A New Monofenestratan Pterosaur from the Kimmeridge Clay Formation (Kimmeridgian, Upper Jurassic) of Dorset, England

A specimen of slender skulled monofenestratan pterosaur from the Upper Jurassic Kimmeridge Clay Formation of Dorset, UK, is referred to the new genus and species Cuspicephalus scarfi. The dentition and posterior skull morphology suggest affinities with Darwinopterus, but a close relationship cannot be proved. There are also some similarities with the pterodactyloid Germanodactylus cristatus, but the presence of teeth on the distal rostrum excludes it from that genus. Pterosaur remains are rare in the Upper Jurassic of the UK and this specimen represents the first significant cranial remains of a pterosaur from the Kimmeridge Clay Formation, and possibly the first non-pterodactyloid monofenestratan outside China.

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