Bennettazhia (lat.) Is a genus of pterosaurs from the superfamily Azhdarchoidea , whose fossilized remains were found in Oregon , USA .
| † Bennettazhia |
| Scientific classification |
|---|
| No rank : | Bilateral symmetrical |
| Infraclass : | Archosauromorphs |
| No rank : | Archosauriformes |
| Treasure : | † Pterosauromorphs |
| Treasure : | † Ornithocheiroidea |
| Superfamily : | † Azhdarchoidea |
|
| International scientific name |
|---|
Bennettazhia Nessov, 1991 |
| Single view |
|---|
† Bennettazhia oregonensis
( Gilmore , 1928) - synonym [1] :
- Pteranodon oregonensis
Gilmore, 1928
|
Geochronology
Albanian age113.0-100.5 Ma | million years | Period | Era | Aeon |
|---|
| 2,588 | Even | | | Ka | F
but
n
e
R
about
s
about
th | | 23.03 | Neogene | | 66.0 | Paleogen | | 145.5 | a piece of chalk | M
e
s
about
s
about
th | | 199.6 | Yura | | 251 | Triassic | | 299 | Permian | P
but
l
e
about
s
about
th | | 359.2 | Carbon | | 416 | Devonian | | 443.7 | Silur | | 488.3 | Ordovician | | 542 | Cambrian | | 4570 | Precambrian |
◄ Nowadays◄ Cretaceous-Paleogene extinction◄ Triassic extinction◄ Mass Permian Extinction◄ Devonian extinction◄ Ordovician-Silurian extinction◄ Cambrian explosion |
|---|
|
In 1928, Charles Gilmore gave the name to a new species of pteranodons - Pteranodon oregonensis . The name was based on the MPUC V.126713 holotype , the humerus , two fused spinal vertebrae, and the broken end of a joint bone found in the Lower Cretaceous ( Albian ) layer of the Hadspet Formation, Wheeler County, Oregon, USA. Gilmore noted the similarity of the discovered remains to a nichaurus , although the samples found were larger [2] .
In 1989, Christopher Bennett came to the conclusion that the remnants may belong to the representative of the Azhdarchid family, and not to the pteranodon [3] . In this regard, the Soviet paleontologist Lev Nesov named a new genus in the Azhdarchid family: Bennettazhia [4] . The genus name is made up of the surname of Bennett and the Persian word azhdarha , dragon . The specific name contains a reference to the place of find - the state of Oregon. In 1994, Bennett changed his mind by stating that the pterosaur belonged to the dzungariperid family [5] . Wellnhofer (1991), Peters (1997), Kellner (2003) and Anvin (2003) left the pterosaur as an incertae sedis pterodactyl .
In 2007, American biologist Michael Habib showed the result of a CT scan of a sample. The humerus was intact, unbroken, which is rare for the remains of pterosaurs and has opened up excellent opportunities for a detailed study of the structure of the bone. A thin bone wall surrounded the spongy tissue, consisting of trabeculae , very thin bone layers and struts, forming a light, but very durable structure. Habib concluded that such strong bones would allow even a very large pterosaur to rise into the air. The same study allowed a more detailed classification. The humerus has an elongated deltopectoral crest , preserved undeformed. The presence of the crest is inherent in both the Dzungariperids and Azhdarchids, but only the last group was distinguished by a thin bone wall. Habib concluded that Bennetazhia belongs to Azhdarchoidea - a superfamily including the Ajdarchid family [6] . In 2014, Brian Andres, James Clark and Xu Sin confirmed this position of the genus [7] .