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The pterosaurian remains from the Grünbach Formation (Campanian, Gosau Group) of Austria: a reappraisal of ‘Ornithocheirus buenzeli’

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  09 December 2010

ERIC BUFFETAUT ,
ATTILA ŐSI  and
EDINA PRONDVAI
ERIC BUFFETAUT*
Affiliation:
CNRS, UMR 8538, Laboratoire de Géologie de l'École Normale Supérieure, 24 rue Lhomond, 75231 Paris Cedex 05, France
ATTILA ŐSI
Affiliation:
Hungarian Academy of Sciences – Hungarian Natural History Museum, Research Group for Paleontology, Ludovika tér 2, Budapest, H-1083, Hungary
EDINA PRONDVAI
Affiliation:
Eötvös Loránd University, Department of Paleontology, Pázmány Péter sétány 1/c, Budapest, H-1117, Hungary
*
†Author for correspondence: eric.buffetaut@sfr.fr
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Abstract

The fragmentary pterosaur material from the Campanian Grünbach Formation (Gosau Group) of Muthmannsdorf (Austria), previously identified as Ornithocheirus buenzeli Bunzel, 1871, is revised. A lower jaw fragment shows a helical type of articulation, which is known in several families of pterosaurs, and cannot be identified with great accuracy. The proximal part of a humerus shows distinctive features that allow it to be referred to as a member of the family Azhdarchidae, which is widespread in the Late Cretaceous Period of Europe. Ornithocheirus buenzeli is considered a nomen dubium. The pterosaur material from the Grünbach Formation cannot be used as evidence for the presence of ornithocheirids in the Late Cretaceous of Europe.

Keywords

CretaceousAustriaPterosauriaAzhdarchidae
Type
Rapid Communication
Information
Geological Magazine , Volume 148 , Issue 2 , March 2011 , pp. 334 - 339
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2010

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