In Depth
It was once thought that Herbstosaurus represented one of the first pterosaurs of the more advanced Pterodactyloidea, however it is now realised that it recovered from a Vaca Muerta Formation which dated as being from the Tithonian. Herbstosaurus has continued to cause some disagreement between palaeontologists as to its exact position within the pterosauria.
Herbstosaurus was described as a small theropod dinosaur until 1978 when the palaeontologist John Ostrom first put forward the idea that it was actually a pterosaur.
Further Reading
– Herbstosaurus pigmaeus (Coeluria, Compsognathidae) n. gen. n. sp. del Jur�sic medio del Neuqu�n (Patagonia septentrional). Uno de los m�s peque�os dinosaurios conocidos [Herbstosaurus pigmaeus (Coeluria, Compsognathidae) n. gen. n. sp. from the Middle Jurassic of Neuqu�n (northern Patagonia). One of the smallest known dinosaurs]. – Actas del Primer Congreso Argentino de Paleontologia y Bioestratigrafia, Tucum�n 2:87-103. – R. M. Casamiquela – 1975.
