Pterosaurs / Microtuban
Microtuban

Microtuban

Art: Fabrizio De Rossi

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Microtuban

/my-kroh-TOO-ban/

Lebanon's most complete pterosaur specimen is characterized by unusual proportions in the wing finger.

Pterosaur data

Age
Maastrichtian
72.1–66 Ma
Wingspan
1.5 m
/ 12 m
Fossil record
fragmentary
Known from isolated fragments
Diet
carnivore

Mesozoic era · 252–66 Ma

Maastrichtian
Triassic
Jurassic
Cretaceous
252 Ma 201 145 66 Ma

About this pterosaur

In 2011 paleontologists Ross Elgin and Eberhard Frey named Lebanon's second known pterosaur, Microtuban altivolans. Microtuban was found near Hjoûla in in the Sannine Formation, in rocks deposited at the beginning of the Late Cretaceous, approximately 100 million years ago. 

Microtuban is known from a single partial specimen, made up of some neck vertebrae, portions of the shoulders, a portion of the right wing, the complete left wing, and fragments of the hindlimb. The proportions of the bones in the wing finger are unique in Microtuban, and differentiate it from all other pterosaurs. Specifically, the last phalanx is extremely short, making up only about 1% of the total length of the finger. The last phalanx is strongly curved, with its tip pointing toward the rear edge of the wing. This would have given the end of the wing a curved edge, rather than a point. The specimen is quite small; in life the animal had a wing span under 1.5 meters (5 feet). Elgin and Frey noted that this specimen was not fully grown based on its bone texture and unfused sutures. 

The authors compared Microtuban to other pterosaurs to determine its closest relatives. The long narrow hand present in Microtuban indicates that it is a member of the short-tailed pterosaur group, the pterodactyloids. Additional features indicate that it is a member of the Azhdarchoidea, a group of mostly toothless terrestrial carnivores or omnivores. The Azhdarchoidea include the tapajarids, Thalassodromids, Chaoyangopterids, and Azhdarchids. Elgin and Frey could eliminate Microtuban from the azhdarchids and tapejarids, but not from the chaoyangopterids or thalassodromines. Both families have long skulls with straight toothless jaws, and oftentimes bore tall narrow crests that stretched above and behind the eye. It is likely that Microtuban was similar.

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Credits

Fabrizio De Rossi
Fabrizio De Rossi

Fabrizio is a freelance creature-, concept- and paleo-artist based in and Vienna, Austria. He has always been fascinated by creatures of all kinds and has been drawing what came to his mind from a young age. In recent years he has taken up paleoart again and has been working on dinosaur reconstructions for the University of Vienna (Struthiosaurus austriacus for the 650th anniversary), for personal projects and for the indie game project ‘The Isle’. Fabrizio’s past occupations include an education in Graphic Design (with jobs at several agencies), animal handling (as well as conceptualizing, building and maintaining of nature-inspired enclosures for reptiles, amphibians and fish) and studying at the University of Vienna. His field is paleobiology, currently studying for a bachelor’s degree about Struthiosaurus austriacus.

Illustrator
Vasi Devi
Vasi Devi
Author
Nick Garland
Nick Garland
Exhibit designer
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