Tupuxuara

Tupuxuara is a crested and toothless genus of pterosaur from the Early Cretaceous of Brazil. Three species have been recognized, all from the same Santana Formation: T. longicristatus, T. leonardii and T. deliradamus. Females and males have slightly different crest indicating sexual dimorphism and is a mark of adulthood as juveniles are crestless (Martill & Naish, 2006). Tupuxuara, judging by the wing wing proportions and the general environment where it lived, as well as the lack of any adaptations to piscivory, was most likely a terrestrial generalist, much like other azhdarchids and modern secretary birds and seriemas.

I

Name

Tupuxuara longicristatus

Authority

Kellner & Campos, 1988

Meaning of generic name

"Familiar spirit" — A name in Tupi Indian mythology

[or perhaps rather magic]

Meaning of specific name

long crested

Size

[not given]

Remains

Partial skeleton.

Age and Distribution

Romualdo Member, Santana Formation (Early Cretaceous, Albian) Ceará, Brazil.

Classification

Pterosauria Pterodactyloidea Azhdarchoidea

Further Reading

Kellner, A. W. A. & Campos, D. A. 1988, Sobre un novo pterossauro com crista sagital da Bacia do Araripe, Cretaceo Inferior do Nordeste do Brasil. (Pterosauria, Tupuxuara, Cretaceo, Brasil) Anais de Academia Brasileira de Ciências, 60, 459–469.

II

Name

Tupuxuara leonardii

Authority

Kellner & Campos, 1994

Meaning of specific name

(in honour of) Leonardi

Size

Skull length: 900 mm, Wingspan: 4.5 m

Remains

Partial skeletons including a complete skull.

Age and Distribution

Romualdo Member, Santana Formation (Early Cretaceous, Albian) Ceará, Brazil.

Classification

Pterosauria Pterodactyloidea Azhdarchoidea

Further Reading

Kellner, A. W. A. & Campos, D. A. 1994, A new species of Tupuxuara (Pterosauria, Tapejaridae) from the Early Cretaceous of Brazil. An. Acad. Brasil. Ciênc. 66, 467–473.

III

Name

Tupuxuara deliradamus

Authority

Witton, 2009

Size

Skull length: 850 mm

Remains

Two partial skulls.

Age and Distribution

Romualdo Member, Santana Formation (Early Cretaceous, Albian) Ceará, Brazil.

Classification

Pterosauria Pterodactyloidea Azhdarchoidea

Further Reading

Witton, M.P. 2009. A new species of Tupuxuara (Thalassodromidae, Azhdarchoidea) from the Lower Cretaceous Santana Formation of Brazil, with a note on the nomenclature of Thalassodromidae. Cretaceous Research.

I - III ?

Further reference:

Martill, D. M. & Naish, D. 2006. Cranial crest development in the azhdarchoid pterosaur Tupuxuara, with a review of the genus and tapejarid monophyly. Palaeontology 49, 925-941.