On the phylogeny and evolutionary history of pterosaurs

2003/01/01 by David M. Unwin · 35 citations
Earth and Planetary Sciences · Environmental Science · #Paleontology and Evolutionary Biology #Evolution and Paleontology Studies #Ichthyology and Marine Biology

paper · doi:10.1144/gsl.sp.2003.217.01.11

openalex publication_date 2003/01/01 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/02

Abstract

Abstract Previous cladistic studies of pterosaur relationships suffer from restricted numbers of taxa and characters, incomplete data sets and absence of information on characters, tree structure and the robustness of tress. Parsimony analysis of a new character data set (60 characters, 20 terminal taxa, 97.75% complete) yielded six trees. In the strict consensus tree Preondactylus is the most basal taxon followed, stepwise, by the Dimorphodontidae and the Anurognathidae. Beyond this basal group, more derived pterosaurs (Campylognathoididae (Rhamphorhynchidae + Pterodactyloidea)) share a suite of characters principally associated with elongation of the rostrum. The Pterodactyloidea consists of four major clades. The Ornithocheiroidea is the most basal taxon consisting, stepwise, of Istiodactylus , the Ornithocheiridae, Nyctosaurus and the Pteranodontidae. The remaining taxa, Ctenochasmatoidea, Dsungaripteroidea and Azhdarchoidea, are weakly united in a clade of non-ornithocheiroid pterodactyloids, but their inter-relationships are difficult to resolve. Cycnorhamphus is the basal-most ctenochasmatoid, while the remaining taxa ( Pterodactylus , Lonchodectidae, Ctenochasmatidae) form an unresolved trichotomy. The Dsungaripteroidea ( Germanodactylus +Dsungaripteridae) is strongly supported by features of the skull and dentition. The Azhdarchoidea ( Tapejara [ Tupuxuara + Azhdarchidae]) is united by cranial characters such as elevation of the antorbital region, and relative shortening of the wing finger. The pattern of pterosaur evolution suggested by the results of this analysis is broadly similar to traditional ideas, but has greater resolution, more complexity and reveals several previously unrecognized ‘events’.

Citations

• Year-classes of pterosaurs from the Solnhofen Limestone of Germany: taxonomic and systematic implications
• A new giant pterosaur with a robust skull from the latest Cretaceous of Romania
• Avian-like tibiotarsi of pterodactyloids (Reptilia: Pterosauria) from the Upper Jurassic of East Africa
• Sexual dimorphism ofPteranodonand other pterosaurs, with comments on cranial crests
• The phylogenetic position of the Pterosauria within the Archosauromorpha

Cited by

• Estimating the effects of sampling biases on pterosaur diversity patterns: implications for hypotheses of bird/pterosaur competitive replacement
• Pterodactylus scolopaciceps Meyer, 1860 (Pterosauria, Pterodactyloidea) from the Upper Jurassic of Bavaria, Germany: The Problem of Cryptic Pterosaur Taxa in Early Ontogeny
• Small, immature pterosaurs from the Cretaceous of Africa: implications for taphonomic bias and palaeocommunity structure in flying reptiles
• Lone Star Pterosaurs
• Comments on the Pteranodontidae (Pterosauria, Pterodactyloidea) with the description of two new species
• The toothless pterosaur Jidapterus edentus (Pterodactyloidea: Azhdarchoidea) from the Early Cretaceous Jehol Biota and its paleoecological implications
• A new azhdarchoid pterosaur from the Lower Cretaceous of China and its implications for pterosaur phylogeny and evolution
• Juvenile specimens of the pterosaurGermanodactylus cristatus, with a review of the genus
• A Reappraisal of Azhdarchid Pterosaur Functional Morphology and Paleoecology
• The shape of pterosaur evolution: evidence from the fossil record
• The origin of Pterosaurs
• An evaluation of the phylogenetic relationships of the pterosaurs among archosauromorph reptiles
• The Extent of the Pterosaur Flight Membrane
• Pterosaur embryo from the Early Cretaceous
• A small azhdarchoid pterosaur from the latest Cretaceous, the age of flying giants
• Taxonomic review of the Ornithocheirus complex (Pterosauria) from the Cretaceous of England
• Were early pterosaurs inept terrestrial locomotors?
• La poule aux oeufs d’or
• Life History of Rhamphorhynchus Inferred from Bone Histology and the Diversity of Pterosaurian Growth Strategies
• Pterosaur egg with a leathery shell
• A second specimen of the pterosaurAnurognathus ammoni
• Powered flight in hatchling pterosaurs: evidence from wing form and bone strength
• An unusual modification of the jaws in cf. Alanqa, a mid-Cretaceous azhdarchid pterosaur from the Kem Kem beds of Morocco
• Pterosaur body mass estimates from three-dimensional mathematical slicing
• Spinosaur taxonomy and evolution of craniodental features: Evidence from Brazil
• Morphology and taxonomy of Quetzalcoatlus Lawson 1975 (Pterodactyloidea: Azhdarchoidea)
• A taxonomic revision of the Sinopterus complex (Pterosauria, Tapejaridae) from the Early Cretaceous Jehol Biota, with the new genus Huaxiadraco
• A new pterodactyloid pterosaur with a unique filter-feeding apparatus from the Late Jurassic of Germany
• Sinomacrops bondei , a new anurognathid pterosaur from the Jurassic of China and comments on the group
• Allometric analysis sheds light on the systematics and ontogeny of anurognathid pterosaurs
• A long-billed, possible probe-feeding pterosaur (Pterodactyloidea: ?Azhdarchoidea) from the mid-Cretaceous of Morocco, North Africa
• A new species of large-sized pterosaur from the Maastrichtian of Transylvania (Romania)
• A new pterosaur species from the Lower Cretaceous of Brazil and the paleobiogeography of the Tapejaridae (Azhdarchoidea)
• Pterosaurs from the Late Cretaceous of Angola
• A new species of crested pterosaur (Pterodactyloidea, Anhangueridae) from the Lower Cretaceous (upper Albian) of Richmond, North West Queensland, Australia
• Pterodactylus [wikipedia]