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| Haliskia peterseni Pentland, Poropat, Duncan, Kellner, Bantim, Bevitt, Tait & Grice, 2024 Palaeoart courtesy of Gabriel N. Ugueto |
Abstract
Pterosaur remains have been reported from every continent; however, pterosaur skeletons remain rare. A new pterosaur is presented here, Haliskia peterseni gen. et sp. nov., constituting the most complete specimen from Australia from the upper Albian Toolebuc Formation of the Eromanga Basin (Queensland, Australia). A combination of features, including the presence of a premaxillary crest and curved teeth, and the morphology of the scapulocoracoid, support its referral to Anhangueria. Haliskia can be distinguished from all other anhanguerian pterosaurs based on two dental characters: the 4th and 5th tooth pairs are smaller than the 3rd and 6th, and the 2nd and 5th alveoli are smaller than 3–4 and 6–8. Moreover, the hyoid is 70% the total length of the mandible. The phylogenetic analyses presented here place Haliskia within Anhangueria. In one analysis, Haliskia and Ferrodraco are resolved as sister taxa, with Tropeognathus mesembrinus sister to that clade. The other resolves Haliskia, Mythunga and Ferrodraco in a polytomy within Tropeognathinae. The new Australian pterosaur attests to the success of Anhangueria during the latest Early Cretaceous and suggests that the Australian forms were more taxonomically diverse and palaeobiogeographically complex than previously recognized.
Systematic palaeontology
PTEROSAURIA Kaup, 1834
PTERODACTYLOIDEA Plieninger, 1901
PTERANODONTOIDEA Marsh, 1876 sensu Kellner, 2003
ANHANGUERIA sensu Rodrigues and Kellner, 2013
ANHANGUERIDAE Campos and Kellner, 1985
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| Haliskia peterseni gen. et sp. nov., holotype premaxilla of KK F1426 in (A) dorsal, (B) right lateral, (C) anterior, (D) and (E) left lateral, (F) and (G) ventral, (H) left lateral and (I) anterior view. A–D & F–I are renders of digital models generated from neutron scans, E is a photograph. Numbers 1–8 indicate alveoli, alveoli position indicated with dashed line. Scale bar = 20 mm. |
Haliskia peterseni gen. et sp. nov.
Diagnosis. Haliskia peterseni can be distinguished from other anhanguerians by the following combination of characters (autapomorphies marked with an asterisk): anterior margin of the premaxilla flattened; anterior portions of jaws not laterally expanded; alveolar borders inflated relative to jawline; subtle palatal ridge which begins at the 2nd tooth pair and extends until the 8th; premaxillary crest level with anterior margin of skull, rises steeply at an angle of 30°; comparatively short mandibular crest; ceratobranchial: skull length ratio 70%*; 4th and 5th teeth smaller than 3rd and 6th*; 2nd and 5th alveoli smaller than pairs 3–4 and 6–8*; marked increase in interalveolar spacing after the 6th alveoli.
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| Life reconstruction of Haliskia peterseni. Palaeoart courtesy of Gabriel N. Ugueto, reproduced with permission. |
Horizon and locality. Toolebuc Formation, middle–upper uppermost Albian28; Dig Site 3, NW of Richmond, Queensland, Australia.
Etymology. The genus epithet (pronounced ‘hay-li-sky-ah’) Haliskia derived from Ancient Greek ἅλς (háls) = ‘sea’; and σκῐᾱ́ (skiā́) = shadow, phantom, or evil spirit; thus, a flying creature that cast a shadow on the sea, or a phantom that haunted the long-vanished Eromanga Sea.
The species epithet honours Kevin Petersen, who recovered and prepared the specimen.
Adele H. Pentland, Stephen F. Poropat, Ruairidh J. Duncan, Alexander W. A. Kellner, Renan A. M. Bantim, Joseph J. Bevitt, Alan M. Tait and Kliti Grice. 2024. Haliskia peterseni, A New anhanguerian Pterosaur from the late Early Cretaceous of Australia. Scientific Reports. 14: 11789. DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-60889-8
