Unwin, D. M. | bioRxiv Science

bioRxiv2025

Reinterpretation of Bakiribu waridza from the Romualdo Formation (Lower Cretaceous) of Brazil: a fish not a pterosaur

Fragmentary remains of fossil vertebrates from the Romualdo Formation (Lower Cretaceous) of Brazil, preserved in association with two fish were interpreted as two individuals of a new genus and species of ctenochasmatine pterosaur, Bakiribu waridza Pegas et al., 2025. Comparison with a range of fossils from the same geological unit show that the remains represent the gill arch apparatus of a large actinopterygian fish. This reinterpretation, which mirrors a comparable event in the mid twentieth century when the remains of a supposed ctenochasmatine pterosaur, Belonochasma aenigmaticum, were reidentified as part of the gill apparatus of a fish, does not affect our current understanding of the evolutionary history of pterosaurs.

paleontology↗

bioRxiv2022

A new pterosaur from Skye, Scotland and the early diversification of flying reptiles

The Middle Jurassic was a critical time in pterosaur evolution, witnessing the inception of major morphological innovations that underpinned successive radiations by rhamphorhynchids, basal monofenestratans and pterodactyloids. Frustratingly, this interval is particularly sparsely sampled, with a record consisting almost exclusively of isolated fragmentary remains. Here, we describe new material from the Bathonian-aged Kilmaluag Formation of Skye, Scotland, which helps to close this gap. REDACTED (gen. et sp. nov.) is based on a three-dimensionally preserved partial skeleton, which represents the first associated Middle Jurassic pterosaur. REDACTED is one of the first pterosaurs to be fully digitally prepared and CT scanning reveals multiple elements of the skeleton that remain fully embedded within the matrix, which are otherwise inaccessible. Novel anatomical features of this new Middle Jurassic pterosaur help to confirm the existence of the controversial clade Darwinoptera, greatly clarifying our understanding of Jurassic pterosaur evolution.

paleontology↗