Nannopterygius

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Nannopterygius
Temporal range: Middle Jurassic to Early Cretaceous,
Callovian–Berriasian
Nannopterygius entheciodon.JPG
Holotype of N. enthekiodon (NHMUK PV OR 46497), displayed at the Natural History Museum, London
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Reptilia
Order:† Ichthyosauria
Family:† Ophthalmosauridae
Genus:† Nannopterygius
von Huene, 1922
Type species
†Nannopterygius enthekiodon(Hulke, 1871 [originally Ichthyosaurus )
Other species
  • †N. borealisZverkov & Jacobs, 2020
  • †N. mikhailoviYakupova & Akhmedenov, 2022
  • †N. saveljeviensis(Arkhangelsky, 1997)
  • †N. yakimenkaeYakupova & Akhmedenov, 2022
  • †N. yasykovi(Efimov, 1999)
Synonyms
  • EnthekiodonHulke, 1870
  • Ichthyosaurus enthekiodonHulke, 1871
  • ParaophthalmosaurusArkhangelsky, 1997
  • YasykoviaEfimov, 1999
  • Yasykovia mittai? Efimov, 1999
  • Yasykovia sumini? Efimov, 1999

Nannopterygius (meaning "small wing/flipper" in Greek) is an extinct genus of ophthalmosaurid ichthyosaur that lived during the Middle Jurassic to the Early Cretaceous (Callovian to Berriasian stages). Fossils are known from England, Kazakhstan, Russia, and Norway [1] [2] and six species are currently assigned to the genus. [3]

Contents

Description

Nannopterygius yasykovi alongside two ammonites Yasikovia2.jpg
Nannopterygius yasykovi alongside two ammonites

Nannopterygius was small for an ichthyosaur, measuring up to 3.5 metres (11 ft) long at maximum. [2] About 1 metre (3.3 ft) of this was tail, including a deeply forked and probably homocercal caudal fin. The head is 50 centimetres (20 in; 1.6 ft) long, with a typical long narrow rostrum. The eyes are large, hence its classification as an ophthalmosaurid, and have a bony sclerotic ring inside the eye socket. There are at least 60 disc-shaped vertebrae, although owing to the condition of the fossil it is not possible to tell exactly how many there were, showing that Nannopterygius was flexible, agile and probably a fast swimmer. The ribs are long and curved, but do not quite join up. Most of the features are very similar to the close relative Ophthalmosaurus. However, its paddles are much smaller, around 25–30 centimetres (9.8–11.8 in) for the forepaddles and only 10–15 centimetres (3.9–5.9 in) for the hindpaddles. [4] [ better source needed ] This gave it a very streamlined, torpedo-shaped look, but would have made it quite difficult to generate much lift or to turn quickly, making it an inefficient long-distance swimmer but speedy over short distances. It is therefore possible that it was an ambush predator which plunged into shoals of fish quickly in the shallow seas where it lived.

Discovery and Classification

The first specimen was found in the Kimmeridgian Kimmeridge Clay Formation of Kimmeridge Bay, Dorset, UK and described by Hulke in 1871, who named it Ichthyosaurus enthekiodon. [5] This referred to its teeth being 'sheathed' in cementum and less likely to fall out than those of other ichthyosaurs. [4] A year earlier, Hulke had described some remains from the same horizon and locality that he thought were ichthyosaurian, naming them Enthekiodon (no species given). [6] These are now lost, but Hulke considered them sufficiently similar to demote the name to species level. [5] In 1922, Friedrich von Huene separated this species into the new genus Nannopterygius, named for the small fore- and hindpaddles. [7] The first fossil is the most complete, but is flattened. All subsequent fossils are fragmentary. In 2020, several more species, including N. borealis, and the species once contained in the genera Paraophthalmosaurus and Yasykovia were named based on remains found in Norway and Russia. [2] The existence of two more species from Kazakhstan, N. mikhailovi and N. yakimenkae, was confirmed by Yakupova & Akhmedenov (2022). [3]

