Pteranodon in Upper Cretaceous of Eastern Europe + carcharodontosaurid-like tooth from Upper Cretaceous of Ganzhou Basin, China + dinosaur track sites in South Korea + more
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Ben Creisler
Oct 8, 2026, 1:51:43 AM (3 days ago) Oct 8
to DinosaurMa...@googlegroups.com
Ben Creisler
Some recent or not yet mentioned papers:
Numerous isolated postcranial remains from the lower Campanian part of the Rybushka Formation in the Volga region of Russia (the Beloe Ozero and Shyrokii Karamysh localities) have been attributed to Pteranodon sp. This is based on the recognition of a new autapomorphy in the postcranial skeleton: a hypertrophied adductor ridge on the posterior side of the femur. In all other known pterodactyloids, this ridge is represented by a thin line. However, the cervical vertebrae from the upper Campanian part of the Rybushka Formation (Malaya Serdoba locality) differ from those of North American and Eastern European Pteranodon, and are instead attributed to Pteranodon orientalis (Bogolyubov, 1914). The vertebrate assemblages of the Rybushka Formation in Russia and the Coniacian-Campanian Niobrara Formation in the USA are similar in that they both contain the protostegid turtle Protostega gigas, the mosasaurs Clidastes propython and Latoplatecarpus, the pterosaur Pteranodon and the aquatic bird Hesperornis. This North American-like vertebrate assemblage is not found in the Late Cretaceous of Western Europe. The distribution range of Pteranodon during the Campanian period included the western margin of the Appalachian continent, the Volga region, and Japan. Pteranodon inhabited near-shore, shallow-water palaeoenvironments that were rich in fish. In contrast, Campanian azhdarchids were most prevalent in fluvial environments. However, they are also rarely found in marine localities alongside Pteranodon.
Juan YU, Cui-min ZENG, Ying ZHANG, Han YAO, Xiang YAN, Jia-xin MA & Feng-lu HAN (2026)
A new discovery of a carcharodontosaurid-like tooth from the Upper Cretaceous of the Ganzhou Basin, Jiangxi Province and its significance
Acta Palaeontologica Sinica 65(3): 1-12 (in Chinese)
doi: https://doi.org/10.3724/aps.2026007
https://www.sciengine.com/ActaPalaSin/doi/10.3724/aps.2026007
Free pdf:
https://files.sciengine.com/pdfs/0001-6616/8804523954724AD4A31FD978126B41A0-1789904298528.pdf
The Cretaceous red beds of the Ganzhou Basin have yielded abundant fossils of dinosaur skeletons and eggs. However, theropod fossils from this basin have so far been limited to oviraptorosaurs and tyrannosaurids, with no other theropod groups previously reported. Here, we describe a complete theropod tooth from the Upper Cretaceous strata of the Ganzhou Basin, Jiangxi Province. The tooth is labiolingually compressed and has a crown height of approximately 6 cm. Denticles are present on both the mesial and distal carinae. The crown base is broad mesiodistally and narrow labiolingually (CBR = 0.47), and transverse enamel undulations occur on the crown surface. Based on these features, the tooth is tentatively referred to Carcharodontosauridae, an assignment further supported by discriminant analysis of Cretaceous theropod teeth. This finding expands the geographic distribution of carcharodontosaurids in Asia and increases the known diversity of theropods in the Ganzhou Basin. The tooth was recovered in association with Gandititan cavocaudatus, indicating that they coexisted in this region. Dinosaur assemblages in the Ganzhou Basin differ between the Early and Late Cretaceous: the Early Cretaceous fauna is dominated by carcharodontosaurids and titanosaurs, whereas the Late Cretaceous fauna is primarily composed of oviraptorosaurs, hadrosaurids, and tyrannosaurids. These compositional changes provide important evidence for understanding the paleoecology and ecosystem evolution in South China during the Late Cretaceous.
