Some of the oldest web pages about reports of apparent living pterosaurs in Papua New Guinea are on the “laattorneyvideo” site. Although some of the pages may be a bit outdated, in places, they are worth a view:
David Moke, of Opai Village, Umboi Island, was shocked at the bright flash lighting up the reef where he was fishing one night. . . . villagers of Umboi Island have seen the ropen light flying to or from the larger mountains . . . Gideon Koro related how he was terrified at the sight of the giant ropen that flew over Lake Pung . . .
It seems that at least two types of long-tailed modern pterosaurs live in the Southwest Pacific, although there may be sub-species variations. Reports of smaller creatures (under three meters wingspan) in the Manus Island area of Papua New Guinea might be juveniles of the same species as the larger creatures to the south. . . . Described like a Rhamphorhynchoid pterosaur, the ropen lives in some tropical areas of the southwest Pacific. . . . It’s main diet may be fish or other oceanic life that it catches at night with the aid of a bioluminescence that attracts fish. . . .
Possible Ropen Off Indonesian Coast
In June of 2008 . . . flying a small twin-engined plane . . . saw what he at first assumed was another airplane flying in a head-on collision course. . . . avoided a collision by banking away from what he and his co-pilot thought was something like a “pterodactyl.”
Pterodactyls, Dinosaurs, and Dragons
Video of two indava lights . . . 2004 expedition (by Whitcomb and Kenda) . . . Opai Village . . . Bioluminescent organisms . . . Ropen of New Guinea . . .
The mid-2008 near-collision involved two experienced pilots, former marines as I recall, who were in no way desirous to promote the idea of living pterosaurs. They were, however, frank about their first impression of the giant flying thing: “pterodactyl.”