Paleontologists in the United Kingdom have discovered a new species of pterosaur on Scotand’s Isle of Skye. This reptile lived roughly 168 to 166 million years ago during the Middle Jurassic Era, when scientists previously thought that pterosaurs were only in present-day China. So the remains of a flying reptile showing up even in dinosaur-rich Scotland was quite a surprise. The new pterosaur is described in a study published February 5 in the Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology.
[Related: Dinosaur Cove reveals a petite pterosaur species.]
Meet Ceoptera
The new species is named Ceoptera evansae. It comes from the Scottish Gaelic word for mist or “cheò” and references the Gaelic name for the island “Eilean a’ Cheò,” or Isle of Mist. Evansae honors scientist Susan E. Evans, for her years of paleontological and morphological research, particularly on the Isle of Skye.
Scientists at the University of Bristol in England made digital models of the fossils using a CT scanner and believe that it likely had a wingspan of about three to five feet. It was likely a pterosaur species between the primitive and advanced stages of evolution. Pterosaurs in the Middle Jurassic were going through some major anatomical changes. Early smaller pterosaurs like the raven-sized Dimorphodon were giving way to later pterosaurs like Pteranodon, with the wingspans of small airplanes.
Ceoptera is likely part of the Darwinoptera clade of pterosaurs. Its discovery reveals that this clade–or a group of organisms that evolved from a common ancestor–is significantly more diverse than previously believed. The clade may have lasted more than 25 million years and species within the clade spread all over the world.
“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,” study…
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