| Skiphosoura | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Reptilia |
| Order: | †Pterosauria |
| Clade: | †Pterodactyliformes |
| Genus: | †Skiphosoura Hone et al.,2024 |
| Species: | †S. bavarica |
| Binomial name | |
| †Skiphosoura bavarica Hone et al., 2024 | |
Skiphosoura (meaning "sword tail") is anextinct genus ofpterodactyliform pterosaurs from theLate JurassicMörnsheim Formation of Germany. The genus contains asingle species,S. bavarica, known from a nearly complete skeleton including a partial skull.Skiphosoura exhibits a transitional body morphology between more basal pterosaurs and later pterodactyloids.[1]
TheSkiphosouraholotype specimen, LF 4157, was discovered in 2015 in sediments of theMörnsheim Formation (Schaudiberg Quarry, Dritter Kieselflinz Layer) nearSolnhofen inBavaria, Germany. After itspreparation, the specimen was acquired in 2020 by theIllinois (USA)-based Lauer Foundation for Paleontology, where it is permanently reposited. The specimen is disarticulated but nearly complete, missing somemetapodials, vertebrae, and part of the skull. Many of the bones are preserved three-dimensionally.[1]
In 2024, Hone et al.describedSkiphosoura bavarica as a new genus and species of pterodactyliform pterosaurs based on these fossil remains. Thegeneric name,Skiphosoura, combines theanglicizedAncient Greek wordsskyphos, meaning "sword" andoura, meaning "tail", referencing the short, taperedcaudal vertebrae of the taxon. Thespecific name,bavarica, references the discovery of the holotype in the German state of Bavaria.[1] As such, the intended meaning of the fullbinomial is "sword tail from Bavaria."[2]
Skiphosoura is notably larger than closely related pterosaurs. The holotype specimen has a wingspan of 1.75 metres (5.7 ft) but may not have been fully grown.[1]
In theirphylogenetic analyses, Hone et al. (2024) recoveredSkiphosoura as a non-pterodactyloid member of thePterodactyliformes. Based on these results and many morphological features, they suggest that this taxon fills an important evolutionary gap betweenbasal pterosaurs such asrhamphorhynchines and the later 'derived' pterodactyloids. These results are displayed in thecladogram below:[1]
| Pterodactyliformes |
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