Abstract: We report on a diminutive pterosaur specimen (MIC-V246), from the Lower Cretaceous Lagarcito Formation, which has anatomical features and general proportions that agree with those of other juvenile specimens of the filter-feeding pterosaur Pterodaustro guinazui . MIC-V246 is nearly complete, with the majority of its bones in natural articulation. The specimen is preserved within a small oval surface inferred to demarcate the outline of an egg. It includes remains of the skull and mandible, some cervical, dorsal, sacral and caudal vertebrae, ribs, gastralia, both shoulder girdles, part of the ilium, and the forelimbs and hindlimbs. The skeleton is arranged in a position similar to that of avian embryos, with the wings folded sideways, the hindlimbs flexed, and the skull tucked beneath a wing. The bones are partially covered by an irregularly distributed substance differing in texture and colour from the bony elements, and identified as remnants of the eggshell. The diminutive size of the skeleton, along with its arrangement and morphology, support the identification of this specimen as one of the very few pterosaur embryos known worldwide. Its similarity in size to other Pterodaustro specimens interpreted as hatchlings suggests that MIC-V246 was near hatching when it died.

Abstract: A new anurognathid pterosaur, Vesperopterylus lamadongensis gen. et sp. nov., is erected based on a complete skeleton with a skull preserved. It is characterized by two short distinct ridges present on the ventral surface of the cervical vertebrae; coracoids slightly longer than scapula; humerus, wing phalanx 3 and tibia nearly the same in length; grooves clearly present on the posterior surface of the wing phalanges 1–3; and the first toe reversed. It is the first anurognathid pterosaur from China with a definitively short tail, and the first pterosaur with a reversed first toe. The reversed first toe of Vesperopterylus indicates that it had arboreal habitats. The discovery of Vesperopterylus lamadongensis from the Jiufotang Formation strongly expands the geological age range for anurognathid pterosaurs. Supplementary material: The character list and data matrix for phylogenetic analysis are available at https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.c.3873394

Abstract: Six specimens accessioned to the Bavarian State Collection for Palaeontology and Geology in Munich, Germany, in 1966 are identified as coming from a gigantic pterodactyloid pterosaur. The previously undescribed material was obtained in 1955 by Jean Otto Haas and compares favourably in size with the type specimen of the Late Cretaceous (Maastrichtian) azhdarchid pterosaur Arambourgiania philadelphiae ( Arambourg 1959 ) from the same locality/region. The material represents fragments of two cervical vertebrae, a neural arch, a left femur, a ?radius, and a metacarpal IV and bones of problematic identity, and does not duplicate the type material of Arambourgiania . The timing of its collection and its locality of Ruseifa, Jordan suggest it might pertain to the same individual as the holotype.

Abstract: The Middle–Upper Jurassic Oxford Clay Formation of the UK is a highly productive fossiliferous unit, containing numerous fossils of marine and terrestrial vertebrates. Despite this abundance, pterosaurs make up only a tiny percentage of the assemblage. There are currently only seven specimens accessioned in the Oxford University Museum of Natural History and Natural History Museum, London. Of these, only one specimen (an association of material from a juvenile animal) has been named, identified as Rhamphorhynchus jessoni . Following a detailed examination, it is identified here as lacking any autapomorphies and the species R . jessoni is considered a nomen dubium . The other Oxford Clay Formation pterosaur fossils are similarly identified as indeterminate, except for an isolated scapulocoracoid which is positively identified as Rhamphorhynchus sp. The rarity of pterosaurs is attributed to a combination of the fragility of their bones and the tendency of volant animals to have low population densities at sea.

Abstract: The Brazilian Crato Formation (Lower Cretaceous, Aptian) is well known for its rich pterosaur fauna. This paper deals with a new find represented by four articulated mid-cervical vertebrae. The vertebrae show a morphology consistent with that seen in the Chaoyangopteridae, especially the relative elongation, low neural spines, lack of pneumatic foramina on the lateral face of the centra and the presence of well-developed postexapophyses. Chaoyangopterids are, so far, represented with confidence only in Chinese deposits; the only record outside the Jehol Group is the Crato Formation form Lacusovagus magnificens , a partial skull whose assignment to the Chaoyangopteridae has been disputed. Given this controversy, we review the phylogenetic position of Lacusovagus , and discuss the nesting of our new specimen among theChaoyangopteridae, providing some comments concerning the composition of the group. We conclude that our new specimen provides further support for the presence of chaoyangopterids in the Early Cretaceous of Brazil. Supplementary material: Phylogenetic analysis data are available at: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.c.3873391