Ornithocheirus xyphorhynchus 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 : 49

Ornithocheirus xyphorhynchus Seeley, 1870 (nomen dubium) Fig. 19J-K

Ornithocheirus xyphorhynchus Seeley: Seeley 1870: p. 117

Ornithocheirus xyphorhynchus Seeley: Seeley 1881: p. 18, plate I, fig. 2

Ornithocheirus xyphorhynchus Seeley: Hooley 1914: p. 538

Ornithocheirus xyphorhynchus Seeley: Arthaber 1922: p. 17

Anhanguera cuvieri (Bowerbank): Unwin 2001: table 1

Holotype.

anterior portion of the rostrum (collection data could not be recovered) ( Fig. 19J-K ).

Type locality.

Cambridge, Cambridgeshire, England.

Type horizon.

Cambridge Greensand (Cenomanian; fossils Albian in age).

Description.

The holotype of Ornithocheirus xyphorhynchus was illustrated by Seeley (1881: plate I, Figs 2a and 2b ), and, as the type material of 'Ornithocheirus' reedi , belonged to the collection of W. Reed of York at the time when it was first described. It could not be found in the collections of the Natural History Museum, the Sedgwick Museum of Earth Sciences, or the Manchester Museum during visits in October 2009. Therefore, we base our remarks on the descriptions and illustrations provided by Seeley (1870, 1881).

The species was based on a fragmentary mandible, lacking the tip. It did not have a dentary crest ( Seeley 1870). Unwin (2001) recently referred it to Anhanguera [= Cimoliopterus ] cuvieri. However, the latter is known by a cranial material from the Chalk Formation, whereas Ornithocheirus xyphorhynchus is known only by a partial lower jaw from the Cambridge Greensand. As both species are known by material which is not directly comparable, the proposed synonymy can be rejected.

Figures

Figure 2. Ornithocheirus simus. A-D referred specimen CAMSM 54429 (Albian, Cambridge Greensand), anterior part of the rostrum A right lateral view B respective line drawing C anterior view D respective line drawing E-H referred specimen CAMSM 54677 (Albian, Cambridge Greensand), anterior part of the rostrum E right lateral view F respective line drawing G anterior view H respective line drawing. Abbreviations: m - maxillae, pm - premaxillae. Arrows and numbers indicate alveoli or teeth and their respective position. Scale bar = 10 mm.

Figure 19. A-B Ornithocheirus oxyrhinus, holotype CAMSM B 54612 (Albian, Cambridge Greensand), anterior part of the rostrum. A ventral view B respective line drawing. C-E Ornithocheirus scaphorhynchus, holotype CAMSM B 54441 (Albian, Cambridge Greensand), anterior part of the rostrum C ventral view D respective line drawing E line drawing in posterior view. F-I Ornithocheirus tenuirostris, holotype CAMSM B 54584 (Albian, Cambridge Greensand), anterior part of the rostrum F right lateral view G respective line drawing H ventral view I respective line drawing. J-K Ornithocheirus xyphorhynchus, holotype (Albian, Cambridge Greensand), anterior part of the rostrum J lateral view K dorsal view. Abbreviations: m - maxillae, pm - premaxillae, prid - palatal ridge, sul - sulcus. Arrows and numbers indicate alveoli or teeth and their respective position. Scale bar = 10 mm. J and K from Seeley 1881.