Muzquizopteryx: Research Database
Pterodactyloidea (Pterosauria) · Late Cretaceous (~86 MYA) · North America — Mexico (Coahuila, Indetrans Formation)
Research Note: Muzquizopteryx was a pterodactyloid pterosaur from the Late Cretaceous of Coahuila, Mexico — the first pterosaur described from the Indetrans Formation and an important taxon for understanding pterosaur diversity in Mexico.
| Research Finding | Status | Grade | Year | Method | Citation | Impact |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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Labita & Martill 2020: Muzquizopteryx and new data on pterosaur diversity from the Cretaceous of Mexico
Labita & Martill 2020 provide comprehensive data on Muzquizopteryx from the Late Cretaceous of Coahuila, establishing it as a pterodactyloid and documenting pterosaur diversity in the Cretaceous of Mexico
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Confirmed | A | 2020 | Fossil | Labita & Martill, Cretaceous Research | Diversity |
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Martill 2010: Muzquizopteryx and additional data on pterosaur paleobiology
Martill 2010 provides additional data on Muzquizopteryx and pterosaur paleobiology, further contextualising its significance within Pterodactyloidea
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Confirmed | B | 2010 | Fossil | Martill, Cretaceous Research | Paleobiology |
Active Debate: Pterosaur Diversity in Mexico
Whether Muzquizopteryx represents a unique lineage of pterodactyloids in Mexico is debated. The diversity of pterosaurs in the Cretaceous of North America — and their biogeographic relationships — is key to understanding Late Cretaceous pterosaur ecosystems.
What We Still Do Not Know About Muzquizopteryx
- Complete skeletal morphology: Partial specimen known.
- Diet: Likely carnivore/fish-eater.
- Social behavior: No direct evidence.
- Relationships: Partially understood.
In Depth
Muzquizopteryx is placed in the same pterosaur family as Nyctosaurus although it lacks the formers highly elaborate head crest. With a two meter wingspan, Muzquizopteryx is small for a nyctosaurid.
Further Reading
– A brick in a wall: the first nyctosaurid pterosaur from the Conacian of NE Mexico and its impact on the pterosaurian wing anatomy. – E. Frey, M. C. Buchy, W. Stinnesbeck, A. H. Gonz�lez-Gonz�lez & A. Di Stefano – 2004. – Muzquizopteryx coahuilensis n. g., n. sp., a nyctosaurid pterosaur with soft tissue preservation from the Coniacian (Late Cretaceous) of northeast Mexico (Coahuila). – Oryctos 6:19-39. – E. Frey, M.-C. Buchy, W. Stinnesbeck, A. Gonz�lez Gonz�lez & A. Stefano – 2006. – A new specimen of nyctosaurid pterosaur, cf. Muzquizopteryx sp. from the Late Cretaceous of northeast Mexico. – Revista Mexicana de Ciencias Geol�gicas 29(1): 131–139. – Eberhard Frey, Ross A. Elgin, Wolfgang Stinnesbeck, Jos� Manuel Padilla-Guti�rrez, Christina Ifrim, Samuel Giersch & Arturo H. Gonz�lez-Gonz�lez – 2012.
