Puntanipterus
Encyclopedia
Puntanipterus was a genus
of ?dsungaripterid
pterodactyloid pterosaur
from the Upper Jurassic-Lower Cretaceous La Cruz Formation of San Luis, Argentina
.
The genus was in 1975 named by José Bonaparte
and Teresa Sánchez. The type species
is Puntanipterus globosus. The genus name refers to the Puntanos, the colloquial name for the inhabitants of the province of San Luis
after the old name of their capital "San Luis de la Punta de los Venados", and combines this with a Latinized Greek pteron, "wing". The specific name means "spherical" in Latin
, a reference to the form of the lower tibia
.
It is based on holotype
PVL 3869 (earlier FML 3869) found in 1972, a 105 millimetres long tibiotarsus
and seven centimetres long fibula; referred to it were a back vertebra and a wing and foot phalanx
. The leg bones were described as similar to those of Pterodaustro
(from slightly younger rocks), except for having an expanded spherical joint at the ankle
and spiny processes
on the side faces of the tibia at that end.
Bonaparte in 1978 classified Puntanipterus as a member of the Pterodaustridae. The same year Peter Wellnhofer
was more careful and limited his assessment to a Pterodactyloidea incertae sedis
. In 1980 Peter Galton
concluded it belonged to the Dsungaripteridae
. It was still by many considered to be a dsungaripterid by the time Peter Wellnhofer published The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Pterosaurs (several editions in the 1990s).
However, in the nineties several tibiae conforming to that of Puntanipterus were found in the same strata as Pterodaustro; a direct comparison is only impossible because more complete specimens of the latter are always very compressed, deforming the ankle morphology; but smaller fragments containing not-compressed ankles all have the build of a Puntanipterus tibiotarsus. This is by South American workers seen as a strong indication that both forms are identical.
Glut reports a personal communication from Laura Codorniú and Luis Chiappe (2004) that Puntanipterus should be regarded as a junior synonym of Pterodaustro, but it remains to be seen if this will be supported in the future; it was not done in David Unwin's The Pterosaurs: From Deep Time, published in 2006 (he recognized it as a possibly valid species of uncertain relationships).
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 ?dsungaripterid
Dsungaripteridae
Dsungaripteridae is a group of pterosaurs within the suborder Pterodactyloidea....
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 Upper Jurassic-Lower Cretaceous La Cruz Formation of San Luis, Argentina
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
.
The genus was in 1975 named by José Bonaparte
José Bonaparte
José Fernando Bonaparte, Ph.D. , is an Argentine paleontologist who discovered a plethora of South American dinosaurs and mentored a new generation of Argentine paleontologists like Rodolfo Coria...
and Teresa Sánchez. 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 Puntanipterus globosus. The genus name refers to the Puntanos, the colloquial name for the inhabitants of the province of San Luis
San Luis Province
San Luis is a province of Argentina located near the geographical center of the country . Neighboring provinces are, from the north clockwise, La Rioja, Córdoba, La Pampa, Mendoza and San Juan.-History:...
after the old name of their capital "San Luis de la Punta de los Venados", and combines this with a Latinized Greek pteron, "wing". The specific name means "spherical" 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...
, a reference to the form of the lower tibia
Tibia
The tibia , shinbone, or shankbone is the larger and stronger of the two bones in the leg below the knee in vertebrates , and connects the knee with the ankle bones....
.
It 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...
PVL 3869 (earlier FML 3869) found in 1972, a 105 millimetres long tibiotarsus
Tibiotarsus
The tibiotarsus is the large bone between the femur and the tarsometatarsus in the leg of a bird. It is the fusion of the proximal part of the tarsus with the tibia.A similar structure also occurred in the Mesozoic Heterodontosauridae...
and seven centimetres long fibula; referred to it were a back vertebra and a wing and foot phalanx
Phalanx bones
In anatomy, phalanx bones are those that form the fingers and toes. In primates such as humans and monkeys, the thumb and big toe have two phalanges, while the other fingers and toes consist of three. Phalanges are classified as long bones.The phalanges do not have individual names...
. The leg bones were described as similar to those of Pterodaustro
Pterodaustro
Pterodaustro is a genus of Cretaceous pterodactyloid pterosaur from South America, which lived 105 million years ago.-Naming:The genus was named in 1969 by José Bonaparte as an as yet undescribed nomen nudum. The first description followed in 1970, making the name valid, the type species being...
(from slightly younger rocks), except for having an expanded spherical joint at the ankle
Ankle
The ankle joint is formed where the foot and the leg meet. The ankle, or talocrural joint, is a synovial hinge joint that connects the distal ends of the tibia and fibula in the lower limb with the proximal end of the talus bone in the foot...
and spiny processes
Process (anatomy)
In anatomy, a process is a projection or outgrowth of tissue from a larger body. The vertebra has several kinds of processes,such as: transverse process, prezygapophysis, postzygapophysis.-Examples:Examples of processes include:...
on the side faces of the tibia at that end.
Bonaparte in 1978 classified Puntanipterus as a member of the Pterodaustridae. The same year 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...
was more careful and limited his assessment to a Pterodactyloidea 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...
. In 1980 Peter Galton
Peter Galton
Peter M. Galton is a British vertebrate paleontologist working in America, who has to date written or co-written about a hundred papers in scientific journals or chapters in paleontology textbooks, especially on ornithischian and prosauropod dinosaurs.With Robert Bakker in a joint article...
concluded it belonged to the Dsungaripteridae
Dsungaripteridae
Dsungaripteridae is a group of pterosaurs within the suborder Pterodactyloidea....
. It was still by many considered to be a dsungaripterid by the time Peter Wellnhofer published The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Pterosaurs (several editions in the 1990s).
However, in the nineties several tibiae conforming to that of Puntanipterus were found in the same strata as Pterodaustro; a direct comparison is only impossible because more complete specimens of the latter are always very compressed, deforming the ankle morphology; but smaller fragments containing not-compressed ankles all have the build of a Puntanipterus tibiotarsus. This is by South American workers seen as a strong indication that both forms are identical.
Glut reports a personal communication from Laura Codorniú and Luis Chiappe (2004) that Puntanipterus should be regarded as a junior synonym of Pterodaustro, but it remains to be seen if this will be supported in the future; it was not done in David Unwin's The Pterosaurs: From Deep Time, published in 2006 (he recognized it as a possibly valid species of uncertain relationships).
External links
- Puntanipterus in The Pterosauria