Nesodactylus
Encyclopedia
Nesodactylus was a genus
of "rhamphorhynchoid" pterosaur
from the Oxfordian
-age Upper Jurassic Jagua Formation
of Pinar del Río
, western Cuba
.
Its remains were collected but not prepared by Barnum Brown
in 1918, from rocks better known for their fossils of marine life. When seven black chalkstone blocks were prepared from 1966 by Richard Lund by dissolving the substrate in acid
, this revealed the remains of a pterosaur.
Ned Colbert
described and named the genus in 1969. The type species
is Nesodactylus hesperius. The genus name is derived from Greek nesos, "island" and daktylos, "finger", a reference to the island of Cuba and the typical wing finger of pterosaurs. The specific name means "western", from Greek hesperios.
The genus is based on holotype
AMNH 2000
, a partial skeleton including a skull fragment, numerous vertebrae from all parts of the spine and tail
, zygapophyses (interpreted by Colbert as ossified tendons) on the tail, the pectoral girdle and a very deeply keeled sternum
, arms and partial hands, part of the pelvis
, parts of both femorae
, partial metatarsals, and ribs. The specimen was disarticulated but associated and not very compressed; during the preparation from the limestone
with acid, the bones were not completely removed.
Colbert found Nesodactylus to have had longer wings and more robust limbs and longer legs than related Rhamphorhynchus
, although of a similar size and overall anatomy. He classified it as a rhamphorhynchid
and more precisely as a member of the Rhamphorhynchinae.
In 1977 James A. Jensen
and John Ostrom
by mistake referred to it as Nesodon (1977). Although there is little overlapping material with contemporaneous Cacibupteryx
, the two are clearly different based on details of the elbow and quadrate
. At least one recent review suggests it was a rhamphorhynchine, while another does not classify it.
Genus
In biology, a genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, which is an example of definition by genus and differentia...
of "rhamphorhynchoid" 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...
from the Oxfordian
Oxfordian stage
The Oxfordian is, in the ICS' geologic timescale, the earliest age of the Late Jurassic epoch, or the lowest stage of the Upper Jurassic series. It spans the time between 161.2 ± 4 Ma and 155.7 ± 4 Ma...
-age Upper Jurassic Jagua Formation
Jagua Formation
The Jagua Formation is a Late Jurassic geologic formation in Pinar del Rio Province, western Cuba. Plesiosaur, pliosaur, pterosaur, metriorhynchid, and turtle remains are among the fossils that have been recovered from its strata....
of Pinar del Río
Pinar del Río
Pinar del Río is a city in Cuba. It is the capital of Pinar del Río Province.Inhabitants of the area are called Pinareños.Neighborhoods in the city include La Conchita, La Coloma, Briones Montoto and Las Ovas.-History:...
, western Cuba
Cuba
The Republic of Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city...
.
Its remains were collected but not prepared by Barnum Brown
Barnum Brown
Barnum Brown , a paleontologist born in Carbondale, Kansas, and named after the circus showman P.T. Barnum, discovered the second fossil of Tyrannosaurus rex during a career that made him one of the most famous fossil hunters working from the late Victorian era into the early 20th century.Sponsored...
in 1918, from rocks better known for their fossils of marine life. When seven black chalkstone blocks were prepared from 1966 by Richard Lund by dissolving the substrate in acid
Acid
An acid is a substance which reacts with a base. Commonly, acids can be identified as tasting sour, reacting with metals such as calcium, and bases like sodium carbonate. Aqueous acids have a pH of less than 7, where an acid of lower pH is typically stronger, and turn blue litmus paper red...
, this revealed the remains of a pterosaur.
Ned Colbert
Edwin Harris Colbert
Edwin Harris Colbert was a distinguished American vertebrate paleontologist and prolific researcher and author. He received his A.B. from the University of Nebraska, then his Masters and Ph.D. from Columbia University, finishing in 1935.Born in Clarinda, Iowa, he grew up in Maryville, Missouri...
described and named the genus in 1969. The type species
Type species
In biological nomenclature, a type species is both a concept and a practical system which is used in the classification and nomenclature of animals and plants. The value of a "type species" lies in the fact that it makes clear what is meant by a particular genus name. A type species is the species...
is Nesodactylus hesperius. The genus name is derived from Greek nesos, "island" and daktylos, "finger", a reference to the island of Cuba and the typical wing finger of pterosaurs. The specific name means "western", from Greek hesperios.
