title: A small azhdarchoid pterosaur from the latest Cretaceous, the age of flying giants.
abstract: Pterosaur fossils from the Campanian-Maastrichtian of North America have been reported from the continental interior, but few have been described from the west coast. The first pterosaur from the Campanian Northumberland Formation (Nanaimo Group) of Hornby Island, British Columbia, is represented here by a humerus, dorsal vertebrae (including three fused notarial vertebrae), and other fragments. The elements have features typical of Azhdarchoidea, an identification consistent with dominance of this group in the latest Cretaceous. The new material is significant for its size and ontogenetic stage: the humerus and vertebrae indicate a wingspan ofca1.5 m, but histological sections and bone fusions indicate the individual was approaching maturity at time of death. Pterosaurs of this size are exceedingly rare in Upper Cretaceous strata, a phenomenon commonly attributed to smaller pterosaurs becoming extinct in the Late Cretaceous as part of a reduction in pterosaur diversity and disparity. The absence of small juveniles of large species-which must have existed-in the fossil record is evidence of a preservational bias against small pterosaurs in the Late Cretaceous, and caution should be applied to any interpretation of latest Cretaceous pterosaur diversity and success.
authors.affiliation: Ocean and Earth Science, National Oceanography Centre, University of Southampton, European Way, Southampton SO14 3ZH, UK; School of Earth Sciences, University of Bristol, Wills Memorial Building, Bristol BS8 1RJ, UK.
authors.forename: Elizabeth
authors.identifier: 0000-0003-0139-2109
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Martin-Silverstone
authors.affiliation: School of Earth and Environmental Sciences , University of Portsmouth , Burnaby Building, Burnaby Road, Portsmouth PO1 3QL , UK.
authors.forename: Mark P
authors.initials: MP
authors.lastname: Witton
authors.affiliation: Paleontology Research Lab, North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences, Raleigh, NC, USA; Department of Biological Sciences, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, USA.
authors.forename: Victoria M
authors.initials: VM
authors.lastname: Arbour
authors.affiliation: Department of Biological Sciences , University of Alberta , Edmonton, Alberta , Canada.
authors.forename: Philip J
authors.initials: PJ
authors.lastname: Currie
keywords: Azhdarchoidea; British Columbia; Campanian; Late Cretaceous; Northumberland Formation; pterosaur