A giant pterosaur in the Early Cretaceous (Albian) of Tunisia (original) (raw)

An articulated pterosaur wing from the Upper Cretaceous (Maastrichtian) phosphates of Morocco

Cretaceous Research

Abstract A new and articulated specimen of a pterosaur wing including the humerus, radius/ulna, parts of the carpus and metacarpus and a first wing phalanx from Maastrichtian phosphatic deposits of Morocco are assigned to Tethydraco regalis Longrich et al., 2018. Aspect of the humerus morphology, shape of the deltopectoral crest and ratios of the wing elements suggest that T. regalis is an azhdarchid rather than pteranodontian pterosaur, as originally proposed. A high abundance of azhdarchid remains in the open marine setting of the Moroccan phosphates casts doubt on suggestions that Azhdarchidae are largely terrestrial pterosaurs.

The pterosaurs of the Cretaceous Kem Kem Group of Morocco

PalZ

The pterosaur assemblage of the mid-Cretaceous Kem Kem Group of Morocco is reviewed. This analysis examines their taxonomy, palaeoecology and palaeobiology with comments on taphonomy. New material permits the rediagnosis of the azhdarchoids Alanqa saharica and Afrotapejara zouhrii. Several specimens are reported that do not fit within the paradigms of previously named taxa. They represent three distinct jaw morphotypes, but are not assigned to new taxa here. The assemblage is highly diverse, including four tooth-bearing taxa assigned to Ornithocheiridae and five named taxa and three additional morphotypes assigned to Azhdarchoidea. The Kem Kem Group assemblage is the most diverse for any pterosaur-bearing fluvial deposit and one of the most diverse of any pterosaur assemblage. The assemblage is heavily biased in terms of preservation with an as yet unexplained high abundance of jaw fragments. We highlight the importance of fragmentary material in pterosaur studies.

Evidence of iguanodontian dinosaurs from the Lower Cretaceous of Tunisia

The fossil record of ornithischian dinosaurs from Africa is particularly scarce and limited to a few historic localities. In this study we describe new ornithischian remains from the Albian deposits of southern Tunisia (Tataouine Governorate), represented by isolated teeth of large-bodied iguanodontians. Teeth display a wide, diamond-shaped crown with a primary ridge dividing the occlusal surface in two unequal parts and two or more secondary ridges. Hook-like denticles are present on both mesial and distal crown margins and do not display mammillae. In overall morphology, specimens are comparable to those of many Early Cretaceous basal hadrosauriforms, including isolated ornithopodan teeth from comparably-aged levels of Niger. Transversal sections of the crowns permitted identification of dental tissues, which include a thick enamel, and well developed longitudinal and transverse giant tubules. Their relative extents appear to be related to the size, thus developmental age, of the tooth. Teeth are representative of the Oum ed Diab Member, a unit characterized by coastal deposits accumulated under arid to xeric climatic conditions and dominated by fish, crocodilians, and hydraulically transported rebbachisaurid and spinosaurid remains. Sedimentological data and preservation bias strongly support selective taph-onomic causes for the fossil distribution of ornithischians in southern Tunisia questioning the purported geographic and paleoecologic distribution of isolated Saharan dinosaurs.