Paleontologists Uncover New Miyashita Species in Brazil

The newly identified species, scientifically named Garga Draco Zephilius, marks a significant similarity between species from the Hayeg Basin in Romania and the well-known Brazilian Azdaltid pterosaur.



Reconstruction of the life of Garga Draco Zephilius in the late Maastrichtian environment, highlighting the nostalgia of the Serada Gargaziosite. Image credit: Matheus Gadelha.

Garga Draco Zephilius thrived in what is now Brazil approximately 70-67 million years ago, during the late Cretaceous period.

These flying reptiles belong to the Azdaltid family, renowned for hosting some of the largest flying creatures known to date.

“The Azdalcidae family represents the most diverse and widespread clade of pterosaurs during the Turonian Maastrichtian interval (94-67 million years ago),” they noted.

“This context underscores the anticipation surrounding the discovery of Azdaltid in the fossil-rich Baul group of Brazil.”

“Prior to our research, it was widely believed that no pterosaurs existed within the Baul group, despite its extensive tetrapod fauna richness and diversity.”

“Moreover, the discovery of Garga Draco Zephilius bridges a significant temporal gap in the regional pterosaur records, tracing its lineage back to the Lower Cretaceous Kaia group.”

Paleontologists found fragmentary jaws of Garga Draco Zephilius within the Serada Garga layer.

“The specimen originated from the Serada Gargaziosite in Serada Garga (Garga Hill), located 25 km north of Uberaba County,” they reported.

“This site is home to regions typical of the sauropod Titanosaur uberabatitan ribeiroi and is also recognized as the BR-050 site.”

Garga Draco Zephilius was a medium to large pterosaur with a wingspan ranging from 4-5 m (13-16 feet).

This species signifies the first Brazilian azdaltide and shows notable similarities to Albadraco Tharmisensis from Romania.

“Despite being fragmentary, the specimen exhibits distinct morphological characteristics that set it apart from other azdaltids,” the researchers concluded.

“It showcases a unique set of traits that allow it to be categorized as a relative of the European azhdarchids, particularly Albadraco Tharmisensis, which include features like the V-shaped cross-section, low/rounded tomial edges, symmetrically paired rows of occlusal holes, and a high-hole index.”

“The phylogenetic analysis provides support for the relationship between this new form and its sister taxon, Albadraco Tharmisensis.

“Ultimately, the discovery of these rare small specimens with potential hatching remains holds significant importance.”

The findings are detailed in a study published this month in Paleontology Papers.

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Ariovaldo A. Giaretta et al. 2025. The first pterosaur from the Baul group: Azdalcid from the upper Cretaceous period of Brazil. Paleontology Papers 11(5): E70039; doi: 10.1002/spp2.70039

Source: www.sci.news

New Miyashita species found in Thailand by Paleontologists

Amazing new genera and species of Gnathosaurine Pterosaur Garudapterus buffetauti It has been identified from the upper jaw of fossils found in eastern Thailand.



Garudapterus buffetauti. Image credits: Dinothaithai / Manitkoon et al. doi: 10.1016/j.cretres.2025.106135.

“Pterosaulia is the order of extinct flying reptiles that once lived among dinosaurs during the Mesozoic era, with fossil records from the late Triassic to the end of the Cretaceous period.”

“Traditionally, Pterosaurs had two major groups.”

“The first branches generally have a long tail and a long fifth toe (traditionally known as the vacuum subsystem Rhamphorhynchoidea, now abolished).”

“The second one is Pterodactyloidea a large group with a high tail shrinking, relatively long metacarpal, short or non-existent fifth toe. ”

Garudapterus buffetauti It belongs to Gnathosaurinae a subfamily of pterodas within the Pterodactyloidea group.

The new species lived in what is now Thailand 130 million years ago, 130 million years ago, during the early Cretaceous period.

Fossilized sites of flying reptiles were found in the Pra Prong area in the southern region of the Phanom Dong Lac Mountains in Sa Keo province, Thailand.

Holotype of Garudapterus buffetauti – The first pterocortic skull material in Thailand – consists of a partial stud and five incomplete teeth from one individual.

“The anterior of the platoon is flattened dorsoventral and laterally expanded (spoon-shaped) shows an affinity for Gunasosaurnae,” the paleontologist said.

“The alveolar boundaries are severely scalloped and are like a collar, and the surface of the palate shows a pair of sine wave grooves.”

“These features have strong similarities to Gunasosaurin from the late Jurassic period. Gnathosaurus suburatus, Tacuadactylus luciae and Lucegnatos Almadrava. ”

Team phylogenetic analysis shows this Garudapterus buffetauti It is closely related to these Gnathosaurines.

“Even so, Thai gunasosaurin is unique and recognized as a new species for displaying the kite-shaped podium expansion,” the researchers said.

