A new pterosaur species has been found on the Isle of Skye in Scotland. The announcement comes from scientists from the Natural History Museum, University of Bristol, University of Leicester, and University of Liverpool, UK.
The new species is part of the Darwinoptera clade of pterosaurs. This new discovery shows that this clade was much more diverse than originally thought and lived for more than 25 million years, covering the late Early Jurassic to the Late Jurassic. Researchers believe that during this period, the clade managed to spread worldwide.
After this discovery, researchers now have to rewrite the evolution of pterosaurs. Fossils from the Middle Jurassic are rare and often incomplete, making it challenging for researchers to understand their evolution. The new pterosaur shows that the main pterosaur clade evolved before the end of the Early Jurassic period, which is earlier than previously realised. The new fossil also shows that pterosaurs lasted into the Late Jurassic period, at the same time as the avialans (which eventually evolved into modern birds).
The remains now found include a partial skeleton of a single animal, with many of these embedded in rock, which can only be studied with CT scans. The team decided to name the new species Ceoptera evansae: Ceoptera comes from the Scottish Gaelic word Cheò, meaning mist (this is a reference to the common name for the Isle of Skye Eilean a’ Cheò, or Isle of Mist), and the Latin -ptera, meaning wing. Evansae is in honour of Professor Susan Evans as thanks for her years of anatomical and palaeontological research, in particular on the Isle of Skye.
“Ceoptera helps to narrow down 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 are from China. It shows that the advanced group of flying reptiles to which it belongs appeared earlier than we thought and quickly gained an almost worldwide distribution,” said Professor Paul Barrett, Merit Researcher at the Natural History Museum.
“The time period that Ceoptera is from is one of the most important periods of pterosaur evolution and is also one in which we have some of the fewest specimens, indicating its significance. To find that there were more bones embedded within the rock, some of which were integral in identifying what kind of pterosaur Ceoptera is, made this an even better find than initially thought. It brings us one step closer to understanding where and when the more advanced pterosaurs evolved, added Dr Liz Martin-Silverstone, a palaeobiologist from the University of Bristol.
Elizabeth Martin-Silverstone, David M. Unwin, Andrew R. Cuff, Emily E. Brown, Lu Allington-Jones & Paul M.Barrett (2024) A new pterosaur from the Middle Jurassic of Skye, Scotland and the early diversification of flying reptiles, Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology, DOI: 10.1080/02724634.2023.2298741