Javelinadactylus enters the LPT with Shenzhoupterus

Andres and Langston 2021 published
the slender, elongate cervical series for the large Late Cretaceous pterosaur, Javelinadactylus (Campos 2021, TMM 42489-2, Fig. 1). The cervicals were preserved on top of the half-skull, so the two elements were intimately associated. Campos did not mention the cervicals and attributed the half-skull to a late-surving member of the Tapejaridae within the Azhdarchoidea (= azhdarchids + taperjarids, an invalid clade when more taxa are added) .

The trouble is
no tapejarids have such long and slender cervicals. Azhdarchids have similarly long, but morphologically distinct cervicals. So do other clades (Fig.1). Moreover, no azhdarchid skulls are shaped like the TMM 42489-2 specimen. So it seems we have to look elsewhere for taxa that more closely match the skull and the cervicals of Javelinadactylus.

When Javelinadactylus was added to
the large pterosaur tree (= LPT, 262 taxa) Late Cretaceous Javelinadactylus nested with the much smaller Early Cretaceous Shenzhoupterus (Fig. 1) and the mid-size, very incomplete Late Cretaceous Mistralazhdarcho (Fig. 1). All are larger descendants of tiny (7cm tall) Early Cretaceous Nemicolopterus (Fig. 1) in the LPT. Remember, at the base of every pterosaur clade is a phylogenetically miniaturized ancestor.

The fragility of the cranial and orbital area
of Shenzoupterus (Fig. 1) may be one reason why that area is missing from Javelinadactylus.

Javelinadactylus sagebieli
(Campos HBN 2021; TMM 42489-2, Late Maastrichtian, Late Cretaceous, 60m lower than “Pterosaur Ridge” in Big Bend National Park) was originally considered a short-rostrum azhdarchid, then a tapejarid with uniquely elongated cervicals. Here Javelinadactylus nests with Shenzhoupterus in the LPT. Javelinadactylus was much larger than earlier related taxa (Fig. 1).

Andres and Langston 2021 named this specimen Wellnhopterus,
but published months later than Campos 2021.

Campos 2021 did not mention cervical vertebrae,
so when this data appeared in Andres and Langston 2021 it led to yesterday’s entry of Javelinadactylus into the LPT. Occasional incomplete taxa like this don’t cause loss of resolution when they are associated with more complete taxa and are dissimilar enough to others.

This appears to be a novel hypothesis of interrelationships.
If not, please send a citation so I can promote it here.

References
Andres B and Langston W Jr 2021. Morphology and taxonomy of Quetzalcoatlus Lawson 1975 (Pterodactyloidea: Azhdarchoidea). Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology Memoir 19 41(2):46–202.
Campos HBN 2021. A new azhdarchoid pterosaur from the Late Cretaceous Javelina Formationof Texas. Biologia doi:10.1007/s11756-021-00841-7
Lü J, Unwin DM, Xu L and Zhang X 2008. A new azhdarchoid pterosaur from the Lower Cretaceous of China and its implications for pterosaur phylogeny and evolution. Naturwissenschaften 95 (9): online (preprint). doi:10.1007/s00114-008-0397-5. PMID 18509616.
Vullo R, Garcia G, Godefroit P, Cincotta A, and Valentin X 2018. Mistralazhdarcho maggii, gen. et sp. nov., a new azhdarchid pterosaur from the Upper Cretaceous of southeastern France. Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology. DOI: 10.1080/02724634.2018.1502670.

wiki/Shenzhoupterus
wiki/Mistralazhdarcho
wiki/Javelinadactylus