Ornithocheirus capito, 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 : 23-25

' Ornithocheirus ' capito Seeley, 1870 Fig. 8

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

Ornithocheirus capito Seeley: Seeley 1870: p. 126

Criorhynchus capito (Seeley): Hooley 1914: p. 536

Criorhynchidae incertae sedis: Wellnhofer 1978: 60

Coloborhynchus capito (Seeley): Unwin 2001: p. 206, table 1

Ornithocheirus " capito Seeley: Rodrigues and Kellner 2008: p. 226, fig. 4.1, 4.3 "

Ornithocheirus reedi Seeley: Seeley 1870: p. 126

Ornithocheirus reedii [sic] Seeley: Seeley 1881: p. 13, pl. I, fig. 3

Criorhynchus reedi (Seeley): Hooley 1914: p. 538

Criorhynchus reedii [sic] (Seeley): Arthaber 1922: p. 18

Criorhynchidae incertae sedis Wellnhofer 1978: 60

Coloborhynchus capito (Seeley): Unwin 2001: fig. 6C, 8, table 1 [synonymy]

Holotype.

CAMSM B 54625, anterior portion of the rostrum ( Fig. 8A-F ).

Type locality.

Chesterton, Cambridgeshire, England.

Type horizon.

Cambridge Greensand (Cenomanian; fossils Albian in age).

Referred specimen.

Holotype of Ornithocheirus reedi Seeley, 1870 ( Fig. 8G-J ) (from the Cambridge Greensand; current whereabouts unkown).

Diagnosis.

Anhanguerid pterosaur with the following combination of characters that distinguishes it from other members of the clade: anteriorly located and tall premaxillary crest; anterior margin of the premaxillary crest concave in lateral view; first pair of upper teeth positioned on the anterior margin of the rostrum.

Description.

' Ornithocheirus' capito is known from a fragmentary holotype, which has a tall, anteriorly located premaxillary crest with a concave anterior margin. Due to its fragmentary state, the presence of an anterior expansion cannot be confirmed but is suggested by the structure of the preserved right side of the specimen. These features allow its placement in Anhangueridae .

A second specimen referable to this species is the holotype of Ornithocheirus reedi . It has a median groove that extends along the height of the crest; such groove is usually considered a sign of abrasion among Cambridge Greensand pterosaurs, but Seeley (1881) affirmed that the bone surface is rather smooth, and abrasion is unlikely. Furthermore, a groove in the midline of the crest is present in the holotype of Uktenadactylus wadleighi (SMU 73058) from the Albian Paw Paw Formation of the USA ( Lee 1994; Rodrigues and Kellner 2008), which also has a concave anterior margin of the crest. However, 'Ornithocheirus' capito differs from SMU 73058 in the height of the crest, which is much higher just behind the second pair of alveoli.

'Ornithocheirus' capito differs from Coloborhynchus clavirostris (from a distinct, older deposit, the late Berriasian-Valanginian Hastings Group of the Wealden Supergroup) in the absence of a flat anterior margin of the rostrum. Rodrigues and Kellner (2008) listed four autapomorphies for Coloborhynchus clavirostris , none of which is present in 'Ornithocheirus' capito . It also can be distinguished from Uktenadactylus wadleighi in the absence of an oval depression above the first pair of teeth ( Lee 1994; Rodrigues and Kellner 2008).

'Ornithocheirus' capito can also be distinguished from Ornithocheirus simus , and from Ornithocheirus , by presence of the first pair of teeth in the anterior margin of the premaxillae. In Ornithocheirus simus , the first pair of alveoli is directed ventrally and not located at the tip of the snout. The combination of features seen in 'Ornithocheirus' capito is also absent in Lonchodraco , Cimoliopterus , Camposipterus (see below), or any other known pterosaur, and is diagnostic for the present species even though this species has no autapomorphies.

Remarks.

Unwin (2001) synonymized 'Ornithocheirus' reedi with 'Ornithocheirus' capito (as Coloborhynchus capito ). 'Ornithocheirus' reedi , described by Seeley (1870),was referred by Hooley (1914) and provisionally by Wellnhofer (1978) to Criorhynchus reedi , and its name was misspelled reedii by Seeley (1881) and readi by Barrett et al. (2008). Its holotype, illustrated by Seeley (1881: pl. I, figs 3a-3b; here as Fig. 8E-H ), belonged to the collection of W. Reed of York by the time it was described and 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).

Seeley (1870) first described Ornithocheirus reedi and interpreted the holotype as an upper jaw. Later Seeley (1881) redescribed the specimen as a lower jaw, based on the presence of a median groove. Curiously, in the same work, it was illustrated oriented as being a part of a snout. Unfortunately, the specimen was not figured in palatal view, but it is very tall and we here interpret it as the tip of the premaxillae. It bears a median crest with a markedly concave anterior margin. As 'Ornithocheirus' capito and Ornithocheirus reedi share this feature (unknown in other Cambridge Greensand species) and come from the same deposit, we agree with Unwin (2001) that they represent the same taxon. Both were described in the same work ( Seeley 1870). Acting as First Reviewer, Unwin (2001) gave priority to the former binomen.

Here, we recognize that 'Ornithocheirus' capito possibly represents a new genus, but we refrain from naming a new one until better material comes to light. Therefore, we refer to it by the name given in its original description, as 'Ornithocheirus' capito .

Figures

Figure 8. ' Ornithocheirus' capito. A-F holotype CAMSM B 54625 (Albian, Cambridge Greensand), anterior part of the rostrum A right lateral view B respective line drawing C ventral view D respective line drawing E anterior view F respective line drawing. G-J referred specimen, whereabout unknown, holotype of Ornithocheirus reedi (Albian, Cambridge Greensand), anterior part of the rostrum G anterior view H respective line drawing I right lateral view J respective line drawing. Abbreviations: dep - depression, m - maxillae, pm - premaxillae, pmcr - premaxillary crest. Arrows and numbers indicate alveoli or teeth and their respective position. Scale bar = 10 mm. G and I from Seeley 1881.