“This new specimen provides important information about Pterosaurs, including updated data to help us better understand diversity and distribution across Southeast Asia.”

Team’s paper It was published in the journal this month Cretaceous Research.

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Shitamanitokoon et al. The first ganaurin (Pterosauria, Pterodactyloidea) in the early Cretaceous period in eastern Thailand. Cretaceous Research Published online on March 28th, 2025. doi:10.1016/j.cretres.2025.106135

Source: www.sci.news

New species of Miyashita found in China: Darwinopterus camposi

A new species of the turmeric gopterid pterosaur Darwinopterus It is identified from the almost complete skeleton found in West Riaon, China.



Impressions of the artist Darwinopterus camposi. Image credits: Maurilio Oliveira / Institute of Vertebrate Apleontology and Apeoanthrogology, Chinese Academy of Sciences.

The newly discovered species lived in what is now China in the mid-Jurassic period, about 160 million years ago.

This flying reptile is a member of the genus Darwinopterus internal Turmericthe important Pterosaur group of Yanliao Biota.

It has been named Darwinopterus camposithe species estimated wingspan was 75 cm (30 inches).

“China has been a hot spot for Pterosaur’s research for quite some time, presenting new discoveries that have encouraged the study of these extinct flight reptiles,” said Dr. Xin Cheng, a paleontologist at Jilling University and Dr. Xin Cheng, a paleontologist at the Nanjing Institute at Geology and Palaeontology.

“New areas have been reported, and many species have been discovered in the West over the past decade, some showing close connections with faunas from other continents.”

“One of the most interesting findings is a specimen called the Biota of Yangliao. Although it was distributed in about the same region as Jehoru’s biota, it is considered to be the middle to late Jurassic of age.”

“Perhaps the most prominent pterosaur in Yangliao’s biota is the Turmeric Gopteridae, which shows a combination of features of non-ocular oxygen and ocular pterosaurs.”

“So far, three genera and five species have been listed. wukongopterus lii, Darwinopterus modularis, Darwinopterus linglongtaensis, Darwinopterus robustodensand Kunpengopterus sinensisan unknown turmeric gopteride specimen. ”

“All these specimens were collected from the center of the Jurassic Tierjisian Formation in Lingonta, Zianchang Province, from the top to the top.”

“Potential members of this clade have been discovered in Europe, except for materials from China.”



Holotype of Darwinopterus camposi. Image credits: Chen et al. , doi: 10.1590/0001-3765202520240707.

Holotype specimen of Darwinopterus camposi It was found in a grey grey shale slab from the same tierage.

“The specimen consists of almost complete skeletons with a skull and mandible, including several displaced cervical vertebrae, posterior vertebrae, sacral vertebrae, anterior tail, anterior caudal, partial thoracic girdle and all the forelimbs from both sides, paleontologists said.

According to the author, Darwinopterus camposi Provides new information about the Wukongopteridae group.

” Among the main features that differ from other turmeric gopterides are the summit of the mushisari, which exhibits a completely distinct straight dorsal edge and a smooth outer surface, teeth counts, and short fourth wing phalanx compared to the first,” they said.

“Holotype skull Darwinopterus camposi Some cranial elements show that they are fused only at very late stages during ontogeny. ”

“To better understand the ontogeny of the species that make up this interesting pterosaur clade, we need to take a closer look at the fusion of more specimens and bones.”

a paper About discoveries of Darwinopterus camposi Published in the journal Anais da Academia Brasileira de Ciências.

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X.Chen et al. 2025. New species of Darwinopterus (Wukongopteridae, Pterosauria) New information from the West from the West provides some new information regarding the ontogeny of this clade. Acad Bras Cienc 97:e20240707; doi:10.1590/0001-3765202520240707

Source: www.sci.news

Fossils of Miyashita from 147 million years ago found in the UK

Paleontologists discovered and described the new ctenochasmatid pterosaurian mandible from the late Jurassic Portland limestone formations in southern England.

Reconstruction of the life of ctenochasmatid pterosaur Gladocephaloideus jingangshanensis. Image credit: Zhao Chuang.

“In the Upper Jurassic Formation of England, poverty is rare and consists primarily of isolated bones and bone fragments,” said Roy Smith and David Martill, paleontologists at Portsmouth.

“Many records of the late Jurassic Palace in England are merely historical interests, and now contain species named. Nomina Dubeer. ”

“Nevertheless, some materials are diagnostic and some species stand the test of time.”

“Most of the Upper Jurassic palaces in England come from the Kimmeridge Clay Formation in southern England, with events from the Oxford portion of Oxford clay formation in southern and eastern England, and one event from the Kinmeridge Clay Formation in Scotland.”

