Plataleorhynchus

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Plataleorhynchus
Temporal range: Tithonian–Berriasian
Comparison of
ctenochasmatid
jaws; C is Plataleorhynchus
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Order: †Pterosauria
Suborder: †Pterodactyloidea
Family: †Ctenochasmatidae
Subfamily: †
Gnathosaurinae
Genus: †Plataleorhynchus
Howse & Milner, 1995
Type species
†Plataleorhynchus streptophorodon
Howse & Milner, 1995

Plataleorhynchus is a

Purbeck Limestone of Dorset, England
.

History and etymology

The genus was named in 1995 by Stafford Howse and Andrew Milner. The type species is Plataleorhynchus streptophorodon. The genus name is derived from 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.

Plataleorhynchus is based on

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.

Description

Life restoration

Although Plataleorhychus would have been similar in size to large

gnathosaurines like Gnathosaurus, its skull length was estimated at a minimum of 40 centimeters (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 muddy or weedy environments.[1]

Classification

The authors classified Plataleorhynchus as a member of the

Gnathosaurinae
.

Below is cladogram following a topology by Andres, Clark and Xu (2014). In the analysis, they recovered Plataleorhynchus within the family Ctenochasmatidae, more precisely within the subfamily Gnathosaurinae in a more derived position than Huanhepterus.[2]

 Ctenochasmatidae 
 
Ctenochasmatinae
 

Ctenochasma

 
Pterodaustrini
 

Pterodaustro guinazui

Eosipterus yangi

Beipiaopterus chenianus

Gegepterus changi

Kepodactylus insperatus

Elanodactylus prolatus

 
Moganopterinae
 

Feilongus youngi

Moganopterus zhuiana

 
Gnathosaurinae
 

Huanhepterus quingyangensis

Plataleorhynchus streptophorodon

Gnathosaurus subulatus

Gnathosaurus macrurus

See also

References

  1. ^ Howse, S.C.B., and Milner, A.R. (1995). The pterodactyloids from the Purbeck Limestone Formation of Dorset. Bulletin of the Natural History Museum, London (Geology) 51(1):73-88.
  2. PMID 24768054
    .

External links
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