6533b862fe1ef96bd12c61f6
RESEARCH PRODUCT
A reappraisal of the purported gastric pellet with Pterosaurian bones from the Upper Triassic of Italy
Claudio TunizClaudio TunizFederico BernardiniFabio Marco Dalla VecchiaBorja HolgadoJosep Fortunysubject
lcsh:MedicineBone and BonesDinosaursSpecies SpecificityPelletAnimalslcsh:ScienceSkeletonMultidisciplinarybiologyOsteologyFossilslcsh:Rdigestive oral and skin physiologyMarine fishReptilesAnatomyX-Ray Microtomographybiology.organism_classificationLarge sampleNorthern italyItalyLangobardisaurusSettore L-ANT/10 - Metodologie della Ricerca Archeologicalcsh:QResearch Articledescription
A small accumulation of bones from the Norian (Upper Triassic) of the Seazza Brook Valley (Carnic Prealps, Northern Italy) was originally (1989) identified as a gastric pellet made of pterosaur skeletal elements. The specimen has been reported in literature as one of the very few cases of gastric ejecta containing pterosaur bones since then. However, the detailed analysis of the bones preserved in the pellet, their study by X-ray microCT, and the comparison with those of basal pterosaurs do not support a referral to the Pterosauria. Comparison with the osteology of a large sample of Middle-Late Triassic reptiles shows some affinity with the protorosaurians, mainly with Langobardisaurus pandolfii that was found in the same formation as the pellet. However, differences with this species suggest that the bones belong to a similar but distinct taxon. The interpretation as a gastric pellet is confirmed.
| year | journal | country | edition | language |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015-11-11 |