The following cladogram shows a possible phylogenetic position of Nannopterygius, which was found to be the sister taxon to Thalassodraco , [8] in Ophthalmosauria according to an analysis performed by Zverkov and Jacobs (2020). [2]

Ophthalmosauria
Ophthalmosaurinae
Platypterygiinae

Paleoecology

Biogeography of ophthalmosaurid ichthyosaurs of the (A) Kimmeridgian-Middle Volgian and (B) Middle-Late Volgian; Nannopterygius is represented by the letter N Ophthalmosaur Paleobiogeography.jpg
Biogeography of ophthalmosaurid ichthyosaurs of the (A) Kimmeridgian-Middle Volgian and (B) Middle-Late Volgian; Nannopterygius is represented by the letter N

The type species is known from the Kimmeridge Clay Formation in Dorset, England. The Kimmeridge Clay hosts a wealth of marine fossils dating to the Kimmeridgian and Tithonian stages of the Late Jurassic, many of which are incredibly well preserved, however unfortunately very little has been published. At the time, Europe represented an island archipelago which was closer to the equator than it is today, surrounded by warm, tropical seas. The Kimmeridge Clay specifically represents an offshore marine environment, in which the seafloor was far enough below the surface not to be disturbed by storms. [9] It was home to a great variety of marine life, including many cephalopods, fishes such as Thrissops and the early ray Kimmerobatis , and remains of occasional dinosaurs like Dacentrurus which had been washed out to sea. It is most famous for diversity of marine reptiles, such as the metriorhynchids Metriorhynchus and Plesiosuchus , the plesiosaurs Colymbosaurus and Kimmerosaurus , and the ichthyosaurs Grendelius and Thalassodraco. The apex predators of the Kimmeridge ecosystem would have been the several species of the pliosaurid Pliosaurus which have been recovered there, as well as large metriorhynchids like Plesiosuchus. Additionally, the pterosaurs Cuspicephalus and Rhamphorhynchus are also known from the Kimmeridge Clay. [10]

The species N. yasykovi and N. saveljeviensis are known from the Volga region of Russia, which gives the Volgian stage its name. [2] Though very little is known or published about the fossils of these localities, fossils of a number of marine animals have been recovered, including several species of the ichthyosaurs Arthropterygius, Grendelius, and Undorosaurus. In addition, fossils of the pliosaurid Pliosaurus rossicus and indeterminate remains belonging to a metriorhynchid, as well as a high diversity of ammonites including the large-bodied taxon Titanites , are also known from the Volgian-aged sediments of this region. [11]

Additionally, the species N. borealis is known from earliest Cretaceous sediments of the Slottsmøya Member of the Agardhfjellet Formation. The Slottsmøya Member consists of a mix of shales and siltstones and was deposited in a shallow water methane seep environment. [12] The seafloor, which was located about 150 metres (490 ft) below the surface, seems to have been relatively dysoxic, or oxygen-poor, although it was periodically oxygenated by clastic sediments. [13] Despite this, near the top of the member, various diverse assemblages of invertebrates associated with cold seeps have been discovered; these include ammonites like Lytoceras and Phylloceras , lingulate brachiopods, bivalves like Myophorella and Laevitrigonia , rhynchonellate brachiopods, tubeworms, belemnoids, tusk shells, sponges like Peronidella , crinoids, sea urchins like Hemicidaris , brittle stars, starfish like Pentasteria , crustaceans like Eryma , and gastropods, numbering 54 taxa in total. [14] Though direct evidence from Slottsmøya is currently lacking, the high latitude of this site and relatively cool global climate of the Tithonian mean that sea ice was likely present at least in the winter. [15] In addition to Nannopterygius, the Slottsmøya Member presents a diverse assemblage of other marine reptiles, including the ichthyosaurs Undorosaurus gorodischensis, several species belonging to the genus Arthropterygius, and a partial skull attributed to Brachypterygius sp. The presence of these taxa indicates that there was significant faunal exchange across the seas of Northern Europe during this time period. [16] [17] [18] [19] Additionally, 21 plesiosaurian specimens are also known from the site, including two belonging to the large pliosaur Pliosaurus funkei, three to Colymbosaurus svalbardensis , one to Djupedalia engeri , one to Ophthalmothule cryostea , and one each to Spitrasaurus wensaasi and S. larseni . Many of these specimens are preserved in three dimensions and partially in articulation; this is correlated with high abundance of organic elements in the sediments they were buried in. [13]

