Breugnathair

Breugnathair Temporal range: Middle Jurassic (Bathonian), 166  Ma PreꞒ Ꞓ O S D C P T J K Pg N ↓
Holotype skull of Breugnathair
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Reptilia
Superorder:	Lepidosauria
Clade:	Pan-Squamata
Clade:	incertae sedis
Family:	† Parviraptoridae
Genus:	† Breugnathair Benson et al., 2025
Species:	†B. elgolensis
Binomial name
†Breugnathair elgolensis Benson et al., 2025

Breugnathair (meaning "false snake") is an extinct genus of squamate reptiles, known from the Middle Jurassic (Bathonian age) Kilmaluag Formation of Scotland. The genus contains a single species, Breugnathair elgolensis, known from a disarticulated partial skeleton including skull bones. Breugnathair is identified as a member of the enigmatic family Parviraptoridae; members of this clade are characterized by an unusual set conflicting anatomical traits comparable in some ways to snakes and varanids within the Toxicofera, while also bearing several characters unlike all modern squamate groups. ^[1]

Discovery and naming

The Breugnathair holotype specimen, NMS G.2023.7.1, was discovered in 2015 by Stig A. Walsh in outcrops of the Kilmaluag Formation north of the village of Elgol on the Isle of Skye (Strathaird Peninsula), Scotland. The specimen comprises various disarticulated remains of a single individual spread over about 19 centimetres (7.5 in) in a limestone slab. Identified bones include forelimb and hindlimb bones, pectoral and pelvic girdle elements, neck, back, and tail vertebrae, ribs, and cranium and mandible elements. ^[1]

In 2025, Roger B. J. Benson and colleagues described Breugnathair elgolensis as a new genus and species of squamates based on these fossil remains. The generic name, Breugnathair, is adapted from the Scottish Gaelic brjiag Nahɪrj (breug-nathair), meaning "false snake". The specific name, elgolensis, references the discovery of the specimen near Elgol. ^[1]

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  Rendering of the holotype specimen using CT scans
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  Speculative life restoration of Breugnathair

References

1. Benson, Roger B. J.; Walsh, Stig A.; Griffiths, Elizabeth F.; Kulik, Zoe T.; Botha, Jennifer; Fernandez, Vincent; Head, Jason J.; Evans, Susan E. (October 1, 2025). "Mosaic anatomy in an early fossil squamate". Nature. doi: 10.1038/s41586-025-09566-y . ISSN   0028-0836.