====
Hong-Jin Lee, Seung-Gyun Baek, JongGyu Han, Hyun-Joo Kim & oung-Yun Lee (2026)
Drone-Derived Orthomosaic and Hillshade Dataset of Cretaceous Dinosaur Track Sites in South Korea
GEO DATA 8(3): 273-286 (in Korean with English abstract and captions)
DOI: https://doi.org/10.22761/GD.2026.0033
https://www.gaidas-geodata.org/journal/view.php?number=296
Free pdf:
https://www.gaidas-geodata.org/upload/pdf/GD-2026-0033.pdf
The Cretaceous Gyeongsang and Neungju basins of southeastern Korea preserve numerous dinosaur track sites, many of them designated cultural heritage, whose exposed track-bearing surfaces are subject to weathering. This dataset provides drone-derived orthomosaic and hillshade imagery for 30 dinosaur track sites (35 mapped areas) in the Gyeongsang and Neungju Basins, supporting the digital recording of these surfaces. The dataset comprises 41 orthomosaics and 41 hillshade images, amounting to 82 georeferenced GeoTIFF files, covering track-bearing strata of the Gyeongsang Supergroup, most commonly the Jindong and Haman formations. Imagery was acquired with several DJI multirotor unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) platforms, using nadir photographs collected along automated flight lines at altitudes of 3-10 m. Orthomosaics and digital elevation models (DEMs) were generated per site through a structure-from-motion and multi-view stereo (SfMMVS) workflow in Agisoft Metashape, and hillshade images were derived from the DEMs in QGIS (azimuth, 315°; altitude, 45°; z-factor, 1). All products were projected to EPSG:32652 (WGS 84/UTM zone 52N), with ground sampling distances of 1-4 mm per pixel. Georeferencing relied on onboard Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) only; no ground control points or real-time kinematic (RTK)/post-processing kinematic (PPK) corrections were applied, so absolute positional accuracy was not validated, although the relative geometry within each site is internally consistent. The hillshade images served as the reference for footprint reading and labelling in a companion artificial-intelligence image dataset. Potential reuses include footprint reading and trackway measurement, the digital documentation and monitoring of fossil track sites, and educational and geotourism materials.
====
Víctor G. Peco & Sergio M. Nebreda (2026)
Scientific sculpture of the Mesozoic bird Concornis lacustris: Paleoart as an outreach resource
Earth History and Biodiversity 100047
doi: 10.1016/j.hisbio.2026.100047
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2950475926000110
Highlights
The dinosaur-to-bird transition has been a main topic in paleoart.
We present the physical sculpture of the enantiornithine bird Concornis lacustris.
A protocol combining digital methods and physical techniques is proposed.
Paleoart sculpture is shown as highly useful for scientific knowledge dissemination.
Abstract
The collective imaginary and realistic representations of the first birds have undergone significant changes over the last 150 years in response to advances in scientific knowledge on this dinosaur lineage. In this context, paleoart–an artistic-scientific discipline grounded in the fossil record–reflects the evolution of this discipline through the materialization of different scientific hypotheses. In addition, the incorporation of new methodologies for studying the avian fossil record has also led to a more realistic reconstruction of its image. Here, we present the first life-size, physical reconstruction of the Early Cretaceous enantiornithine bird Concornis lacustris, from the exceptional fossil site of Las Hoyas (Cuenca, Spain). Scientifically grounded on an updated analysis of exceptionally preserved Mesozoic avian fossils, and integrated with data derived from crown birds, we propose a protocol based on a combination of digital methodologies with traditional techniques, which enables an accurate, detailed, and reproducible paleoartistic reconstruction of the most probable life appearance of the first representatives of the avian lineage. Finally, we discuss the use of these reconstructions in a scientific research context, as well as their role as tools for disseminating and communicating scientific knowledge through museography and exhibition in different academic contexts.
