Taxonomic review of the Ornithocheirus complex (Pterosauria) from the Cretaceous of England

Abstract

Abstract

Over a decade after the last major review of the Cambridge Greensand pterosaurs, their systematics remains one of the most disputed points in pterosaur taxonomy. Ornithocheiridae is still a wastebasket for fragmentary taxa, and some nomenclatural issues are still a problem. Here, the species from the Cretaceous of England that, at some point, were referred in Ornithocheirus , are reviewed. Investigation of the primary literature confirmed that Criorhynchus should be considered an objective junior synonym of Ornithocheirus . Taxonomic review of more than 30 species known from fragmentary remains showed that 16 of them are undiagnosable ( nomina dubia): Palaeornis cliftii , Cimoliornis diomedeus , Pterodactylus compressirostris , Pterodactylus fittoni , Pterodactylus woodwardi , Ornithocheirus brachyrhinus , Ornithocheirus carteri , Ornithocheirus crassidens , Ornithocheirus dentatus , Ornithocheirus enchorhynchus , Ornithocheirus eurygnathus , Ornithocheirus oxyrhinus , Ornithocheirus scaphorhynchus , Ornithocheirus tenuirostris , Ornithocheirus xyphorhynchus , and Pterodactylus sagittirostris . Fourteen species are considered valid, and diagnoses are provided to all of them: Ornithocheirus simus , Lonchodraco giganteus comb. n., Lonchodraco machaerorhynchus comb. n., Lonchodraco(?) microdon comb. n., Coloborhynchus clavirostris , ‘Ornithocheirus’ capito , Camposipterus nasutus comb. n., Camposipterus(?) sedgwickii comb. n., Camposipterus(?) colorhinus comb. n., Cimoliopterus cuvieri comb. n., ‘Ornithocheirus’ polyodon , ‘Ornithocheirus’ platystomus , ‘Pterodactylus’ daviesii , and ‘Ornithocheirus’ denticulatus . These species are referred in the genera Ornithocheirus , Lonchodraco gen. n., Coloborhynchus , Cimoliopterus gen. n., and Camposipterus gen. n., but additional genera are probably present, as indicated by the use of single quotation marks throughout the text. A cladistic analysis demonstrates that Anhangueridae lies within a newly recognized clade, here named Anhangueria, which also includes the genera Cearadactylus , Brasileodactylus , Ludodactylus , and Camposipterus . The anhanguerian ‘Cearadactylus’ ligabuei belongs to a different genus than Cearadactylus atrox . Lonchodraconidae fam. n. (more or less equivalent to Lonchodectidae sensu Unwin 2001) is a monophyletic entity, but its exact phylogenetic position remains uncertain, as is the case of Ornithocheirus simus . Therefore, it is proposed that Ornithocheiridae should be constricted to its type species and thus is redundant. Other taxa previously referred as “ornithocheirids” are discussed in light of the revised taxonomy.