| Tapejara wellnhoferi | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Reconstructed skeleton | |
Scientific classification | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Order: | †Pterosauria |
| Suborder: | †Pterodactyloidea |
| Family: | †Tapejaridae |
| Subfamily: | †Tapejarinae |
| Tribe: | †Tapejarini |
| Genus: | †Tapejara Kellner, 1989 |
| Species: | †T. wellnhoferi |
| Binomial name | |
| †Tapejara wellnhoferi Kellner, 1989 | |
Tapejara (from aTupi word meaning "the lord of the path"[1]) is agenus ofBrazilianpterosaur from theCretaceous Period (Santana Group, dating to about 127 to 112 million years ago).Tapejara crests consisted of a semicircular crest over the snout, and a bony prong which extended back behind the head. It was a small pterosaur, with a wingspan of approximately 1.23–1.3 metres (4.0–4.3 ft).[2]
Theholotype ofTapejara (MN 6595-V, originally catalogued asCD-R 080) consists of a partial skull. It was described in 1989 byAlexander W. A. Kellner, who recognised it as a new genus and species. Kellner named itTapejara wellnhoferi, ostensibly translating to "Wellnhofer's old being".[3] However, the name actually derives from theTupí-Guaranítape ("path") andjara ("lord"), and therefore,T. wellnhoferi actually translates to "Wellnhofer's lord of the path".[1] Another, more complete specimen, AMNH 24440, was discovered in the same year as Kellner's original description, in acalcareousconcretion. The providence of this specimen is unclear, though it likely comes from either the Jardim or Santana do Cariri localities. AMNH 24440 consists of a partial skull, a partialmandible (lower jaw), and ananterior (front)cervical (neck)vertebra.[4] In 2011, another, SMNK PAL 1137, was described, also found in a concretion. This specimen consists of a fairly complete premaxillo-maxilla, a unit consisting of the fusedpremaxillae andmaxillae, and much of thebraincase. The locality from which it originates is uncertain, though given that the concretion was originally blue, it likely comes from the Sierra de Maosina locality, part of theRomualdo Formation of theSantana Group.[2]
The type species and only one currently recognized as valid by most researchers, isT. wellnhoferi. Thespecific name honorsGerman paleontologistPeter Wellnhofer. Two larger species, originally namedTapejara imperator andTapejara navigans, were later also placed in the genusTapejara upon discovery. However, several studies have shown thatT. imperator andT. navigans are significantly different fromT. wellnhoferi and therefore were reclassified into new genera. The speciesT. imperator was given its own genus,Tupandactylus, byAlexander Kellner and Diogenes de Almeida Campos.[5] Unwin and Martill found thatT. imperator andT. navigans belong in the same genus, and named themIngridia imperator andI. navigans, respectively. This genus name honored Wellnhofer's late wife Ingrid.[6]
BecauseTupandactylus was named first, it retained priority over the nameIngridia. To complicate matters, both the nameTupandactylus andIngridia used the formerTapejara imperator as theirtype species.[7] The scientists who describedTupandactylus did not name aTupandactylus navigans (but instead suggested it was synonymous toTupandactylus imperator), andTapejara navigans was not formally reclassified as a distinct species ofTupandactylus until 2011.[8]
The cladogram below follows aphylogenetic analysis by Kellner, the describer ofTapejara, and colleagues in 2019. They recoveredTapejara within theTapejarini (a tribe within the family Tapejaridae), sister taxon to three other genera:Europejara,Caiuajara, andTupandactylus.[9]
Comparisons between thescleral rings ofTapejara and modern birds and reptiles suggest that it may have beencathemeral, active throughout the day at short intervals.[10]
