Pterosaurs in the genus Alcione originated in the Maastrichtian stage of the Late Cretaceous era and are found in Morocco's Ouled Abdoun Basin. There is just one known species, A. elainus. Along with numerous other pterosaurs, such as Barbaridactylus and Simurghia, this one also lived in a maritime habitat.
Discovery and Naming
About 200 pterosaur specimens were discovered during a three-year excavation that produced all known examples of Alcione. The FSAC-OB 2 type specimen is a partial skeleton that has the femur, humerus, scapulocoracoid, and sternum preserved. FSAC-OB 217, including metacarpal IV, FSAC-OB 156, a mandible, and the more comprehensive FSAC-OB 4 are among the specimens that have been referred. The humerus, radius, ulna, scapulocoracoids, phalanx IV-1, incomplete metacarpal IV, and synsacra are all present in this specimen. Greek mythology's Alcyone, who changed into a seabird, is the inspiration behind Alcione's name. A. elainus is the specific name, derived from the Greek elaino, meaning "to stray or wander."
Description
With a wingspan of 1.8–2.4 m (5.9–7.9 ft), Alcione was a relatively small pterosaur. In comparison to other comparable pterosaurs, its limb proportions were very short. Its anatomy was somewhat normal for the kind of animal it was. From a dorsal perspective, its jaw was Y-shaped, thin, and toothless. Rather, it had jagged edges. The original specimen's conjoined scapulocoracoid shows that it was mature. Boomerang-shaped bones like this one are common in nyctosaurids and, to a lesser extent, in pteranodontids.
Classification
The phylogenetic study findings are displayed in the cladogram below, which was updated with new data by Longrich and colleagues in 2018 after it was initially reported by Andres and colleagues in 2014. Alcione was discovered in the Nyctosauridae family.
| Ornithocheiroidea |
|
Fernandes et al. (2022) identified Alcione as the sister taxon to Epapatelo and Simurghia based on their phylogenetic analysis. These taxa make up the new clade Aponyctosauria, together with the Nyctosauridae.
| Pteranodontia |
|
Paleobiology
Alcione's shorter wings than those of other nyctosaurids indicate that it was more suited for rapid flapping when in flight. Another theory is that since contemporary piscivorous birds have reduced wings, this adaption let them travel more easily underwater.
Paleoecology
In the Ouled Abdoun Basin of Northern Morocco, in upper Maastrichtian phosphates, Alcione was found. There isn't a formation that includes this geological formation. Couche III is where Alcione is found. It is separated into couches. This stratum predates the end of the Cretaceous extinction by around one million years, to the latest Maastrichtian. The most varied marine habitat that has been discovered to far is Couche III. Along with turtles, plesiosaurs, and mosasaurs, a wide range of marine life is believed to have originated in the area, including sharks and bony fish. There are a few known rare, incomplete dinosaur fossils, such as those of an abelisaur and a sauropod. Phosphatodraco mauritanicus, an azhdarchid, was the only representative of the other pterosaurs in the formation at first. But more recent research has identified at least five more pterosaur species from this area in addition to Alcione, including Barbaridactylus, Simurghia, and Tethydraco.
Reconstruction of Alcione.
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