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Lower Cretaceous Pterosaurs

The Lower Cretaceous Period started about 136 million years ago when there was a dramatic change in the types of species of pterosaurs.  Very few pterosaurs made the transition from the Jurassic to the Cretaceous and a distinct new range of larger pterosaurs evolves at this time.  The main stages in the United Kingdom are as follows.

Upper Albian

Middle Albian

Lower Gault & Red Chalk

Upper Aptian

Lower Aptian

Barremian

Hauterivian

Valanginian

Berriasian (south) or
        Ryazanian (east)

Upper Gault, Upper Greensand, Cambridge Greensand, Hunstanton Red Rock

Lower Gault and Red Chalk

Gault-Greensand Junction and Upper Folkston Beds

Lower Greensand, Ferruginous Sands and Lower Folkston Beds

Lower Greensand, Atherfield Clay and Ferruginous Sands

Wealden Beds, Weald Clay and Upper Tealby Clay

Wealden Beds, Tealby Series
Upper Hastings Series and Claxby Ironstone

Wealden Beds, Lower Hastings Series and Lower Claxby Series

Upper Purbeck Beds, Durlston Beds

There are a vast number of specimens of pterosaur bone from the Cambridge Greensand, mainly of Ornithocheirid species.  Some specimens are of very large pterosaurs, but they are fragmentary.  The Cambridge Greensand is a derived sediment and it is likely that most of the pterosaur fossils come from a slightly earlier age.  The Purbeck beds have also yielded some pterosaur remains.

There are a great number of pterosaurs worldwide attributed to this time from a number of very good sites.  The Santana formation in Brazil, The sites in Xinjiang Province, China and Western Mongolia to name but three.

Anhangueridae

Anhanguera santanae	Large pterosaur with 4 metre span.  Several fragmentary specimens and a few skulls.  Aptian, Sanatana Formation, Araripe Plateaux, Brazil
Anhanguera blittersdorffi	Skull specimen, Aptian, Sanatana Formation, Araripe Plateaux, Brazil
Anhanguera piscator	Skull ,and bone fragments from the Santana Formation, Brazil.
Anhanguers winchii	Bone fragments from the Isle of Wight.
Anhanguera sp	Jaw fragment from the Allaru Mudstone of Queensland, Australia.
Anhanguera sp	Wing remains from Argentina.
Siroccopteryx moroccensis	Specimen from Morocco of Albian age (Possibly lower Cenomanian!)

Azhdarchidae

Bennettazhia oregonensis	Dorsal vertebra from Oregon, U.S.A.
Chaoyangopterus zhangi	A near complete skeleton of an early Azhdarchid pterosaur from China.
Eoazhdarcho liauxiensis	An incomplete skeleton from China
Eopteranodon lii	An incomplete skeleton and skull from China
Tupuxuara longicristatus	Aptian, Sanatana Formation, Araripe Plateaux, Brazil
Tupuxaura leonardi	Aptian, Sanatana Formation, Araripe Plateaux, Brazil
Zhejiangopterus linhaiensis	Early to middle Cretaceous species known from at least four crushed and articulated specimens from Linhai City, Zhejiang Province, China.
Jidipterus edentus	Near complete specimen from Lioaning, China

Cearadactylidae

Cearadactylus atrox

Fine skull about 57 cm of Aptian Age from the Sanatana Formation, Brazil

Criorhynchidae

Amblydectes crassidens	Distal upper jaw with triangular section
Amblydectes eurygnathus	Distal jaw fragment
Amblydectes platystomus	Distal jaw fragment
Coloborhynchus araripensis	A large pterosaur from the Albian, Sanatana Formation, Brazil, with a wingspan in excess of 3 metres
Coloborhynchus spielburgi	Skull and mandible and several post cranial bones from the Romualdo Member (Albian) of the Santana Formation
Coloborhynchus wadleighi	Partial snout from the Paw Paw Formation of Tarrant County, Texas.
Criorhynchus simus	Anterior jaw fragment from the Cambridge Greensand of Britain.
Tropeognathus mesembrinus	Complete skull and partial skeleton of a large pterosaur from the Aptian, Santana Formation, Brazil.
Tropeognathus robustus	Lower Jaw and skeletal remains of a pterosaur with an estimated wingspan of 6.2 metres from the Aptian, Santana Formation, Brazil.

Ctenochasmidae

Beipioapterus chenianus	a basal Ctenochasmid from china.
Lianoxipterus brachyognathus	lower jaw found in Liaoning Province, China.
Chiliean Ctenochasmid	Rostrum fragment, Northern Chile
Elanodactylus prolatus	Post cranial skeleton remains and cervical vertebrae.
Gegepterus changi	Cranium and scapulo-coracoid elements, Yixian formation, China

Dsungaripteridae

Domeykodactylus ceciliae	Mandible with left and right rami and symphysis, from the Corillera de Domeyko Mountains of the Chilean Andes. (re-assessed specimen of Pterodaustro)
Dsungeripterus weii	The long pointed jaw with an upturned tip are characteristic of this species.  Large crushing teeth are found in the back of the jaw.  Jungar Basin, Xinjiand Province, China.
Dsungeripterus sp.	First wing phalange of a specimen from Korea
Noripterus complicidens	Wing and Jaw fragments of a small Dsungaripterid from the Zagan Zabsk Formation, Western Mongolia
Phobetor parvus	A small Dsungaripterid from the Zagan Zabsk Formation, Western Mongolia
Puntanipterus globosus	La Cruz Formation, San Luis, Argentina
'Santanadactylus' spixi	From the Santana Formation of Brazil, this pterosaur is considered to be a Dsungaripterid
Lonchognathosaurus acutirostris	Dsungrupterid anterior skull from the Lianmuxin Formation at Liuhonggou, near Urumqi, in the southern Jungar Basin
Nemicolopterus crypticus	Small pterosaur from the Jiufotang Formation, western Liaoning, China

