Data from: Does postcranial palaeoneurology provide insight into pterosaur behaviour and lifestyle? New data from the azhdarchoid Vectidraco and the ornithocheirids Coloborhynchus and Anhanguera

(2019) Data from: Does postcranial palaeoneurology provide insight into pterosaur behaviour and lifestyle? New data from the azhdarchoid Vectidraco and the ornithocheirids Coloborhynchus and Anhanguera. DRYAD doi:10.5061/dryad.rq4b2n6 [Dataset]

Abstract

The postcranial palaeoneurology of fossil reptiles is understudied, and those studies that exist focus predominantly on crocodyliforms and dinosaurs. The intervertebral foramina of the spine house nerves that exit to innervate surrounding tissues and the extremities. In the heavily fused (and typically distorted or poorly preserved) pterosaurian sacrum, intervertebral foramina can be difficult to observe and are rarely identified. The Early Cretaceous azhdarchoid Vectidraco from the Isle of Wight, UK, exhibits large, paired foramina on each sacral vertebra, originally identified as pneumatic foramina. Micro‐computed tomography imaging reveals these communicate with the neural canal and are intervertebral foramina for sacral nerves. The sacral vertebrae of Vectidraco are fused, and intervertebral foramina occur dorsolaterally on the centra. We identified these structures in other pterosaur sacra, including those of the ornithocheiroids Anhanguera and Coloborhynchus. The sizes of the sacral and notarial neural canals are compared and considered within interpretations of palaeoecology and locomotion, following previous studies. The relatively large sacral neural canal of Vectidraco implies a sacral enlargement for innervation of the legs and lumbosacral plexus. When compared with Anhanguera, this supports indications that azhdarchoids were more hindlimb‐proficient than ornithocheiroids. Neural canal size in the Coloborhynchus notarium suggests that ornithocheirids spent less time on the ground, their brachial enlargement and small sacral region indicating enhanced innervation of the wings and poor innervation of the sacrum and legs. This is the first study focusing on pterosaur postcranial palaeoneurology; more studies on other taxa are needed to reveal patterns across Pterosauria as a whole.,SMNK PAL 1133 sacrumCT scans from the sacrum of the ornithocheird pterosaurs _Coloborhynchus robust_, SMNK PAL 1133. Scans were taken at the u-VIS X-Ray Imaging Centre, University of Southampton.20150903_HUTCH_792_EM_Box1_08_SMNK1133_639x620x623x8bit.raw20150903_HUTCH_792_EM_Box2_10_SMNK1133_718x1422x515x8bit20150903_HUTCH_792_EM_Box2_03_SMNK1133_438x325x447x8bitCT scans from cervical vertebra 7 of SMNK PAL 1133, scanned at the u-VIS Imaging Centre, University of Southampton.20150903_HUTCH_792_EM_Box2_04_SMNK1133_338x371x444x8bitCT scans of cervical vertebra 6 from SMNK PAL 1133, _Coloborhynchus robust_, completed at u-VIS Imaging Centre, University of Southampton20150903_HUTCH_792_EM_Box2_05_SMNK1133_330x384x377x8bitCT scans of cervical vertebra 3 from SMNK PAL 1133 _Coloborhynchus robust_, scanned at u-VIS X-Ray Imaging Centre, University of Southampton20150903_HUTCH_792_EM_Box2_12-13-14_SMNK1133_608x716x2258x8bitCT scans of the dorsal vertebrae of SMNK PAL 1133 _Coloborhynchus robust_, scanned at u-VIS X-ray Imaging Centre, University of Southampton.

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