See also

Related Research Articles

<i>Ophthalmosaurus</i> Extinct genus of reptiles

Ophthalmosaurus is a genus of ichthyosaur known from the Middle-Late Jurassic. Possible remains from the earliest Cretaceous, around 145 million years ago, are also known. It was a relatively medium-sized ichthyosaur, measuring 4 m (13 ft) long and weighing 940 kg (2,070 lb). Named for its extremely large eyes, it had a jaw containing many small but robust teeth. Major fossil finds of this genus have been recorded in Europe with a second species possibly being found in North America.

Platypterygius is a historically paraphyletic genus of platypterygiine ichthyosaur from the Cretaceous period. It was historically used as a wastebasket taxon, and most species within Platypterygius likely are undiagnostic at the genus or species level, or represent distinct genera, even being argued as invalid. While fossils referred to Platypterygius have been found throughout different continents, the holotype specimen was found in Germany.

Plutoniosaurus is an extinct genus of ophthalmosaurid ichthyosaur of uncertain validity from the Early Cretaceous of the vicinity of Ulyanovsk, European Russia.

<i>Colymbosaurus</i> Extinct genus of reptiles

Colymbosaurus is a genus of cryptoclidid plesiosaur from the Late Jurassic (Callovian-Tithonian) of the UK and Svalbard, Norway. There are two currently recognized species, C. megadeirus and C. svalbardensis.

<i>Caypullisaurus</i> Extinct genus of reptiles

Caypullisaurus is an extinct genus of platypterygiine ophthalmosaurid ichthyosaur from the Late Jurassic to the Early Cretaceous of Argentina. Its holotype was collected from the Vaca Muerta Formation of Cerro Lotena, Neuquen, dating to the early Tithonian stage of the Late Jurassic, about 150 million years ago. Caypullisaurus was first named by Marta Fernández in 1997 and the type species is Caypullisaurus bonapartei. It was a large ichthyosaur, measuring about 7 m (23 ft) long.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ophthalmosauridae</span> Extinct family of reptiles

Ophthalmosauridae is an extinct family of thunnosaur ichthyosaurs from the Middle Jurassic to the early Late Cretaceous worldwide. Almost all ichthyosaurs from the Middle Jurassic onwards belong to the family, until the extinction of ichthyosaurs in the early Late Cretaceous. Ophthalmosaurids appeared worldwide during early Bajocian, subsequent to the disappearance of most other ichthyosaur lineages after the end of the Toarcian. Currently, the oldest known ophthalmosaurids is Mollesaurus from the early Bajocian of Argentina, as well as indeterminate remains of the same age from Luxembourg and Canada. Named by George H. Baur, in 1887, the family contains the basal taxa like Ophthalmosaurus. Appleby (1956) named the taxon Ophthalmosauria which was followed by some authors, but these two names are often treated as synonyms; Ophthalmosauridae has the priority over Ophthalmosauria. However, some researchers argue that Ophthalmosauridae should be restricted to the group typically referred to as Ophthalmosaurinae, with classic Platypterygiinae instead being referred to as Undorosauridae or Brachypterygiidae and Ophthalmosauria being used to unite these two groups.