“In spite of this lack of material, there was a near-complete skull with some of the associated materials. Cuspicephalus scarfi In areas of the Kimmeridgian stage type. ”

The new Pterosaurus specimen is the mandible with at least two, perhaps three teeth.

The fossils date back to the Titonian period, in the late Jurassic period, about 147 million years ago.

It represents the youngest geologically in the UK Jurassic palace.

“The specimen is an isolated mandible that lacks most of the post-Simfisil section of the lam,” the paleontologist said.

“Because of the mandible, which is very thin and compact and elongated, it has been identified as Pterosaurus.”

New specimens found in Portland Limestone Formations in Dorset, southern England.

This represents the first pterocortic material documented, described and proposed from this layer.

“The specimens are likely first discovered when the stones were divided using a standard “feather and wedge” procedure,” the researchers said.

“This caused damage to the central part of the specimen, but the jaw split along its length also damaged the specimen. It appears that the counterpart has not been recovered.”

The lack of diagnostic function prevents introduction to known or new species of fossils, but it can be confidently assigned to the Pterosaur clade Ctenochasmatoidea.

“The ctenochasmatoids are a diverse group of pterosaurs with prominent, most genus, as they are prominent in long, sometimes dorsal curved jaws and elongated, thin teeth,” the scientist said.

“It’s true, one form, South America Pterodaustrois in the longest teeth in terms of the diameter length ratio of the tetrapod. ”

“Basal anthelminthus bacterium” Pterodactylus antiquus and ctenochasmatoid Ardeadactylus longicolumBoth have short conical teeth with wider alveolar spacing than the Titonian period. ”

“The elongated, thin mandible bone and numerous closely spaced alveoli suggest that it is a member of Ctenochasmatidae.”

“The faint central ridge of the occlusal surface between the two grooves converges to the anterior groove, and the lack of a distinct anterior chamber suggests that the specimen is part of the mandibular intermembranes.”

“This is the first documented record of the wing glands from the Portland group in England.”

Survey results It was released this month Proceedings of the Geologists Association.

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Roy E. Smith and David M. Martill. ctenochasmatid pterosaur from the Portland Limestone Formation (Late Jurassic, Titonian) in southern England. Proceedings of the Geologists Associationpublished online 20255l doi: 10.1016/j.pgeola.2025.101100

Source: www.sci.news

Montana excavation reveals new species of Azdaltid Miyashita

New genus and species of azhdarchid pterosaur named Infernodrakon Hastacollis It was discovered by a team of paleontologists from Idaho State University, Queen Mary University in London and the University of Wisconsin.



Speculative repair of Infernodrakon Hastacollis. Image credit: Jun-Hyeok Jang/CC By-SA 4.0.

The newly described palace now resided in North America during the late Cretaceous Epoch period, about 67 million years ago.

It has been named Infernodrakon Hastacollisspecies had wingspans of 3-4 m (10-13 feet).

It was a species of Azdaltid, a pterosaur family known primarily from the late Cretaceous period.

Azhdarchids is one of the most successful pterosaur groups and contains several species with wing bones between 9-12 m (29.5-39.4 feet).

Their huge size was guided as to whether they were not flying, but a species called the Azdaltid species Quetzalcoatlus Northropi It is often considered one of the biggest flying animals in history.

“A significant number of Azhdarchid Pterosaurus fossils have been recovered from the Maastrichtian sediments in North America,” says Idaho State University paleontologist. Henry Thomas And his colleagues wrote in their papers.

“Historically, most of these specimens have been mentioned. Quetzalcoatlus Based on a preliminary understanding of the genus. ”

“More research Quetzalcoatlus Other azdaltides also increase understanding of clade anatomy and diversity, and ensure a reevaluation of specimens that previously mentioned this genus. ”

Single neck vertebrae Infernodrakon Hastacollis It was discovered in 2002 Hell Creek Formation In Montana, USA.

The specimen was originally assigned Quetzalcoatlus Genus.

Using laser scanning techniques, Thomas and his co-authors reconstructed the specimen morphology, revealing both unique and unique character combinations.

“We therefore assign this specimen to a new genus and species of medium-sized azdaltide. Infernodrakon HastacollisThey said.

“The phylogenetic analysis will be restored Infernodrakon Hastacollis It's more closely related Aramburg guinea twist Quetzalcoatlus. ”

Team's paper It was published in Journal of VertebratePaleontology.

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Henry N. Thomas et al. Infernodrakon Hastacollis Gen. et sp. November, a new Azdaltid pterosaur from the Hell Creek Formation in Montana, and plant diversity in the Mastrichtian in North America. Journal of VertebratePaleontologyreleased online on February 28th. 2025; doi:10.1080/02724634.2024.2442476

Source: www.sci.news