====
XLI Jornadas de la Sociedad Española de Paleontología Abstracts Book
Libro de Resúmenes de las XLI Jornadas SEP. Palaeontological Publications 10
https://sepaleontologia.es/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/Palaeontological-Publications-_10_Jornadas-Puertollano.pdf
====
Congrès de l’Association paléontologique française (APF) 2026
Livre des résumés (Abstracts Book)
https://www.assopaleo.fr/medias/files/livret-des-resumes-apf2026-vf.pdf
====
Alexander O. Averianov & Maxim S. Arkhangelsky (2026)
The North American pterosaur Pteranodon in the Upper Cretaceous of Eastern Europe
Cretaceous Research: 106501
doi: 10.1016/j.cretres.2026.106501
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0195667126001904
The North American pterosaur Pteranodon in the Upper Cretaceous of Eastern Europe
Cretaceous Research: 106501
doi: 10.1016/j.cretres.2026.106501
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0195667126001904
Numerous isolated postcranial remains from the lower Campanian part of the Rybushka Formation in the Volga region of Russia (the Beloe Ozero and Shyrokii Karamysh localities) have been attributed to Pteranodon sp. This is based on the recognition of a new autapomorphy in the postcranial skeleton: a hypertrophied adductor ridge on the posterior side of the femur. In all other known pterodactyloids, this ridge is represented by a thin line. However, the cervical vertebrae from the upper Campanian part of the Rybushka Formation (Malaya Serdoba locality) differ from those of North American and Eastern European Pteranodon, and are instead attributed to Pteranodon orientalis (Bogolyubov, 1914). The vertebrate assemblages of the Rybushka Formation in Russia and the Coniacian-Campanian Niobrara Formation in the USA are similar in that they both contain the protostegid turtle Protostega gigas, the mosasaurs Clidastes propython and Latoplatecarpus, the pterosaur Pteranodon and the aquatic bird Hesperornis. This North American-like vertebrate assemblage is not found in the Late Cretaceous of Western Europe. The distribution range of Pteranodon during the Campanian period included the western margin of the Appalachian continent, the Volga region, and Japan. Pteranodon inhabited near-shore, shallow-water palaeoenvironments that were rich in fish. In contrast, Campanian azhdarchids were most prevalent in fluvial environments. However, they are also rarely found in marine localities alongside Pteranodon.
====
Free pdf:
Juan YU, Cui-min ZENG, Ying ZHANG, Han YAO, Xiang YAN, Jia-xin MA & Feng-lu HAN (2026)
A new discovery of a carcharodontosaurid-like tooth from the Upper Cretaceous of the Ganzhou Basin, Jiangxi Province and its significance
Acta Palaeontologica Sinica 65(3): 1-12 (in Chinese)
doi: https://doi.org/10.3724/aps.2026007
https://www.sciengine.com/ActaPalaSin/doi/10.3724/aps.2026007
Free pdf:
https://files.sciengine.com/pdfs/0001-6616/8804523954724AD4A31FD978126B41A0-1789904298528.pdf
The Cretaceous red beds of the Ganzhou Basin have yielded abundant fossils of dinosaur skeletons and eggs. However, theropod fossils from this basin have so far been limited to oviraptorosaurs and tyrannosaurids, with no other theropod groups previously reported. Here, we describe a complete theropod tooth from the Upper Cretaceous strata of the Ganzhou Basin, Jiangxi Province. The tooth is labiolingually compressed and has a crown height of approximately 6 cm. Denticles are present on both the mesial and distal carinae. The crown base is broad mesiodistally and narrow labiolingually (CBR = 0.47), and transverse enamel undulations occur on the crown surface. Based on these features, the tooth is tentatively referred to Carcharodontosauridae, an assignment further supported by discriminant analysis of Cretaceous theropod teeth. This finding expands the geographic distribution of carcharodontosaurids in Asia and increases the known diversity of theropods in the Ganzhou Basin. The tooth was recovered in association with Gandititan cavocaudatus, indicating that they coexisted in this region. Dinosaur assemblages in the Ganzhou Basin differ between the Early and Late Cretaceous: the Early Cretaceous fauna is dominated by carcharodontosaurids and titanosaurs, whereas the Late Cretaceous fauna is primarily composed of oviraptorosaurs, hadrosaurids, and tyrannosaurids. These compositional changes provide important evidence for understanding the paleoecology and ecosystem evolution in South China during the Late Cretaceous.