<i>Brachypterygius</i> Extinct genus of reptiles

Brachypterygius is an extinct genus of platypterygiine ophthalmosaurid ichthyosaur known from the Late Jurassic of England. The type species was originally described and named as Ichthyosaurus extremus by Boulenger in 1904. Brachypterygius was named by Huene in 1922 for the width and shortness of the forepaddle, and the type species is therefore Brachypterygius extremus. The holotype of B. extremus was originally thought to be from the Lias Group of Bath, United Kingdom, but other specimens suggest it more likely came from the Kimmeridgian Kimmeridge Clay of Kimmeridge Bay, Dorset, UK.

<i>Undorosaurus</i> Extinct genus of reptiles

Undorosaurus is an extinct genus of ophthalmosaurid ichthyosaur known from western Russia, Svalbard, and Poland. It was a large ichthyosaur, with the type species measuring 4–6 metres (13–20 ft) long.

Mollesaurus is an extinct genus of large ophthalmosaurine ophthalmosaurid ichthyosaur known from northwestern Patagonia of Argentina.

<i>Grendelius</i> Extinct genus of reptiles

Grendelius is a genus of platypterygiine ophthalmosaurid ichthyosaur from the Late Jurassic (Kimmeridgian-Tithonian) of the UK and European Russia. It was a medium-sized ichthyosaur measuring about 4 metres (13 ft) long.

<i>Arthropterygius</i> Extinct genus of reptiles

Arthropterygius is a widespread genus of ophthalmosaurid ichthyosaur which existed in Canada, Norway, Russia, and Argentina from the late Jurassic period and possibly to the earliest Cretaceous.

<i>Acamptonectes</i> Extinct genus of ophthalmosaurid ichthyosaur known from England and Germany

Acamptonectes is a genus of ophthalmosaurid ichthyosaurs, a type of dolphin-like marine reptiles, that lived during the Early Cretaceous around 130 million years ago. The first specimen, a partial adult skeleton, was discovered in Speeton, England, in 1958, but was not formally described until 2012 by Valentin Fischer and colleagues. They also recognised a partial subadult skeleton belonging to the genus from Cremlingen, Germany, and specimens from other localities in England. The genus contains the single species Acamptonectes densus; the generic name means "rigid swimmer" and the specific name means "compact" or "tightly packed".

Palvennia is an extinct genus of ophthalmosaurid ichthyosaurian known from the uppermost Jurassic of Central Spitsbergen, Norway. It was named for PalVenn, the Friends of the Palaeontological Museum in Oslo, whose expedition led to the discovery of the type specimen. Palvennia was a medium-sized ichthyosaur, measuring 3–4 m (9.8–13.1 ft) long. It is known from a single skull from the Slottsmøya Member of the Agardhfjellet Formation that measures 86 cm long. It is unusual in having a very short rostrum, similar to Ichthyosaurus breviceps. Because of this, the orbit seems very large, but this may be effected by crushing. The single and only known species is Palvennia hoybergeti Druckenmiller et al., 2012. In 2019, Palvennia was synonymized with Arthropterygius, though maintained as a separate species, by Nikolay Zverkov and Natalya Prilepskaya, although this synonymy was objected to later that same year by Lene Delsett and colleagues, who maintained that they were sufficiently different to warrant separate genera.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Agardhfjellet Formation</span> Geological formation in Svalbard, Norway

The Agardhfjellet Formation is a geologic formation in Svalbard, Norway. It preserves fossils dating back to the Oxfordian to Berriasian stages, spanning the Late Jurassic-Early Cretaceous boundary. The formation contains the Slottsmøya Member, a highly fossiliferous unit (Lagerstätte) where many ichthyosaur and plesiosaur fossils have been found, as well as abundant and well preserved fossils of invertebrates.

