Name:
Cycnorhamphus
(Swan beak).
Phonetic: Sic-no-ram-fus.
Named By: Harry Seeley - 1870.
Synonyms: Cycnorhamphus canjuersensis,
Gallodactylus canjuersensis, G. suevicus, Pterodactylus eurychirus, P.
suevicus, P. w�rttembergicus.
Classification: Chordata, Reptilia, Pterosauria,
Pterodactyloidea, Ctenochasmatoidea.
Species: C. suevicus (type).
Type: Filter feeder.
Size: 135 centimetre wingspan.
Known locations: Germany. France.
Time period: Kimmeridgian to Tithonian of the
Jurassic.
Fossil representation: Several specimens.
Like
many early discovered pterosaurs the taxonomic history of Cycnorhamphus
is quite muddled. Initially assigned to Pterodactylus,
the first
pterosaur discovered that ended up being treated like a wastebasket for
almost any discovered pterosaur remains, Harry Seeley redesignated the
specimen Cycnorhamphus. However another
palaeontologist, Felix
Plieninger, cited mistakes in the description and in 1907 rejected the
split from Pterodactylus.
Another
specimen would be described in 1974 by Jacques Fabre, but under the
name Gallodactylus canjuersensis. Even though
similarities with the
description of Cycnorhamphus were realised, the new
genus went ahead
because of the earlier mistakes in naming Cycnorhamphus.
Finally in
1996, Christopher Bennet made Gallodactylus a
synonym of Cycnorhamphus
on the basis that the mistakes in Seeley's original description could
not invalidate the genus.
A
2010 study also by Bennet explained the differences between specimens
as age and sex related. The changing morphology of pterosaurs as they
grew up caused much confusion in the early years of pterosaur research,
and not just for Cycnorhamphus but for many other
genera. The
revelation of how much pterosaurs changed as they grew would
significantly shorten the once exhaustive lists of different pterosaur
species when in fact only a handful were valid.
Cycnorhamphus
belongs to the family of pterosaurs that are noted for being filter
feeders, although Cycnorhamphus does not seem to be
as specialised as
some others like Pterodaustro.
The jaws of Cycnorhamphus
are quite
short when compared to some other members of the group and they only
have teeth at the front, suggesting that Cycnorhamphus
may have sifted
through sediment for its food.
Possibly
to help with pushing its beak through the mud, the overall skull
construction of Cycnorhamphus was very robust. Also
a small crest
approximately two centimetres high rose up from the back of the skull,
although this feature was probably only developed in adults, especially
males.
Further reading
- On the taxonomic status of Cycnorhamphus and Gallodactylus
(Pterosauria: Pterodactyloidea). - Journal of Paleontology. 70 (2):
335–338. - Bennett, S. Christopher - 1996.
- The morphology and taxonomy of the pterosaur Cycnorhamphus. - Neues
Jahrbuch f�r Geologie und Pal�ontologie - Abhandlungen. 267: 23–41. -
S. C. Bennett - 2013.