On Targaryendraco wiedenrothi gen. nov. (Pterodactyloidea, Pteranodontoidea, Lanceodontia) and recognition of a new cosmopolitan lineage of Cretaceous toothed pterodactyloids

Ornithocheirus wiedenrothi, from the Hauterivian (Early Cretaceous of Germany), is a taxon represented by three-dimensional remains of the lower jaw and wing elements. Its phylogenetic affinities have for long been elusive, though several works had already pointed out that it probably did not belong within the wastebasket genus Ornithocheirus. In the present contribution, we redescribe this species, assigning it to the new genus Targaryendraco and offering updated morphological comparisons. Subsequently, we present a phylogenetic analysis in which we recover a clade formed by Targaryendraco, Aussiedraco, Barbosania, Aetodactylus, Camposipterus and Cimoliopterus. This newly recognised clade is interesting in being quite cosmopolitan and spanning from the Hauterivian to the Cenomanian, like its sister-group, the Anhangueria. The recognition of this clade helps fill the temporal gap between the Anhangueria and Cimoliopterus, and also demonstrates that the diversity of Cretaceous toothed pterosaurs was higher than previously thought.采自德国早白垩世豪特里维阶地层的威氏鸟掌翼龙（Ornithocheirus wiedenrothi），是一种以三维保存的下颌骨及翼部骨骼残骸为代表的分类单元。长期以来，该物种的系统发育亲缘关系始终不明朗，尽管已有多项研究指出其大概率并不属于这个被视为“分类垃圾桶”的鸟掌翼龙属（Ornithocheirus）。在本研究中，我们对该物种进行了重新描述，将其归入塔格利安翼龙（Targaryendraco）新属，并提供了更新后的形态学对比数据。随后，我们开展了系统发育分析，从中恢复出一个由塔格利安翼龙（Targaryendraco）、澳野翼龙（Aussiedraco）、巴尔博萨翼龙（Barbosania）、真齿翼龙（Aetodactylus）、坎普斯翼龙（Camposipterus）与垩翼龙（Cimoliopterus）共同构成的演化支。这一新识别出的演化支颇具研究价值：其分布范围极为广布，时代跨度从豪特里维阶直至森诺曼阶，与其姊妹群——安汉吉翼龙类（Anhangueria）一致。该演化支的识别填补了安汉吉翼龙类与垩翼龙之间的时间空白，同时也表明白垩纪齿翼龙类的多样性要高于此前的认知。