New isolated pterodactyloid bones from the Albian Toolebuc Formation (western Queensland, Australia) with comments on the Australian pterosaur fauna

• New isolated pterodactyloid bones from the Toolebuc Formation are described. The first one consists of a complete wing metacarpal 212mm long, representing an individual with an estimated wing span of 4m. Small depressions on the anterior surface are present and represent tooth marks showing that this specimen was subjected to scavenging prior to fossilization. The other bone consists of a three-dimensionally preserved cervical vertebra lacking most of the neural arch. The specimens are clearly referable to the derived pterosaur clade Pterodactyloidea. Based on several features such as the position of the pneumatic foramen and the particular shape and proportions of those elements, they possibly are members of, or closely related to, the Anhangueridae. The record of the Australian pterosaurs is reviewed here and represents the known southern distributional limit for Cretaceous pterosaurs, arguing against some older ideas of a more geographically restricted range for these flying reptiles.

Subject headings

NATURVETENSKAP  -- Geovetenskap och miljövetenskap (hsv//swe)

NATURAL SCIENCES  -- Earth and Related Environmental Sciences (hsv//eng)

Keyword

Cretaceous

Australia

Pterosauria

Pterodactyloidea

Anhangueridae

Toolebuc Formation

biogeography

tooth marks

Earth sciences

Geovetenskap

Publication and Content Type

ref (subject category)

art (subject category)