Taxonomic review of the Ornithocheirus complex (Pterosauria) from the Cretaceous of England

Book excerpt: Toothed pterosaurs are known from England since the 19th Century, through the works of James Scott Bowerbank (1797?1877) and Richard Owen (1804?1892). Harry Govier Seeley (1839-1909) soon realized that the English pterosaurs were distinct and referred several species in the genus Ornithocheirus. The fragmentary nature of the material, competing taxonomic proposals, synonymisations, and misunderstandings, lead to a very controversial taxonomic scenario. This monograph reviews thirty species that, at some point, were referred to Ornithocheirus. From these, fourteen are considered valid and belonging to five genera, three of them new. These genera are exclusive to the Cretaceous of England. Sixteen species are deemed undiagnosable. Descriptions and illustrations of all these species are provided. For the first time, a large number of species of the Ornithocheirus complex was included in a phylogenetic analysis and it is shown that most of them comprise a newly diagnosed clade, Anhangueria, with Brazilian and Chinese taxa.