the South West England constituency of the European...
. The fossil is present on a plate; its underside is visible. This jaw is notable because it expands to form a circular, spatula
Spatula
The term spatula is used to refer to various small implements with a broad, flat, flexible blade used to mix, spread and lift materials including foods, drugs, plaster and paints...
-like shape at the front, holding 22 narrow teeth that point sideways. Forty other teeth (sockets) were present in the preserved remainder of the snout; the total for the upper jaws was estimated at 76.
The authors classified Plataleorhynchus as a member of the Ctenochasmatidae
Ctenochasmatidae
Ctenochasmatidae is a group of pterosaurs within the suborder Pterodactyloidea.-Classification:Listing of subfamilies and genera after Unwin 2006 unless otherwise noted.* Family Ctenochasmatidae** Elanodactylus** Gegepterus...
, a group containing many filter feeders. David Unwin in 2005 placed it in the subgroup of the Gnathosaurinae.
Although Plataleorhychus would have been similar in size to large gnathosaurines like Gnathosaurus
Gnathosaurus
Gnathosaurus is a genus of ctenochasmatid pterosaur known from a single species, G. subulatus, described in 1833. This pterosaur had an estimated wingspan of about 1.7 meters. The slender, 28-cm-long skull had up to 130 needle-like teeth arranged laterally around the spoon-shaped tip...
; its skull length was estimated at a minimum of forty centimetres (15.75 in), the different shape of its spoonbill, presence of an apparently horn-covered pad on the palate
Palate
The palate is the roof of the mouth in humans and other mammals. It separates the oral cavity from the nasal cavity. A similar structure is found in crocodilians, but, in most other tetrapods, the oral and nasal cavities are not truly separate. The palate is divided into two parts, the anterior...
, and smaller teeth suggest it did not feed in the same way, perhaps stirring up water-dwelling animals from mud
Mud
Mud is a mixture of water and some combination of soil, silt, and clay. Ancient mud deposits harden over geological time to form sedimentary rock such as shale or mudstone . When geological deposits of mud are formed in estuaries the resultant layers are termed bay muds...
dy or weed
Weed
A weed in a general sense is a plant that is considered by the user of the term to be a nuisance, and normally applied to unwanted plants in human-controlled settings, especially farm fields and gardens, but also lawns, parks, woods, and other areas. More specifically, the term is often used to...
y environments.
External links
- Plataleorhynchus in The Pterosauria