#Preondactylus buffarinii

[saritapaleo]

Archovember 2024 Day 4 - Preondactylus buffarinii

Preondactylus buffarinii was a tiny pterosaur native to Late Triassic Italy. The holotype had a wingspan of 45 cm (1.48 ft), though a second referred specimen had an estimated wingspan of 1.5 m (4.9 ft), which would mean the holotype is likely a juvenile. However, it is debated that the second specimen may not be the same species. Preondactylus had single-pointed teeth, and likely preyed on fish, arthropods, or both. It is known for its short, “primitive” wings, though it was still considered a capable flier. Some consider Preondactylus to be the most basal flying pterosaur, and it may be the oldest known.

The first fossil specimen of Preondactylus to be discovered had a bit of a tragic history, being accidentally broken into pieces while being extracted from a thin slab of limestone. After the stone was finally reassembled, it was cleaned off with water… which washed the bone away. All that was left was the imprint left on the stone, which was then made into a cast. A second (possible) specimen was found… in the fossilized gastric pellet of a predatory fish, which must have eaten the pterosaur and then vomited out the indigestable material. The third specimen consists only of a partial skull.

The Forni Dolostone Formation was a lagoon or shallow marine ecosystem. Preondactylus could have lived alongside fellow early pterosaurs Austriadactylus, Seazzadactylus and Eudimorphodon. Other reptiles included the tanystropheid Langobardisaurus and the drepanosaur Megalancosaurus. Fish like Sargodon, Thoracopterus, and Holophagus swam throughout the lagoon. Arthropods that Preondactylus could have preyed on included the spider Friularachne and a variety of crustaceans like the Glyphea Preondactylus is munching on above.

This art may be used for educational purposes, with credit, but please contact me first for permission before using my art. I would like to know where and how it is being used. If you don’t have something to add that was not already addressed in this caption, please do not repost this art. Thank you!

[gillywillys]

Third and fourth day of Archovember! Preondactylus buffarinii

this guy is not allowed in the nest

I actually didnt see that day one was supposed to be 'your choice' so im just counting this one as both days and i wont do one tomorrow

also i know the one on the right doesn't have the right skull shape that was my bad. i just didnt wanna start over. i think this was good practice for wings

Archovember is by @/saritapaleo

[princefluph]

Archovember day 4! Preondactylus buffarinii! A late triassic Pterosaur. I got my drawing challenges mixed up and added eyespots to this creature, but honestly it looks neat to me still. Unfortunately, it had a lot go wrong with the first fossil we found of it. First the slab it was on was broken into pieces, then when they tried to wash it off after putting it back together the fossil itself washed away.

[saritapaleo]

Archovember is here once again! Looooots of theropods this year. Also a lot more dinosaurs in general than other archosaurs. Sorry. There were just too many I wanted to add!

I also apologize that there are several redraws in this list… I included a couple animals I’ve drawn for past Archovembers that I wasn’t quite happy with (7 to be exact, oop). If you’ve been drawing along since the beginning and don’t feel like drawing a repeat, feel free to substitute a related species!

For new folks: this is my “Draw Dinovember” list that I expanded out to include other archosauriforms. I started doing this a few years ago to challenge myself to draw species I’ve never drawn before and/or ones that don’t get a lot of attention. Feel free to join in! You can do the whole list, just the dinosaurs (the names in green), just the pterosaurs (orange), just the pseudosuchians (blue), just the 3 oddballs (red), just your favorites, just ones you’ve never drawn before, pick one blindly, roll a D20 and a D10 and draw the sum of whichever numbers you get, etc. Just make sure they’re posted on or after their specific day! You can use #Archovember or #Archovember2024, as those are the tags I follow. Be as detailed or as sketchy as you’d like! I’ll be leaving the story highlights on my Instagram (also SaritaPaleo) from last year’s Archovember up until November 1st, if you’d like to see what people have done in the past! (This challenge usually gets a lot more traction on Instagram; so I would recommend checking it out there if you have one!)

As a disclaimer that I am obligated to give every year: when you are looking for refs for some of these species you will come across David Peters. This guy posts a lot of pseudoscientific images featuring lesser-known species, and his stuff can sometimes dominate search results. Do not trust anything from sites called “Reptile Evolution” or “The Pterosaur Heresies.” Peters’ constant outpouring of material has a habit of clogging up search results, misleading and tripping up people who may be trying to get into paleoart. He fooled me when I was first starting out! If you’re drawing along and are having trouble finding legit references, send me a message and I can send you what I’m using!

Anyway, here is the list in case the above graphic can’t be read:

1. Your Choice!

2. Other - Protorosaurus speneri

3. Dinosaur - Gorgosaurus libratus

4. Pterosaur - Preondactylus buffarinii

5. Dinosaur - Gargoyleosaurus parkpinorum

6. Pseudosuchian - Razanandrongobe sakalavae

7. Dinosaur - Vespersaurus paranaensis

8. Other - Euparkeria capensis

9. Dinosaur - Spiclypeus shipporum

10. Pterosaur - Arambourgiania philadelphiae

11. Dinosaur - Tsintaosaurus spinorhinus

12. Pseudosuchian - Armadillosuchus arrudai

13. Dinosaur - Shingopana songwensis

14. Pterosaur - Cuspicephalus scarfi

15. Dinosaur - Saturnalia tupiniquim

16. Pterosaur - Caelestiventus hanseni

17. Dinosaur - Koreaceratops hwaseongensis

18. Pseudosuchian - Lotosaurus adentus

19. Dinosaur - Pelagornis sandersi

20. Pterosaur - Anurognathus ammoni

21. Dinosaur - Jakapil kaniukura

22. Pseudosuchian - Purussaurus brasiliensis

23. Dinosaur - Ledumahadi mafube

24. Pseudosuchian - Sillosuchus longicervix

25. Pterosaur - Pteranodon longiceps

26. Dinosaur - Compsognathus longipes

27. Other - Tanystropheus longobardicus

28. Pseudosuchian - Eurycephalosuchus gannanensis

29. Pterosaur - Campylognathoides zitteli

30. Dinosaur - Iguanodon bernissartensis