| Gnathosaurus | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Fossil skull referred toG. subulatus | |
Scientific classification | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Order: | †Pterosauria |
| Suborder: | †Pterodactyloidea |
| Family: | †Ctenochasmatidae |
| Subfamily: | †Gnathosaurinae |
| Genus: | †Gnathosaurus Meyer, 1833 |
| Type species | |
| †Gnathosaurus subulatus Meyer, 1833 | |
| Other species | |
| Synonyms | |
Synonyms ofG. macrurus:
Synonyms ofG. subulatus:[1]
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Gnathosaurus (meaning "jawed lizard") is a genus ofctenochasmatidpterosaur containing two species:G. subulatus, named in 1833 from theSolnhofen Limestone ofGermany, andG. macrurus, known from thePurbeck Limestone of theUK. Its fossil remains dated back to theLate Jurassic period.
Fragments ofGnathosaurus jaws were first discovered in 1832 in the Solnhofenlimestones of southernGermany but were mistaken for a piece ofteleosauridcrocodile jaw byGeorg zu Münster, who first named the speciesCrocodilus multidens in that year. Soon afterwards,Hermann von Meyer classified the same specimen as the new genus and speciesGnathosaurus subulatus, a name which came to be universally used shortly thereafter. In the 1860s, scientists such asAlbert Oppel compared theG. subulatus jaw fragment to contemporary pterosaurs such asPterodactylus andCtenochasma, and concluded that it was also probably a "flying reptile" rather than a crocodilian.[2] A more complete skull of an adult pterosaur was found in 1951 and classified asGnathosaurus subulatus. This slender, 28 centimeters (11 in) long skull had up to 130 needle-like teeth arranged around the side of a spoon-shaped tip. The specimen had an estimated wingspan of about 1.7 meters (5.6 ft). It probably lead a lifestyle akin to that of modernspoonbills, wading with its jaws open and closing them upon touching small prey.[3]
Possible juvenile specimens ofG. subulatus may be known from several complete skeletons that had previously been classified as the separate speciesPterodactylus micronyx.[4] These specimens have also been referred to the genusAurorazhdarcho, which may itself be a synonym ofGnathosaurus.Gnathosaurus subulatus is currently known only from skulls and jaws, and adultAurorazhdarcho micronyx is known only from a skeleton lacking a skull, making direct comparisons difficult.[5] Furthermore, in the onlycladistic analysis to date that tests the relationships of both taxa they are found distinct.[6] However, Bennett (2025) compared fossil material ofGnathosaurus subulatus with skulls of the largest juvenile specimens ofAurorazhdarcho micronyx, and concluded thatAurorazhdarcho micronyx is indeed a junior synonym ofGnathosaurus subulatus.[1]
An additional large specimen, originally namedPterodactylus macrurus, is known from thePurbeck Limestone formation ofEngland. Represented only by a partial lower jaw and neck vertebrae, it has since been considered closer toGnathosaurus, and its binomial changed toG. macrurus.[7]
Below iscladogram following a topology by Andres, Clark and Xu (2014). In the analysis, they recovered both species ofGnathosaurus (G. subulatus andG. macrurus) within the familyCtenochasmatidae, more precisely within the subfamilyGnathosaurinae, as sister taxa.[8]
| Ctenochasmatidae |
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