ABSTRACT The sense of touch is important for hunting and feeding in vertebrates, especially when visual cues are unreliable. Foramina in the jaws and face, associated with nerves and sensory organs, may provide information about feeding. Pterosaurs, many of which had large, well-developed eyes, are often assumed to have been visual feeders. Here, we show that the lonchodectid pterosaur Lonchodraco giganteus ( Bowerbank, 1846 ) has clusters of circular foramina at the anterior mandibular symphysis (the odontoid) and on the lateral margins of the rostrum that indicate enhanced sensitivity of the rostrum tip. This pattern implies tactile feeding. The foramina were likely occupied by Herbst corpuscles or similar integumentary sensory micro-organs (ISO). They presumably served a sensory function at the jaw tip to enhance food gathering. A similar morphology occurs in some avians that feed using tactile cues, including probe feeders such as kiwis, sandpipers, and ibises, tactile hunters such as spoonbills, and filter feeders such as ducks and flamingos. The beak morphology of L. giganteus does not closely resemble that of these birds, and thus its modus operandi for feeding remains speculative, however tactile feeding for fish or invertebrates in shallow water seems likely. Like birds, pterosaurs evolved a diverse range of feeding strategies.

中文翻译：

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翼龙触觉觅食的证据：来自英格兰南部上白垩纪的巨型 Lonchodraco giganteus（Pterosauria，Lonchodecidae）喙的敏感尖端

摘要 触觉对于脊椎动物的狩猎和觅食很重要，尤其是当视觉线索不可靠时。颌骨和面部的孔与神经和感觉器官相关，可以提供有关进食的信息。翼龙，其中许多有大而发达的眼睛，通常被认为是视觉饲养者。在这里，我们展示了 lonchodectid 翼龙 Lonchodraco giganteus（鲍尔班克，1846 年）在下颌前联合（齿状突）和讲台的侧缘具有圆形孔群，表明讲台尖端的敏感性增强。这种模式意味着触觉进食。孔可能被赫伯斯特小体或类似的外皮感觉微器官 (ISO) 占据。据推测，它们在下巴尖端具有感官功能，以增强食物的收集。类似的形态出现在一些使用触觉提示进食的鸟类中，包括猕猴桃、鹬和朱鹭等探针饲养者，琵鹭等触觉猎手，以及鸭子和火烈鸟等滤食性动物。L. giganteus 的喙形态与这些鸟类的喙形态不太相似，因此其觅食方式仍然是推测性的，但在浅水中对鱼类或无脊椎动物进行触觉觅食似乎是可能的。像鸟类一样，翼龙进化出多种多样的觅食策略。因此它的觅食方式仍然是推测性的，但在浅水中对鱼类或无脊椎动物进行触觉觅食似乎是可能的。像鸟类一样，翼龙进化出多种多样的觅食策略。因此它的觅食方式仍然是推测性的，但在浅水中对鱼类或无脊椎动物进行触觉觅食似乎是可能的。像鸟类一样，翼龙进化出多种多样的觅食策略。