[N] 2005 A new pterosaur from Mexico
Frey, E. (2005) A new pterosaur from Mexico 1st Meeting of the EAVP Natural History Museum Basel
Significant remnants of pterosaurs are reported from nearly all sections of the Mesozoic. From the Coniacian, however, there are no proofs for the existence of pterosaurs. In spring 2002 a pterosaur find from the laminated limestone near the village of Muzquiz was brought to the knowledge of the director of the Museo del Desierto at Saltillo ( Coahuila , NE Mexico ). Among local private collectors the specimen was nicknamed “jango” (“monkey”) and was sold by the quarry owner to a stone yard manager. We discovered slab and counter-slab cemented into a wall of the manager´s office, but we received the permit for excavation.
First investigations show that the skeleton of the pterosaur isalmost complete and articulated. Only the distal elements of the wing fingers and the rostral terminus of the cranium are missing. The sternum and the ossa prepubis have drifted caudally. The long oval orbita is approximately as high as the fenestra nasoantorbitalis. As short and low crista occipitalis is present and the preserved part of the rostrum is edentulous even rostrally to the fenestra nasoantorbitalis.
The cranial morphology resembles that of Cycnorhynchus suevicus form the Malm(Upper Jurassic) of Nusplingen ( S Germany ). The rectangular processus deltoideus of the humerus, the proportions of the vertebrae cervicales and the elongate metacarpal region also resemble the situation in Cycnorhynchus . A hitherto unknown feature of the specimen is the soft-part preservation around the radius ulna complex. Here phosphatised muscle and tendon fibres are preserved.