PDF(Pubmed)
Abstract：
Among the least studied portion of the pterosaur skeleton is the palate, which tends to be poorly preserved and commonly only visible from one side (the ventral portion). Even in well-preserved specimens, the bones tend to be fused, with the limits of individual palatal elements obscured. To shed new light on this region, we employed advanced X-ray imaging techniques on the non-pterodactyloid Kunpengopterus (Wukongopteridae), and the pterodactyloids Dsungaripterus (Dsungaripteridae), Hongshanopterus (Istiodactylidae), and Hamipterus (Hamipteridae). Our analyses revealed the presence of sutures between palatal bones in Dsungaripterus and Kunpengopterus, which resulted in different interpretations of the relation between palatine, ectopterygoid, and pterygoid, leading to a new identification of the palatal openings. Furthermore, our study shows six main observations such as the variation of the angle between the palatine rami and the variation in the relative sizes of the palatal openings. We also point out that the presence of a maxillopalatine fenestra (previously identified as postpalatine fenestra), is unique within Diapsida. Although much more work needs to be done, we showed that advanced X-ray imaging techniques open a window for understanding pterosaur cranial anatomy and provide a new perspective for investigating the evolutionary history of these flying reptiles.
摘要：
翼龙骨骼研究最少的部分是腭，往往保存不良，通常只能从一侧（腹侧）可见。即使在保存完好的标本中，骨头倾向于融合，单个腭元素的限制被掩盖了。为了揭示这个地区，我们采用了先进的X射线成像技术，对非翼龙（Wukongopteridae）和双目蝶科（Dsungaripterus），红翅目（Istiodactylidae），和Hamipterus（Hamipteridae）。我们的分析表明，在Dsungaripterus和Kunpengopterus的腭骨之间存在缝线，这导致了对腭之间关系的不同解释，异位,翼状体,导致对腭开口的新识别。此外，我们的研究显示了6个主要的观察结果，如腭支之间角度的变化和腭开口相对大小的变化。我们还指出，存在上颌骨窗（以前被确定为后腭窗），在Diapsida中是独一无二的。虽然需要做更多的工作，我们发现先进的X射线成像技术为了解翼龙颅骨解剖结构打开了一个窗口,并为研究这些飞行爬行动物的进化史提供了新的视角.
