Doratorhynchus
Encyclopedia
Doratorhynchus is a generic replacement name for Pterodactylus
validus, in 1875 suggested by Harry Govier Seeley. Today it is considered a nomen vanum.
In 1870 Richard Owen
named Pterodactylus
validus based on holotype
BMNH 40653, a thirty centimetres long partial wing finger phalanx from the Purbeck Limestone (Britain), identified as that of a pterosaur
. The specific name means "strong" in Latin
.
In 1868 Seeley had obtained a vertebra and a jaw, from a quarry near Langton Matravers
; in 1869 he had named these Pterodactylus macrurus. In 1875 he concluded that the remains were cospecific with P. validus and at the same time gave a separate genus name to the species: Doratorhynchus, from Greek dory, "lance" and rhynchos, "snout", referring to the jaw form, so that the full species name became Doratorhynchus validus. He did not refer to BMNH 40653. Later the species was sometimes assigned to other genera, resulting in a Ornithocheirus
validus (Newton 1888) and Cycnorhamphus
validus (Owen 1870).
Later it became clear that the vertebra, interpreted as caudal by Seeley, was a cervical vertebra and indicated that very long-necked forms already lived in the Late Jurassic
(Tithonian
) or Early Cretaceous
(Berriasian
). It was suggested that Doratorhynchus was a basal member of the Azhdarchidae
. However, in 1995 Stafford Howse and Andrew R. Milner concluded that Seeley by excluding the phalanx had failed to rename P. validus and that therefore Doratorhynchus should be considered a nomen vanum. Also, in their opinion the phalanx was not diagnostic enough anyway and only assignable to a Pterodactyloidea
incertae sedis
. The jaw they assigned to Gnathosaurus
and the vertebra to some undetermined ctenochasmatid
.
Pterodactylus
Pterodactylus is a genus of pterosaurs, whose members are popularly known as pterodactyls. It was the first to be named and identified as a flying reptile...
validus, in 1875 suggested by Harry Govier Seeley. Today it is considered a nomen vanum.
In 1870 Richard Owen
Richard Owen
Sir Richard Owen, FRS KCB was an English biologist, comparative anatomist and palaeontologist.Owen is probably best remembered today for coining the word Dinosauria and for his outspoken opposition to Charles Darwin's theory of evolution by natural selection...
named Pterodactylus
Pterodactylus
Pterodactylus is a genus of pterosaurs, whose members are popularly known as pterodactyls. It was the first to be named and identified as a flying reptile...
validus 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...
BMNH 40653, a thirty centimetres long partial wing finger phalanx from the Purbeck Limestone (Britain), identified as that of a 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...
. The specific name means "strong" in Latin
Latin
Latin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. It, along with most European languages, is a descendant of the ancient Proto-Indo-European language. Although it is considered a dead language, a number of scholars and members of the Christian clergy speak it fluently, and...
.
In 1868 Seeley had obtained a vertebra and a jaw, from a 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...
; in 1869 he had named these Pterodactylus macrurus. In 1875 he concluded that the remains were cospecific with P. validus and at the same time gave a separate genus name to the species: Doratorhynchus, from Greek dory, "lance" and rhynchos, "snout", referring to the jaw form, so that the full species name became Doratorhynchus validus. He did not refer to BMNH 40653. Later the species was sometimes assigned to other genera, resulting in a Ornithocheirus
Ornithocheirus
Ornithocheirus was a pterosaur from the Cretaceous period of Europe and South America...
validus (Newton 1888) and Cycnorhamphus
Cycnorhamphus
Cycnorhamphus is a genus of ctenchasmatoid pterodactyloid pterosaur from the Late Jurassic of France and Germany.In 1855 a fossil in a plate of shale from the Tithonian, found near Nusplingen in Württemberg, holotype GPIT "Orig. Quenstedt 1855, Taf...
validus (Owen 1870).
Later it became clear that the vertebra, interpreted as caudal by Seeley, was a cervical vertebra and indicated that very long-necked forms already lived in the Late Jurassic
Jurassic
The Jurassic is a geologic period and system that extends from about Mya to Mya, that is, from the end of the Triassic to the beginning of the Cretaceous. The Jurassic constitutes the middle period of the Mesozoic era, also known as the age of reptiles. The start of the period is marked by...
(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...
) or Early Cretaceous
Early Cretaceous
The Early Cretaceous or the Lower Cretaceous , is the earlier or lower of the two major divisions of the Cretaceous...
(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...
). It was suggested that Doratorhynchus was a basal member of the Azhdarchidae
Azhdarchidae
Azhdarchidae is a family of pterosaurs known primarily from the late Cretaceous Period, though an isolated vertebrae apparently from an azhdarchid is known from the early Cretaceous as well...
. However, in 1995 Stafford Howse and Andrew R. Milner concluded that Seeley by excluding the phalanx had failed to rename P. validus and that therefore Doratorhynchus should be considered a nomen vanum. Also, in their opinion the phalanx was not diagnostic enough anyway and only assignable to a Pterodactyloidea
Pterodactyloidea
Pterodactyloidea forms one of the two suborders of pterosaurs , and contains the most derived members of this group of flying reptiles...
incertae sedis
Incertae sedis
, is a term used to define a taxonomic group where its broader relationships are unknown or undefined. Uncertainty at specific taxonomic levels is attributed by , , and similar terms.-Examples:*The fossil plant Paradinandra suecica could not be assigned to any...
. The jaw they assigned to 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...
and the vertebra to some undetermined 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...
.