Ornithocheirus brachyrhinus 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 : 42

Ornithocheirus brachyrhinus Seeley, 1870 (nomen dubium) Fig. 16A-D

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

Ornithocheirus brachyrhinus Seeley: Seeley 1870: p. 123

Ornithocheirus brachyrhinus Seeley: Hooley 1914: p. 535

Anhanguera cuvieri (Bowerbank): Unwin 2001: table 1

Holotype.

CAMSM B54443, anterior portion of the rostrum ( Fig. 16A-D ).

Type locality.

Cambridge, Cambridgeshire, England.

Type horizon.

Cambridge Greensand (Cenomanian; fossils Albian in age).

Description.

Ornithocheirus brachyrhinus is known from the tip of a snout, with a dorsally curved palate and lacking an anteriorly located crest. It shares with Cimoliopterus cuvieri features such as the curved palate, the anterior end being higher than wide, lack of an anterior expansion, and absence of an anterior crest. The structure of Ornithocheirus brachyrhinus corresponds perfectly to the tip of the snout of Cimoliopterus cuvieri and it is possibly referable to that species, as Unwin (2001) has suggested. However, CAMSM B54443 is fragmentary and therefore it is not possible to establish if it had a posteriorly located crest and the alveoli size variation diagnostic of Cimoliopterus cuvieri . Thus, Ornithocheirus brachyrhinus is here considered a nomen dubium.

Figures

Figure 16. A-D Ornithocheirus brachyrhinus, holotype CAMSM B 54443 (Albian, Cambridge Greensand), anterior part of the rostrum. A right lateral view B respective line drawing C ventral view D respective line drawing. E-H Ornithocheirus carteri, holotype CAMSM B 54437 (Albian, Cambridge Greensand), anterior part of the rostrum E anterior view F respective line drawing G left lateral 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.