The genus is 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...
AMNH 2000
American Museum of Natural History
The American Museum of Natural History , located on the Upper West Side of Manhattan in New York City, United States, is one of the largest and most celebrated museums in the world...
, a partial skeleton including a skull fragment, numerous vertebrae from all parts of the spine and tail
Tail
The tail is the section at the rear end of an animal's body; in general, the term refers to a distinct, flexible appendage to the torso. It is the part of the body that corresponds roughly to the sacrum and coccyx in mammals, reptiles, and birds...
, zygapophyses (interpreted by Colbert as ossified tendons) on the tail, the pectoral girdle and a very deeply keeled sternum
Sternum
The sternum or breastbone is a long flat bony plate shaped like a capital "T" located anteriorly to the heart in the center of the thorax...
, arms and partial hands, part of the pelvis
Pelvis
In human anatomy, the pelvis is the lower part of the trunk, between the abdomen and the lower limbs .The pelvis includes several structures:...
, parts of both femorae
Femur
The femur , or thigh bone, is the most proximal bone of the leg in tetrapod vertebrates capable of walking or jumping, such as most land mammals, birds, many reptiles such as lizards, and amphibians such as frogs. In vertebrates with four legs such as dogs and horses, the femur is found only in...
, partial metatarsals, and ribs. The specimen was disarticulated but associated and not very compressed; during the preparation from the limestone
Limestone
Limestone is a sedimentary rock composed largely of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of calcium carbonate . Many limestones are composed from skeletal fragments of marine organisms such as coral or foraminifera....
with acid, the bones were not completely removed.
Colbert found Nesodactylus to have had longer wings and more robust limbs and longer legs than related Rhamphorhynchus
Rhamphorhynchus (animal)
Rhamphorhynchus , "beak snout", is a genus of long-tailed pterosaurs in the Jurassic period. Less specialized than contemporary, short-tailed pterodactyloid pterosaurs such as Pterodactylus, it had a long tail, stiffened with ligaments, which ended in a characteristic diamond-shaped vane...
, although of a similar size and overall anatomy. He classified it as a rhamphorhynchid
Rhamphorhynchidae
Rhamphorhynchidae is a group of early "rhamphorhynchoid" pterosaurs named after Rhamphorhynchus, that lived in the Late Jurassic. The family Rhamphorhynchidae was named in 1870 by Harry Govier Seeley.-Classification:...
and more precisely as a member of the Rhamphorhynchinae.
In 1977 James A. Jensen
James A. Jensen
James A. Jensen , was an American paleontologist. His extensive collecting program at BYU in the Utah-Colorado region which spanned 23 years was comparable in terms of the number of specimens collected to that of Barnum Brown during the early 20th century. He was given the name "Dinosaur Jim"...
and John Ostrom
John Ostrom
John H. Ostrom was an American paleontologist who revolutionized modern understanding of dinosaurs in the 1960s, when he demonstrated that dinosaurs are more like big non-flying birds than they are like lizards , an idea first proposed by Thomas Henry Huxley in the 1860s, but which had garnered...
by mistake referred to it as Nesodon (1977). Although there is little overlapping material with contemporaneous Cacibupteryx
Cacibupteryx
Cacibupteryx is a genus of rhamphorhynchid "rhamphorhynchoid" pterosaur from the middle-late Oxfordian-age Upper Jurassic Jagua Formation of Pinar del Río, Cuba....
, the two are clearly different based on details of the elbow and quadrate
Quadrate bone
The quadrate bone is part of a skull in most tetrapods, including amphibians, sauropsids , and early synapsids. In these animals it connects to the quadratojugal and squamosal in the skull, and forms part of the jaw joint .- Evolutionary variation :In snakes, the quadrate bone has become elongated...
. At least one recent review suggests it was a rhamphorhynchine, while another does not classify it.
External links
- Nesodactylus in The Pterosauria