Redescription of the first pterosaur remains from Japan: the largest flying reptile from Asia

Abstract

Pterosaur remains are found in numerous deposits of the world, but most are isolated and fragmentary elements. This is the case of Japan where a small number of specimens from those volant reptiles have been reported. Here, we redescribe the first pterosaur remains from Japan (NSM PV15005) that were found in outcrops of the Upper Cretaceous Yezo Group (Santonian–lower Campanian) in the Mikasa area of Hokkaido. Further preparation of this material revealed several pterosaur bones, including the distal end of a left femur, a non-ungual phalanx and a proximal caudal vertebra. Based on the double-condyle articulation of the caudal element and the main features of the femur, this specimen is referred to a pteranodontid-like pterosaur. Its wingspan is estimated to be around 6.8 m, making it the largest pterosaur recorded not only from Japan, but also from Asia so far, indicating that large flying reptiles were widespread worldwide during the Upper Cretaceous.

Keywords::

• Upper Cretaceous
• Yezo Group
• Japan
• Pterosauria
• Pterodactyloidea

Acknowledgements

The authors thank Ivan Nunes and Orlando Grillo (Museu Nacional, Rio de Janeiro) for helping with the photographs. We also would like to express our pleasure to participate in a volume honouring Yuki Tomida, who has helped several of us, particularly the first author (A.W.A. Kellner), in our studies on pterosaurs.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Funding

Funding for this project was provided by the Fundação Carlos Chagas Filho de Amparo à Pesquisa do Rio de Janeiro [grant number E-26/102.737/2012] and the Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico [grant number 304780/2013-8 to A.W.A. Kellner; grant number 150053/2014-2 to F.R. Costa] and the National Science Fund for Distinguished Young Scholars [grant number 40825005], National Basic Research Program of China [grant number 2012CB821900] and the Hundred Talents (all to X. Wang).