Janusaurus is an extinct genus of ophthalmosaurid ichthyosaur from the Upper Jurassic Slottsmøya Member, Agardhfjellet Formation of Central Spitsbergen. The holotype consists of a partial skull and postcrania, and would have belonged to an individual measuring 3–4 m (9.8–13.1 ft) long. In 2019, Janusaurus was synonymized with Arthropterygius, though maintained as a separate species, by Nikolay Zverkov and Natalya Prilepskaya, although this synonymy was objected to later that same year by Lene Delsett and colleagues, who maintained that they were sufficiently different to warrant separate genera.

Muiscasaurus is an extinct genus of ophthalmosaurid ichthyosaur that lived in modern Colombia during the Early Cretaceous. The only known species is the type Muiscasaurus catheti.

<i>Keilhauia</i> Extinct genus of reptiles

Keilhauia is a genus of ophthalmosaurid ichthyosaur, a type of dolphin-like, large-eyed marine reptile, from the Early Cretaceous shallow marine Slottsmøya Member of the Agardhfjellet Formation in Svalbard, Norway. The genus contains a single species, K. nui, known from a single specimen discovered in 2010 and described by Delsett et al. in 2017. In life, Keilhauia probably measured approximately 4 metres (13 ft) in length; it can be distinguished by other ophthalmosaurids by the wide top end of its ilium and the relatively short ischiopubis compared to the femur. Although it was placed in a basal position within the Ophthalmosauridae by phylogenetic analysis, this placement is probably incorrect.

Gengasaurus is an extinct genus of ophthalmosaurid ichthyosaur from the Jurassic. The type and only species, Gengasaurus nicosiai, was named in 2017, after the locality of Genga, Marche. It lived in Italy about 152 million years ago.

Acuetzpalin is an extinct genus of platypterygiine ophthalmosaurid ichthyosaur found in the Kimmeridgian La Casita Formation in Mexico. It is known from a partial skeleton, of which the skull is surprisingly well preserved. Its length is estimated to have been more than 3.1 metres (10 ft) long, considering the missing parts of the holotype. It was the first ichthyosaur described in 2020 and the first new ichthyosaur genus described since 2017.

