A new genus and species of early monophenestratan pterosaur has been identified by paleontologists, based on a nearly complete and exceptionally preserved fossil skeleton found in Bavaria, Germany.
Holotype specimen of Laueropterus vitriolus viewed under natural light. Image credit: DWE Hone, doi: 10.7717/peerj.21204.
Pterosaurs were the first vertebrates to achieve powered flight, appearing roughly 210 million years ago and evolving from small birds to colossal creatures with wingspans comparable to small airplanes.
The newly described species, named Laueropterus vitriolus, belongs to a group of early pterosaurs known as monophenestratans. With a wingspan measuring approximately 1 meter (3.3 feet), it ranks among the largest members of this migratory group ever found.
“Early monofenestratans represent a relatively recent discovery in pterosaur evolution, first identified in 2010,” stated study author Dr. David Horne, a zoology reader at Queen Mary University of London.
“Through various analyses, these taxa were classified as both a clade and grade existing between non-monophenestratans and pterodactyls.”
“Some of the most advanced taxa have been designated as pterodactyls, representing derived monofenestratan and pterodactyl clades.”
The fossilized skeleton of Laueropterus vitriolus was unearthed in the Schaudyberg quarry around 2007, from the Mornsheim Formation.
This fossil dates back 150 to 143 million years (late Jurassic period), and includes the skull, jaw, spinal column, and most of the wings.
“The specimen is preserved on a sizable limestone slab measuring approximately 60 cm x 45 cm (2 feet x 1.5 feet),” Dr. Horne explained.
“The slab is predominantly gray, featuring thick white bars arranged at right angles that intersect at various points.”
“Pterosaur fossils are often exceptionally well-preserved and undistorted, allowing for clear outlines of thin elements such as the sternal plate.”
Laueropterus vitriolus exhibits a combination of both primitive and advanced features, including a large skull with a single opening that integrates the nostril and antorbital fenestra, characteristic of monophenestratan pterosaurs, alongside relatively short wing bones typical of earlier forms.
“Laueropterus vitriolus marks the fourth non-pterodactyl monophenestratan pterosaur discovered in Mülheim, alongside Skifosora, macrodactylus, and Rhamphodactylus,” Dr. Horne noted.
“This discovery represents the only other record of this grade in the region, with Proterodactylus found in much older deposits, highlighting that non-pterodactyl monophenestratans are significantly more common here.”
“Hundreds of pterosaur fossils have been excavated from the renowned Solnhofen Formation, yet fewer than a dozen non-pterodactyl monophenestratans have been documented in Mülheim, making this find exceptionally notable.”
The research findings were published online on May 11th in PeerJ.
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DWE Horne. 2026. A new, early monophenestratan pterosaur discovered from the Mornsheim Formation in southern Germany. PeerJ 14: e21204; doi: 10.7717/peerj.21204
Source: www.sci.news
