Normannognathus
Encyclopedia
Normannognathus is a genus
of dsungaripteroid
pterodactyloid pterosaur
from the Kimmeridgian
-age Upper Jurassic Argiles d'Octeville
Formation of France
.
In 1993 Jean-Jacques Lepage on the Normandy coast at the Cap de la Hève, near Ecqueville, Octeville-sur-Mer
, Seine-Maritime
, Haute-Normandie
, found a ten centimetres long fossil
of a petrosaur in a marine claystone layer.
In 1998 Eric Buffetaut e.a. named a separate genus for it. The type species
is Normannognathus wellnhoferi. The genus name is derived from Normannia, the Mediaeval Latin name for Normandy, and Greek gnathos, "jaw". The specific name honours Peter Wellnhofer
.
The genus is based on holotype
Musée Géologique Cantonal de Lausanne 59'583, the left front portion of a skull and the associated, but not articulated to it, lower jaws. The snout is low and pointed, and curves upward. Only the part in front of the nostrils has remained. On the back top of this part a very tall bony crest is present. It abruptly juts out from the praemaxillae, formed like a crested wave, having a concave leading margin. After its rounded tip it gradually curves downwards again towards the skull top; its further shape is unknown because at this point the fossil ends. The crest is flat, running down the midline of the upper jaw and shows a fibrous texture that could be indicative of some covering, such as a horn sheath.
The teeth are robust, and not very elongated. They continue to be present until the very tip of the jaws. The tooth
count is five per premaxilla
; the number is at least nine for the maxilla
, and at least fourteen per dentary: no reliable estimates can be given of the last two totals because the back of the head has been lost.
The describers assigned Normannognathus to the Germanodactylidae
because it was most similar to Germanodactylus
, with the exception that it resembles Dsungaripterus
in having an abrupt beginning to a crest larger than that in Germanodactylus and possessing an upward pointing snout. David Unwin in 2006 considered it a basal member of the Dsungaripteroidea
.
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 dsungaripteroid
Dsungaripteroidea
Dsungaripteroidea is a group of pterosaurs within the suborder Pterodactyloidea.-Classification:Listing of families and genera after Unwin 2006 unless otherwise noted.* Superfamily Dsungaripteroidea** Herbstosaurus** Kepodactylus...
pterodactyloid 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 Kimmeridgian
Kimmeridgian
In the geologic timescale, the Kimmeridgian is an age or stage in the Late or Upper Jurassic epoch or series. It spans the time between 155.7 ± 4 Ma and 150.8 ± 4 Ma . The Kimmeridgian follows the Oxfordian and precedes the Tithonian....
-age Upper Jurassic Argiles d'Octeville
Argiles d'Octeville
The Argiles d'Octeville is a geological formation in Europe. It dates back to the Late Jurassic.-Vertebrate fauna:...
Formation of France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
.
In 1993 Jean-Jacques Lepage on the Normandy coast at the Cap de la Hève, near Ecqueville, Octeville-sur-Mer
Octeville-sur-Mer
Octeville-sur-Mer is a commune in the Seine-Maritime department in the Haute-Normandie region in northern France and is twinned with Bourne End in United Kingdom since 2003 and with Furci Siculo in Italy since 2010.-Geography:...
, Seine-Maritime
Seine-Maritime
Seine-Maritime is a French department in the Haute-Normandie region in northern France. It is situated on the northern coast of France, at the mouth of the Seine, and includes the cities of Rouen and Le Havre...
, Haute-Normandie
Haute-Normandie
Upper Normandy is one of the 27 regions of France. It was created in 1984 from two départements: Seine-Maritime and Eure, when Normandy was divided into Lower Normandy and Upper Normandy. This division continues to provoke controversy, and some continue to call for reuniting the two regions...
, found a ten centimetres long fossil
Fossil
Fossils are the preserved remains or traces of animals , plants, and other organisms from the remote past...
of a petrosaur in a marine claystone layer.
In 1998 Eric Buffetaut e.a. named a separate genus for it. 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 Normannognathus wellnhoferi. The genus name is derived from Normannia, the Mediaeval Latin name for Normandy, and Greek gnathos, "jaw". The specific name honours Peter Wellnhofer
Peter Wellnhofer
Peter Wellnhofer is a German paleontologist at the "Bayerische Staatssammlung fur Paläontologie" in Munich. He is best known for his work on the various fossil specimens of Archaeopteryx or "Urvogel", the first known bird...
.
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...
Musée Géologique Cantonal de Lausanne 59'583, the left front portion of a skull and the associated, but not articulated to it, lower jaws. The snout is low and pointed, and curves upward. Only the part in front of the nostrils has remained. On the back top of this part a very tall bony crest is present. It abruptly juts out from the praemaxillae, formed like a crested wave, having a concave leading margin. After its rounded tip it gradually curves downwards again towards the skull top; its further shape is unknown because at this point the fossil ends. The crest is flat, running down the midline of the upper jaw and shows a fibrous texture that could be indicative of some covering, such as a horn sheath.
The teeth are robust, and not very elongated. They continue to be present until the very tip of the jaws. The tooth
Tooth
Teeth are small, calcified, whitish structures found in the jaws of many vertebrates that are used to break down food. Some animals, particularly carnivores, also use teeth for hunting or for defensive purposes. The roots of teeth are embedded in the Mandible bone or the Maxillary bone and are...
count is five per premaxilla
Premaxilla
The incisive bone is the portion of the maxilla adjacent to the incisors. It is a pair of small cranial bones at the very tip of the jaws of many animals, usually bearing teeth, but not always. They are connected to the maxilla and the nasals....
; the number is at least nine for the maxilla
Maxilla
The maxilla is a fusion of two bones along the palatal fissure that form the upper jaw. This is similar to the mandible , which is also a fusion of two halves at the mental symphysis. Sometimes The maxilla (plural: maxillae) is a fusion of two bones along the palatal fissure that form the upper...
, and at least fourteen per dentary: no reliable estimates can be given of the last two totals because the back of the head has been lost.
The describers assigned Normannognathus to the Germanodactylidae
Germanodactylidae
Germanodactylidae is a group of pterosaurs within the suborder Pterodactyloidea. While its exact placement and content are controversial, recent studies have suggested it contains three genera: Germanodactylus, Normannognathus and Tendaguripterus...
because it was most similar to Germanodactylus
Germanodactylus
Germanodactylus is a genus of dsungaripteroid pterodactyloid pterosaur from Late Jurassic-age rocks of Germany, including the Solnhofen limestone. Its specimens were long thought to pertain to Pterodactylus. Its head crest is a distinctive feature.-Description:Germanodactylus is described as...
, with the exception that it resembles Dsungaripterus
Dsungaripterus
Dsungaripterus was a genus of pterosaur, with an average wingspan of . It lived during the Early Cretaceous, in China, where the first fossil was found in the Junggar Basin.-Discovery and species:...
in having an abrupt beginning to a crest larger than that in Germanodactylus and possessing an upward pointing snout. David Unwin in 2006 considered it a basal member of the Dsungaripteroidea
Dsungaripteroidea
Dsungaripteroidea is a group of pterosaurs within the suborder Pterodactyloidea.-Classification:Listing of families and genera after Unwin 2006 unless otherwise noted.* Superfamily Dsungaripteroidea** Herbstosaurus** Kepodactylus...
.
External links
- Normannognathus in The Pterosauria