Эртний нисдэг мөлхөгчдийн хувьслыг холбох гүүр болсон “Laueropterus vitriolus” хэмээх шинэ зүйлийн үлдэгдлийг судлаачид тогтоов.
Германы өмнөд хэсэгт орших Мөрнсхаймын тогтоцоос олдсон птерозаврын бараг бүтэн скелетийг эрдэмтэд шинэ төрөл, зүйл болохыг тогтоолоо. “Laueropterus vitriolus” хэмээн нэрлэсэн энэхүү амьтан нь 150-143 сая жилийн өмнө амьдарч байсан бөгөөд птерозаврын анхдагч хэлбэрүүд болон хожуу үеийн птеродактилоидуудын хоорондох хувьслын холбоосыг тайлбарлахад чухал ач холбогдолтой юм. 2007 онд Шаудиберг уурхайгаас олдсон уг чулуужсан олдвор нь гавлын яс, эрүү, нуруу болон далавчны хэсгүүдийг маш сайн хадгалж үлдсэнээрээ онцлогтой.
Лондонгийн Квин Мэри их сургуулийн доктор Дэвид Хоун тэргүүтэй багийн судалгаагаар, энэхүү птерозавр нь нэг метр орчим далавчтай, монофенестратан бүлгийн хамгийн том төлөөлөгчдийн нэг болох нь тогтоогджээ. Уг амьтан нь хамрын нүх болон нүдний ухархайн нүх нэгдсэн зэрэг монофенестратан бүлэгт хамаарах шинж тэмдгүүдтэй зэрэгцэн, эртний хэлбэрүүдийнх шиг богино далавчны ястай байсан нь түүнийг шилжилтийн үеийн онцгой сорьц болгож байна.
“PeerJ” сэтгүүлд нийтлэгдсэн уг судалгаа нь Мөрнсхаймын бүс нутаг птерозаврын хувьслыг судлахад хэр чухал ач холбогдолтойг харууллаа. Уг олдвор нь тус бүс нутгаас олдсон дөрөв дэх монофенестратан бөгөөд өмнө нь олдсон цөөн тооны олдворуудтай харьцуулахад судалгааны үнэ цэнэ өндөр юм. Эрдэмтдийн үзэж буйгаар, уг олдворын маш сайн хадгалагдсан анатомийн бүтэц нь птерозаврын хувьслын нууцыг тайлахад ховор боломжийг олгож байна.
Дэлгэрэнгүйг эх сурвалжаас харах
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A nearly complete pterosaur fossil uncovered in southern Germany has been identified as a new genus and species from the Late Jurassic. Named Laueropterus vitriolus, the animal belonged to an early group of flying reptiles that helps bridge the evolutionary gap between primitive pterosaurs and their later descendants.
Published in PeerJ, the study describes a specimen that preserves an uncommon mix of primitive and more advanced features. Pterosaurs first appeared around 210 million years ago, becoming the first vertebrates capable of powered flight. Over millions of years, they evolved into a wide variety of forms, from small flyers about the size of a sparrow to giants with wingspans comparable to small aircraft. Among them were the monofenestratans, a group recognized only in 2010 as an important step between early pterosaurs and the better-known pterodactyloids.
The newly described species comes from the Mörnsheim Formation in Bavaria, where several significant pterosaur fossils have already been recovered. The research, led by Dr. David Hone of Queen Mary University of London, places the new fossil among the largest early monofenestratans identified to date, with an estimated wingspan of about one meter.
An Exceptionally Complete Fossil From Bavaria
The skeleton of Laueropterus vitriolus was discovered around 2007 in the Schaudiberg quarry. Dating to between 150 and 143 million years ago, the specimen preserves much of the skull, jaws, vertebral column and wings.
The fossil lies on a limestone slab measuring roughly 60 by 45 centimeters. The paper describes the rock as mostly gray, crossed by thick white bands that intersect in several places. The skeleton itself is largely undistorted, making even the smallest details easier to examine.
Dr. David Hone notes that delicate elements, including the sternal plates, clearly preserve the outlines of structures beneath them. That level of preservation provides researchers with a rare opportunity to study anatomical features that are often damaged or missing in fossil specimens.
A Species Between Eras
Laueropterus vitriolus displays characteristics associated with both primitive and more derived pterosaurs. Its large skull includes a single opening formed by the fusion of the nostril and the antorbital fenestra, a defining feature of monofenestratan pterosaurs.
At the same time, the species retained relatively short wing bones, a trait more commonly seen in earlier forms. This combination of characteristics places it within an evolutionary stage that has attracted growing attention over the past decade. Dr. Hone explains that early monofenestratans were first recognized in 2010, adding that:
“Various analyses have recovered these taxa as both a clade and grade between the non-monofenetratans and the pterodactyloids,” he said. “Some of the most derived of these taxa have been named as pterodactyliforms and represent clade of derived monofenestratans and the pterodactyloids.”
A Fossil Hotspot Unlike Any Other
The latest research also shines a spotlight on the Mühlheim locality. Laueropterus vitriolus is the fourth known non-pterodactyloid monofenestratan found there, joining Skiphosoura, Makrodactylus, and Rhamphodactylus.
Elsewhere in the region, the only other representative of this evolutionary grade is Propterodactylus, recovered from the older Painten locality. Dr. Hone points out that:
“Hundreds of pterosaur fossils have been recovered from the traditional Solnhofen beds to yield onlyPropterodactylus, but with four specimens of non-pterodactyloid monofenestratan in Mühlheim of perhaps less than a dozen pterosaurs that have been recovered this is very notable presence.”
According to the researcher, this remarkable concentration makes the Mörnsheim Formation an increasingly important place for piecing together this chapter of pterosaur evolution.
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