References

  1. ↑ McGowan, C. & Motani, R. (2003). Ichthyopterygia . In Sues, H.-D. Handbook of Paleoherpetology, vol. 8. Verlag Dr. Friedrich Pfeil, Munich, 175 pp., 19pls.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 Nikolay G. Zverkov; Megan L. Jacobs (2020). "Revision of Nannopterygius (Ichthyosauria: Ophthalmosauridae): reappraisal of the 'inaccessible' holotype resolves a taxonomic tangle and reveals an obscure ophthalmosaurid lineage with a wide distribution". Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society. 191: 228–275. doi:10.1093/zoolinnean/zlaa028.
  3. 1 2 Yakupova, J. B.; Akhmedenov, K. M. (2022). "Nannopterygius finds in the West Kazakhstan region of the Republic of Kazakhstan". Izvestiya of Saratov University. Earth Sciences. 22 (2): 132–139. doi: 10.18500/1819-7663-2022-22-2-132-139 .
  4. 1 2 "Nannopterygius enthekiodon - Palaeocritti - a guide to prehistoric animals". sites.google.com. Retrieved 2018-06-10.
  5. 1 2 Hulke, J. W. Note on an Ichthyosaurus (I. enthekiodon) from Kimmeridge Bay, Dorset. Quarterly Journal of the Geological Society, 27, 440–441, pl. 17.
  6. ↑ Hulke, J. W. Note on some teeth associated with two fragments of a jaw from Kimmeridge Bay. Quarterly Journal of the Geological Society, 26, 172–174.
  7. ↑ Huene, F. F. von 1922. Die Ichthyosaurier des Lias und ihre Zusammenhänge. Verlag von Gebrüder Borntraeger, Berlin, 114 pp., 22 pls.
  8. ↑ Megan L. Jacobs; David M. Martill (2020). "A new ophthalmosaurid ichthyosaur from the Upper Jurassic (Early Tithonian) Kimmeridge Clay of Dorset, UK, with implications for Late Jurassic ichthyosaur diversity". PLOS ONE. 15 (12): e0241700. Bibcode:2020PLoSO..1541700J. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0241700 . PMC   7725355 . PMID   33296370.
  9. ↑ "Jurassic Kimmeridge". The Etches Collection. Retrieved 31 December 2020.
  10. ↑ Etches, S, Clarke, J. (2010). Life in Jurassic seas. Dorset, Dorchester: Epic Creative Print.
  11. ↑ N. G. Zverkov, M. S. Arkhangelsky and I. M. Stenshin (2015) A review of Russian Upper Jurassic ichthyosaurs with an intermedium/humeral contact. Reassessing Grendelius McGowan, 1976. Proceedings of the Zoological Institute 318(4): 558-588
  12. ↑ Hurum, J.H.; Nakrem, H.A.; Hammer, O.; Knutsen, E.M.; Druckenmiller, P.S.; Hryniewicz, K.; Novis, L.K. (2012). "An Arctic Lagerstätte – the Slottsmøya Member of the Agardhfjellet Formation (Upper Jurassic-Lower Cretaceous) of Spitsbergen" (PDF). Norwegian Journal of Geology. 92: 55–64. ISSN   0029-196X.
  13. 1 2 Delsett, L.L.; Novis, L.K.; Roberts, A.J.; Koevoets, M.J.; Hammer, O.; Druckenmiller, P.S.; Hurum, J.H. (2015). "The Slottsmøya marine reptile Lagerstätte: depositional environments, taphonomy and diagenesis". Geological Society, London, Special Publications. 434: 165–188. doi: 10.1144/SP434.2 . S2CID   130478320.
  14. ↑ Hryniewicz, K.; Nakrem, H.A.; Hammer, O.; Little, C.T.S.; Kaim, A.; S., M.R.; Hurum, J.H. (2015). "The palaeoecology of the latest Jurassic–earliest Cretaceous hydrocarbon seep carbonates from Spitsbergen, Svalbard". Lethaia. 48 (3): 353–374. doi:10.1111/let.12112.
  15. ↑ Galloway, J.M.; Sweet, A.R.; Swindles, G.T.; Dewing, K.; Hadlari, T.; Embry, A.F.; Sanei, H. (June 2013). "Middle Jurassic to Lower Cretaceous paleoclimate of Sverdrup Basin, Canadian Arctic Archipelago inferred from the palynostratigraphy". Marine and Petroleum Geology. 44: 240–255. doi:10.1016/j.marpetgeo.2013.01.001.
  16. ↑ Nikolay G. Zverkov; Vladimir M. Efimov (2019). "Revision of Undorosaurus, a mysterious Late Jurassic ichthyosaur of the Boreal Realm". Journal of Systematic Palaeontology. 17 (14): 963–993. doi:10.1080/14772019.2018.1515793. S2CID   91912834.
  17. ↑ Zverkov, Nikolay G.; Prilepskaya, Natalya E. (2019). "A prevalence of Arthropterygius (Ichthyosauria: Ophthalmosauridae) in the Late Jurassic—earliest Cretaceous of the Boreal Realm". PeerJ. 7: e6799. doi: 10.7717/peerj.6799 . PMC   6497043 . PMID   31106052.
  18. ↑ Fernández, M.S.; Maxwell, E.E. (2012). "The genus Arthropterygius Maxwell (Ichthyosauria: Ophthalmosauridae) in the Late Jurassic of the Neuquén Basin, Argentina". Geobios. 45 (6): 535–540. doi:10.1016/j.geobios.2012.02.001. hdl: 11336/139161 .
  19. ↑ ANGST, D.; BUFFETAUT, E.; TABOUELLE, J.; TONG, H. (2010). "An ichthyosaur skull from the Late Jurassic of Svalbard". Bulletin de la Société Géologique de France. 181 (5): 453–458. doi:10.2113/gssgfbull.181.5.453.
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