Simurghia
| Simurghia | |
|---|---|
| |
| Holotype humerus | |
Scientific classification 
| |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Order: | †Pterosauria |
| Suborder: | †Pterodactyloidea |
| Clade: | †Pteranodontia |
| Clade: | † Aponyctosauria
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| Genus: | †Simurghia Longrich, Martill, & Andres, 2018 |
| Type species | |
| †Simurghia robusta Longrich, Martill, & Andres, 2018
| |
Simurghia is a genus of pterosaur from the Ouled Abdoun Basin of Morocco, a basin that dates to the Maastrichtian stage of the Late Cretaceous period, about 66 million years ago. It was published in 2018 by paleontologists Nicholas R. Longrich, David M. Martill, and Brian Andres, along with two other pterosaurs from the same basin: Alcione and Barbaridactylus.[1] The type and only species is S. robusta.
Discovery and naming
All known specimens of Simurghia were uncovered in a 3-year dig that unearthed about 200 pterosaur specimens. The type specimen, FSAC-OB 7, consists of a nearly complete humerus, lacking only the humeral head and the ulnar crest.[1]
Simurghia is named after a flying beast from Persian mythology known as the Simurgh. The species name, S. robusta, is a Latin word that means "robust."[1]
Classification
Below is a
| Pteranodontia |
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In their phylogenetic analyses, Fernandes et al. (2022) recovered Simurghia as the
| Pteranodontia |
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Paleobiology
Simurghia is similar in form to Alcione, but is unlikely to represent an adult of this species. All specimens of Alcione are either subadults or adults, based on their bone's dense avascular surface texture, well ossified condyles, and fused synsacrum and scapulocoracoid. Additionally, lack of intermediately sized humeri would suggest that these pterosaurs are distinct from each other. Using isometric scaling, Simurghia would weigh 560% more than Alcione, making sexual dimorphism or intraspecific variation unlikely. It is estimated to have a wingspan of 5 m (16 ft).[1]
Paleoecology
Simurghia was discovered in upper Maastrichtian phosphates located in the Ouled Abdoun Basin of Northern Morocco. This geological formation does not belong to a formation. It is divided into couches, with Simurghia being discovered in Couche III. This layer dates back to the latest Maastrichtian, about 1 million years before the extinction event at the end of the Cretaceous. Couche III represents the most diverse marine ecosystem known from the time.[1]
A large variety of marine life is known from the region, including sharks and bony fish, in addition to turtles,
References
- ^ PMID 29534059.
- PMID 24768054.
- hdl:10362/145845.