====
Free pdf:
Hong-Jin Lee, Seung-Gyun Baek, JongGyu Han, Hyun-Joo Kim & oung-Yun Lee (2026)
Drone-Derived Orthomosaic and Hillshade Dataset of Cretaceous Dinosaur Track Sites in South Korea
GEO DATA 8(3): 273-286 (in Korean with English abstract and captions)
DOI: https://doi.org/10.22761/GD.2026.0033
https://www.gaidas-geodata.org/journal/view.php?number=296
Free pdf:
https://www.gaidas-geodata.org/upload/pdf/GD-2026-0033.pdf
The Cretaceous Gyeongsang and Neungju basins of southeastern Korea preserve numerous dinosaur track sites, many of them designated cultural heritage, whose exposed track-bearing surfaces are subject to weathering. This dataset provides drone-derived orthomosaic and hillshade imagery for 30 dinosaur track sites (35 mapped areas) in the Gyeongsang and Neungju Basins, supporting the digital recording of these surfaces. The dataset comprises 41 orthomosaics and 41 hillshade images, amounting to 82 georeferenced GeoTIFF files, covering track-bearing strata of the Gyeongsang Supergroup, most commonly the Jindong and Haman formations. Imagery was acquired with several DJI multirotor unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) platforms, using nadir photographs collected along automated flight lines at altitudes of 3-10 m. Orthomosaics and digital elevation models (DEMs) were generated per site through a structure-from-motion and multi-view stereo (SfMMVS) workflow in Agisoft Metashape, and hillshade images were derived from the DEMs in QGIS (azimuth, 315°; altitude, 45°; z-factor, 1). All products were projected to EPSG:32652 (WGS 84/UTM zone 52N), with ground sampling distances of 1-4 mm per pixel. Georeferencing relied on onboard Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) only; no ground control points or real-time kinematic (RTK)/post-processing kinematic (PPK) corrections were applied, so absolute positional accuracy was not validated, although the relative geometry within each site is internally consistent. The hillshade images served as the reference for footprint reading and labelling in a companion artificial-intelligence image dataset. Potential reuses include footprint reading and trackway measurement, the digital documentation and monitoring of fossil track sites, and educational and geotourism materials.
====
Free pdf:
Víctor G. Peco & Sergio M. Nebreda (2026)
Scientific sculpture of the Mesozoic bird Concornis lacustris: Paleoart as an outreach resource
Earth History and Biodiversity 100047
doi: 10.1016/j.hisbio.2026.100047
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2950475926000110
Highlights
The dinosaur-to-bird transition has been a main topic in paleoart.
We present the physical sculpture of the enantiornithine bird Concornis lacustris.
A protocol combining digital methods and physical techniques is proposed.
Paleoart sculpture is shown as highly useful for scientific knowledge dissemination.
Abstract
The collective imaginary and realistic representations of the first birds have undergone significant changes over the last 150 years in response to advances in scientific knowledge on this dinosaur lineage. In this context, paleoart–an artistic-scientific discipline grounded in the fossil record–reflects the evolution of this discipline through the materialization of different scientific hypotheses. In addition, the incorporation of new methodologies for studying the avian fossil record has also led to a more realistic reconstruction of its image. Here, we present the first life-size, physical reconstruction of the Early Cretaceous enantiornithine bird Concornis lacustris, from the exceptional fossil site of Las Hoyas (Cuenca, Spain). Scientifically grounded on an updated analysis of exceptionally preserved Mesozoic avian fossils, and integrated with data derived from crown birds, we propose a protocol based on a combination of digital methodologies with traditional techniques, which enables an accurate, detailed, and reproducible paleoartistic reconstruction of the most probable life appearance of the first representatives of the avian lineage. Finally, we discuss the use of these reconstructions in a scientific research context, as well as their role as tools for disseminating and communicating scientific knowledge through museography and exhibition in different academic contexts.
====
====
Abstracts books not yet mentioned:
Free pdf:
XLI Jornadas de la Sociedad Española de Paleontología Abstracts Book
Libro de Resúmenes de las XLI Jornadas SEP. Palaeontological Publications 10
https://sepaleontologia.es/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/Palaeontological-Publications-_10_Jornadas-Puertollano.pdf
====
Free pdf:
Congrès de l’Association paléontologique française (APF) 2026
Livre des résumés (Abstracts Book)
https://www.assopaleo.fr/medias/files/livret-des-resumes-apf2026-vf.pdf
====
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