New species of Jurassic pterosaur discovered on the Isle of Skye

A new species of pterosaur from specimens found on the Isle of Skye, Scotland, has been announced by scientists from the Natural History Museum, the University of Bristol, the University of Leicester and the University from Liverpool.

The new pterosaur is part of the pterosaur clade Darwinoptera. Its discovery shows that the clade was considerably more diverse than previously thought and persisted for more than 25 million years, from the late Lower Jurassic to the Upper Jurassic. During this period, species in the clade spread throughout the world.

This discovery underlies a new, more complex model for the early evolution of pterosaurs. The study “A new pterosaur from the Middle Jurassic of Skye, Scotland and the early diversification of flying reptiles” is published in the Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology.

The rarity of Middle Jurassic pterosaur fossils and their incompleteness have already hampered attempts to understand the early evolution of pterosaurs. This discovery shows that all major Jurassic pterosaur clades evolved well before the end of the Lower Jurassic, earlier than previously thought. The discovery also shows that pterosaurs persisted into the Late Jurassic, alongside avialans, dinosaurs that eventually evolved into modern birds.

The remains consist of a partial skeleton of a single individual, including parts of the shoulders, wings, legs and spine. Many bones remain completely embedded in the rock and can only be studied by CT scan.

Professor Paul Barrett, researcher at the Natural History Museum and lead author of the paper, said: “Ceoptera are helping to refine the timing of several major events in the evolution of flying reptiles. Its appearance in the Middle Jurassic of the UK was a complete surprise, as most of its close relatives originated in China. This shows that the advanced group of flying reptiles to which it belongs appeared earlier than us the pensions and quickly acquired almost worldwide distribution.”

Professor Barrett and colleagues described the new species, naming it Ceoptera evansae: Ceoptera from the Scottish Gaelic word Cheò, meaning mist (a reference to the common Gaelic name for the Isle of Skye Eilean a’ Cheò, or Isle of Mist) , and the Latin -ptera, meaning wing. Evansae pays tribute to Professor Susan E. Evans, for her years of anatomical and paleontological research, notably on the Isle of Skye.

Lead author Dr Liz Martin-Silverstone, a palaeobiologist from the University of Bristol, said: “The period from which Ceoptera comes is one of the most important periods in pterosaur evolution, and it is also the one in which we have the fewest species. specimens, indicating its importance. Discovering that there were more bones embedded in the rock, some of which were integral to identifying the Ceoptera type of pterosaur, made this discovery even better than initially thought. This brings us closer to understanding. where and when the most advanced pterosaurs evolved.”