Istiodactylidae

Istiodactylus latidens	Several fragmentary associated remains of Jaw, skull, vertebrae and long bones from the Vectis Formation, Isle of Wight
Istiodactylus sinensis	Partial skeleton, including skull, from the Jiufotang formation, China.
Nurhachius ignaciobritoi	Partial skeleton, including skull, from the Jiufotang formation, China.
Longchengpterus zhaoi	Near complete skeleton from the Jiufotang formation, China.

Ornithosauria

Araripesaurus castilhoi	Wing bones in a nodule, Aptian, Sanatana Formation, Araripe Plateaux, Brazil
Boreopterus cuiae	Near complete skeleton from Liaoning Province, China
Brasileodactylus araripensis	A jaw fragment, Aptian, Sanatana Formation, Araripe Plateaux, Brazil
Caulkicephalus trimicrodon	Crested specimen from the Isle of Wight, UK.
Feilongus youngi	Skull from the Yaxian Formation, China.
Liaoningopteryx gui	A large pterosaur with large teeth from the Jiufotang Formation, China
Lonchodectes daviesi	Small jaw end fragment from the Albian of Folkston, Kent, England
Lonchodectes machaeorhynchus	Anterior jaw fragments from the Cambridge Greensand
Lonchodectes microdon	Jaw fragment from the Cambridge Greensand, England
Lonchadectes sagittirostris	A long jaw of a large pterosaur from the Wealden Beds of Sussex, England
Ludodactylus sibbicki	Crested Skull specimen from North-Eastern Brazil.
Ornithocheirus denticulatus	Anterior jaw fragments from the Cambridge Greensand
Ornithocheirus fittoni	Several jaw fragments of a pterosaur with unusually asymmetrical staggered tooth sockets.  Cambridge Greensand, England
Ornithocheirus sedgwicki	Several un-associated jaw fragments and other bones from the Cambridge Greensand, England
Ornithosauria	A list of fragmentary specimens for other Ornithocheirids.

Pterodactylidae

Haopterus gracilis

Pterodactyl from the Yixian Formation of Sihetun, Western Liaoning, China

Pterodaustridae

Pterodaustro guinazui	Complete specimen on slab from the Lagarcito Formation, San Luis, Argentina
Pterodaustro sp.	Specimen from Antifagasta, Chile, of Neocomian Age
Pterodaustro sp.	Un-hatched egg containing a fully formed juvenile

Tapejaridae

Sinopterus dongi	Chaoyang County, China, wingspan of 1.2m
Sinopterus sp.	Near complete specimen with a small head crest.
Sinopterus gui	Complete skeleton from the Jiufotang formation, China
Tapejara imperator	Aptian, Sanatana Formation, Araripe Plateaux, Brazil
Tapejara navigens	Soft crested species from the Crato Formation, North Eastern Brazil
Tapejara wellnhofrei	Pterosaur with distinctive short beak and head crest.  Aptian, Sanatana Formation, Araripe Plateaux, Brazil
Huaxiapterus jii	Pterosaur from the Jiufotang formation, China
Huaxiapterus corollatus	Complete skeleton from the Jiufotang formation, China

Unclassified Pterosaurs

Arthurdactylus conan-doylei	Large pterosaur from the Chapada do Araripe, Aptian, Sanatana Formation,  Brazil.  Missing skull and cervical vertebrae, estimated wingspan 4.6 metres
Thalassodromeus sethi	Crested pterosaur from the Early Cretaceous of Brazil
Thalassodromeus oberli	Mandible, awaiting details
Pterosaur sp.	Unclassified Egg with embryo from China

Ichnites

Purbeckopus pentadactylus	Trackways from Dorset, UK Wright, J. L., Unwin, D. M., Lockley, M. G., and Rainforth, E. C. 1997. Pterosaur tracks from the Purbeck Limestone Formation of Dorset, England. Proceedings of the Geologists’Association, 108:39–48.
Pteraichnus sp.	Yanguoxia, Yougjing County, Gansu Province, China.
Pteraichnus cidacoi	La Fuento Mingo, Oncala Group, Lower Cretaceous boundary, Spain. Fuentes Vidarte, C. 2001. A new species of Pteraichnus for the Spanish Lower Cretaceous: Pteraichnus cidacoi. Strata, Serie 1: Communications, 11: 44–46.
Pteraichnus vetustior	Valdelalosa, Oncala Group, Lower Cretaceous boundary, Spain. Meijide Fuentes, F. 2001. Pterosaur tracks in Oncala Mountain Range (Soria, Spain). A new ichnospecies: Pteraichnus vetustior. Strata, Serie 1: Communications, 11:70–71.
Pteraichnus manueli	Oncala Group, Lower Cretaceous boundary, Spain. Meijide Calvo, M. 2001. Pterosaur trace in Oncala Berriasian (Soria, Spain). New ichnospecies: Pteraichnus manueli. Strata, Serie 1: Communications, 11:72–74.
Pteraichnus parvus	Oncala Group, Lower Cretaceous boundary, Spain.