The pterodactyloid pterosaur from the Lower Cretaceous of Brazil at the CosmoCaixa Science Museum (Barcelona, Spain)

Abstract

An apparently nearly complete and fairly well-articulated specimen of a large toothed pterosaur from the Lower Cretaceous of Brazil is exhibited at the CosmoCaixa – Museo de la Ciencia, Barcelona, Spain. The museum label refers it to Anhanguera piscator and reports a provenance from the Crato Formation. Its study shows that it is from the Romualdo Formation and is an assembled and composite specimen over 45% reconstructed. The original skeletal elements show no diagnostic feature of Anhanguera piscator, belong to non-tapejarid pterosaurs, and do not furnish further significative scientific information. Several mistakes were made in the reconstruction and assemblage of the skeleton and some elements do not follow the proportions of Anhanguera piscator. Care is suggested when describing pterosaur material from the Romualdo Formation prepared and sold by private fossil dealers in the absence of an adequate documentation on the original material and its preparation.

Keywords::

• Pterosauria
• Pterodactyloidea
• Anhanguera piscator
• Romulado Formation
• Lower Cretaceous
• Chapada do Araripe

Acknowledgements

We are grateful to the Fundacion Obra Social ‘La Caixa’ for allowing us to study the specimen. In particular, we thank Anna Sanahuja former Director of the CosmoCaixa – Museo de la Ciencia, Alejandro Perez Jimenez responsible of the Área de Ciencia, Investigación y Medio Ambiente, and Javier Serrano, responsible for the permanent and temporal exhibits. Thanks also to Imma Machí, curator, and Anna Cusó, preparator. We are grateful to Xavier Delclòs, Universitat de Barcelona, for the information. We thank the Hospital Mútua de Terrassa for the CT scan of the skull and mandible, in particular the technician Alfredo Lopez, and Sergio Llácer (ICP) for the CT segmentation. Thanks also to an anonymous referee for his/her comments on the manuscript.