Coloborhynchus clavirostris
| Coloborhynchus clavirostris Temporal range: Valanginian, 140–136 Ma | |
|---|---|
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| Holotype jaw fragment in multiple views | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Reptilia |
| Order: | †Pterosauria |
| Suborder: | †Pterodactyloidea |
| Family: | †Ornithocheiridae |
| Genus: | †Coloborhynchus |
| Species: | †C. clavirostris |
| Binomial name | |
| Coloborhynchus clavirostris Owen, 1874 | |
| Synonyms | |
|
Ornithocheirus clavirostris (Owen, 1874) | |
Coloborhynchus clavirostris is a pterosaur species in the family Ornithocheiridae, known from the Lower Cretaceous of England (Valanginian age, 140-136 million years ago). In 1874 Richard Owen, rejecting the creation by Harry Govier Seeley of the genus Ornithocheirus, named a species Coloborhynchus clavirostris based on holotype BMNH 1822, a partial snout from the Hastings Beds of the Wealden Group of East Sussex, England. The genus name means "maimed beak", a reference to the damaged and eroded condition of the fossil; the specific name means "key snout", referring to its form in cross-section.
Description
The type specimen of C. clavirostris is a partial upper jaw. Therefore, according to Rodrigues and Kellner's 2008 re-evaluation on the species, it can only be differentiated from its relatives based on its unique combination of tooth socket positions. In Coloborhynchus clavirostris, the two front teeth pointed forward and were higher on the jaw than the other teeth, while the next three pairs of teeth pointed to the sides. The final two (preserved) pairs of teeth pointed downward. Finally, a unique oval depression was located below the first pair of teeth.[1]
Like the related Anhanguera and Uktenadactylus, the tip of the snout flared out into a wider rosette, in contrast to the narrow posterior jaws. Also like its close relatives, Coloborhynchus clavirostris had a keel-shaped crest on the front of its jaws, though it was broad and thinned from base to top, rather than the uniformly thin crests of its relatives. This kind of thickened crest is also seen in Siroccopteryx moroccensis, which may be its closest relative or a member of the same genus. It also had a straight, rather than curved, front margin, unlike its relatives, and begins at the tip of the snout, rather than further back as in other species.[1]
A second specimen showing all of these same unique features was reported to Brazilian paleontologist Alexander Kellner by Darren Naish in 2007, and likely represents a second specimen of C. clavirostris, though it has not yet been described.[1]
See also
References
The Pterosaur Database (multiple species, scroll down)