Ornithocheirus crassidens Seeley, 1870

Rodrigues, Taissa & Kellner, Alexander Wilhelm Armin, 2013, Taxonomic review of the Ornithocheirus complex (Pterosauria) from the Cretaceous of England, ZooKeys 308, pp. 1-112 : 43

Ornithocheirus crassidens Seeley, 1870 (nomen dubium) Fig. 17A-D

"Ptenodactylus" crassidens Seeley: Seeley 1869: p. xvi [disclaimed]

Ornithocheirus crassidens Seeley: Seeley 1870: p. 122

Amblydectes crassidens (Seeley): Hooley 1914: p. 536

Criorhynchidae incertae sedis:Wellnhofer 1978: 60

Coloborhynchus sedgwickii (Owen): Unwin 2001: table 1

Holotype.

CAMSM B 54499, anterior portion of a jaw ( Fig. 17A-D ).

Type locality.

Cambridge, Cambridgeshire, England.

Type horizon.

Cambridge Greensand (Cenomanian; fossils Albian in age).

Description: CAMSM B 54499 is a very fragmentary specimen, in which much of the left side, especially the oral surface, was not preserved. Seeley (1870) tentatively identified it as premaxillae. He compared it to Camposipterus(?) colorhinus and, among other differences, observed that Ornithocheirus crassidens lacks the depression above the first pair of alveoli diagnostic for Camposipterus(?) colorhinus , so Seeley (1870) considered it a new species. Based on its height the holotype seems to be an upper jaw, but neither a ridge nor a sulcus are evident and thus it is not possible to identify it with certainty. The species is considered here a nomen dubium.

Remarks.

The taxonomy of this species is controversial. It was placed in the genus Ornithocheirus by Seeley (1870). Hooley (1914) attributed Ornithocheirus crassidens to a new genus, Amblydectes , and Wellnhofer (1978) referred it as a Criorhynchidae incertae sedis and provisionally placed it in Criorhynchus . Most recently, Unwin (2001) considered it synonymous with Coloborhynchus [= Camposipterus(?) ] sedgwickii.

Figures

Figure 17. A-D Ornithocheirus crassidens, holotype CAMSM B 54499 (Albian, Cambridge Greensand), anterior fragment of the rostrum. A right lateral view B respective line drawing C ventral view D respective line drawing. E-H Ornithocheirus dentatus, holotype CAMSM B 54544 (Albian, Cambridge Greensand), anterior part of the rostrum E right lateral view F respective line drawing G ventral view H respective line drawing. Abbreviations :: m - maxillae, pm - premaxillae, prid - palatal ridge. Arrows and numbers indicate alveoli or teeth and their respective position. Scale bar = 10 mm.