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Geological Society, London, Special Publications; 2003; v. 217; p. 217-232;
DOI: 10.1144/GSL.SP.2003.217.01.13
© 2003 Geological Society of London

The detailed anatomy of Rhamphorhynchus: axial pneumaticity and its implications

Niels Bonde1 & Per Christiansen2

1 Geological Institute, Øster Voldgade 10, 1350 Copenhagen K, Denmark nielsb{at}geo.geol.ku.dk
2 Department of Vertebrates, Zoological Museum, Universitetsparken 15, 2100 Copenhagen R, Denmark p2christiansen{at}zmuc.ku.dk

An acid- and transfer-prepared, juvenile Rhamphorhynchus muensteri, despite some fragmentation, is in an excellent state of three-dimensional preservation, exposing exquisite anatomical details hitherto unknown in other pterosaurs. Here we describe the axial pneumatizations of the cervical and anterior dorsal vertebrae and the sternum. The interior of the cervical centra is subdivided into a pair of large camerae, presumably by air sacs entering by large pleurocoels in the sides of the centra. This so-called ‘camerate’ type of pneumatization is hitherto unknown in pterosaurs. Another excavation enters from the ventral side into the base of the neural arch and stretches between the pre- and postzygapophyses. This type of cavity also penetrates from the ventral side into the base of the first few transverse processes of the dorsal vertebrae, although these lack central pleurocoels. The cristospine also has a complex pneumatic foramen.

Skeletal pneumaticity is most probably a result of a highly derived pulmonary system, as in extant birds. Morphologically similar pneumatic features are present in most saurischian dinosaurs and it is possible that they are the result of convergence. Because basal members of the various groups, including Triassic pterosaurs, appear to lack skeletal pneumaticity, convergence seems likely, although the stem-ornithodiran parsimoniously possessed a more bird-like than ‘reptile’-like pulmonary system, albeit non-invasive. This points to possible tachymetabolism in these forms, which is in accord with the distribution of other factors such as integumentary structures and bone histology. It is concluded that evolution of this suite of advanced features, surprisingly, was among the earliest events in the ornithodiran lineage soon after it split off from its crocodilian sister-group.