Partial mandible of a giant pterosaur from the uppermost Cretaceous (Maastrichtian) of the Hațeg Basin, Romania

摘要

We describe and interpret a posterior mandibular symphysis of a very large azhdarchid pterosaur. The specimen LPB ( FGGUB ) R.2347 exhibits a series of morphological characters present in both azhdarchid and tapejarid pterosaurs, suggesting a more basal position within the clade Azhdarchidae. This fossil was collected from Maastrichtian continental deposits near Vălioara in the Hațeg Basin, Romania, but cannot be confidently referred to the contemporaneous giant Hatzegopteryx thambema, also from Vălioara, due to the absence of overlapping skeletal elements. Remarkably, this mandibular symphysis shares a number of features the smaller azhdarchoid Bakonydraco galaczi from the Santonian of Hungary. Additional comparisons with previously described large‐sized azhdarchid mandibles indicate a certain degree of morphological and probably ecological disparity within the group. This specimen represents the largest pterosaur mandible ever found and provides insights into the anatomy of the enigmatic giant pterosaurs.