Ceoptera Explained

Ceoptera (meaning "mist wing") is an extinct genus of darwinopteran pterosaur from the Middle Jurassic Kilmaluag Formation of Scotland. The genus contains a single species, C. evansae, known from a partial skeleton.It is the only pterosaur from Kilmaluag Formation. Ceoptera represents the second pterosaur named from Scotland, after Dearc in 2022.^{[1] [2]}

Discovery and naming

The Ceoptera holotype specimen, NHMUK PV R37110, was discovered in 2006 in sediments of the Kilmaluag Formation near Elgol on the Isle of Skye of Scotland, United Kingdom. The incomplete associated specimen, which is preserved on three blocks, consists of dorsal and caudal vertebrae (in addition to two indeterminate fragmentary vertebrae), a partial sternum and pelvis, the right scapulocoracoid, and several bones from the left forelimb and hindlimb.^[3]

The fossil material was first mentioned in a 2019 conference abstract,^[4] later in a 2020 review of the fossil vertebrae fauna of the Kilmaluag Formation,^[5] and in a 2022 academic preprint.^[6]

In 2024, Martin-Silverstone et al. described Ceoptera evansae as a new genus and species of darwinopteran pterosaur based on these fossil remains. The generic name, "Ceoptera", combines the Scottish Gaelic word "cheò"/"ceò" (pronounced "ki-yo")—referencing Eilean a' Cheò (meaning "Isle of Mist"), the common Gaelic name for the Isle of Skye—with the Latin word "ptera", meaning "wing". The specific name, "evansae", honours British paleontologist Susan E. Evans and her scientific contributions, especially on Skye.

Description

The Ceoptera holotype has an estimated forelimb length of and wingspan of around 1.6m (05.2feet). Many skeletal structures are fully fused, and some surfaces of the bones have a dense, smooth texture. Both of these features are characteristic of osteological maturity, so the individual was likely done growing when it died.

Classification

Martin-Silverstone et al. (2024) recovered Ceoptera as a darwinopteran member of the Monofenestrata, in an unresolved polytomy with similar taxa. The Darwinoptera is, in turn, the sister taxon to the Pterodactyloidea.

Notes and References

1. Web site: Ashworth . James . 2024-02-06 . New pterosaur from Skye reveals the hidden diversity of the Middle Jurassic . 2024-02-06 . Natural History Museum . en.
2. Jagielska . Natalia . O’Sullivan . Michael . Funston . Gregory F. . Butler . Ian B. . Challands . Thomas J. . Clark . Neil D.L. . Fraser . Nicholas C. . Penny . Amelia . Ross . Dugald A. . Wilkinson . Mark . Brusatte . Stephen L. . 2022-03-28 . A skeleton from the Middle Jurassic of Scotland illuminates an earlier origin of large pterosaurs . . 32 . 6 . 1446–1453.e4 . 10.1016/j.cub.2022.01.073 . 35196508 . 2022CBio...32E1446J . 0960-9822. 10023/27028 . free .
3. Martin-Silverstone . Elizabeth . Unwin . David M. . Cuff . Andrew R. . Brown . Emily E. . Allington-Jones . Lu . Barrett . Paul M. . 2024-02-05 . A new pterosaur from the Middle Jurassic of Skye, Scotland and the early diversification of flying reptiles . Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology . en . 10.1080/02724634.2023.2298741 . 0272-4634. free .
4. Martin-Silverstone . Elizabeth . Unwin . David M. . Barrett . Paul M. . 2019 . A new, three-dimensionally preserved monofenestratan pterosaur from the Middle Jurassic of Scotland and the complex evolutionary history of the scapulo-vertebral articulation . Society of Vertebrate Paleontology: 79th Annual Meeting . en . 150.
5. Panciroli . Elsa . Benson . Roger B. J. . Walsh . Stig . Butler . Richard J. . Castro . Tiago Andrade . Jones . Marc E. H. . Evans . Susan E. . 2020-07-27 . Diverse vertebrate assemblage of the Kilmaluag Formation (Bathonian, Middle Jurassic) of Skye, Scotland . Earth and Environmental Science Transactions of the Royal Society of Edinburgh . en . 111 . 3 . 135–156 . 10.1017/S1755691020000055 . 2020EESTR.111..135P . 225491078 . 1755-6910.
6. Martin-Silverstone . Elizabeth . Unwin . David M. . Cuff . Andrew R. . Brown . Emily E. . Allington-Jones . Lu . Barrett . Paul M. . 2022-02-16 . A new pterosaur from Skye, Scotland and the early diversification of flying reptiles . . en . 10.1101/2022.02.14.480264.