罗马尼亚白垩纪晚期的一种新的巨型翼龙，有着结实的头骨 (1).pdfVIP

Naturwissenschaften (2002) 89:180–184 DOI 10.1007/s00114-002-0307-1 S H O RT C O M M U N I C AT I O N E. Buffetaut · D. Grigorescu · Z. Csiki A new giant pterosaur with a robust skull from the latest Cretaceous of Romania Received: 29 August 2001 / Accepted: 14 January 2002 / Published online: 26 February 2002 © Springer-Verlag 2002 Abstract A new giant pterosaur, Hatzegopteryx tham- Taxonomy bema, nov.gen., nov.sp., from the Maastrichtian Densus¸- Ciula Formation of Romania is remarkable for its very Pterosauria (Kaup, 1834) large size (estimated wing span ≥ 12 m) and for the ro- Pterodactyloidea (Plieninger, 1901) bustness of its large skull, which may have been nearly Azhdarchidae (Nesov, 1984) 3 m long. The stout skull bones contrast with the usually Hatzegopteryx thambema nov.gen., nov.sp. thin and slender skull elements of other pterosaurs, and raise the question of how the weight of the skull was re- duced in order to make flight possible. The answer prob- Derivatio nominis ably lies in the very peculiar internal structure of the bones, which consists of a dense network of very thin Generic name from the Hatzeg (or Hat¸eg) basin of Tran- trabeculae enclosing small alveoli. This structure is rem- sylvania, where the type specimen was collected, and iniscent of expanded polystyrene and, like it, probably pteryx , Greek for wing. Specific name from thambema, combined strength with lightness. Greek for monster, alluding to the monstrous size of this pterosaur. Holotype The Maastrichtian continental deposits of Transylvania, in western Romania,