SilesianTriassic

Sauropterygia indet. cf. Pachypleurosauria

Dating uncertain – Upper Röt or Lower Muschelkalk (Anisian)

Upper Silesia, Poland

A specimen of a small, isolated pubic bone (pubis), likely from a small reptile belonging to the Pachypleurosauria.

The bone in the distal part is very well preserved, with visible surface details and a distinct obturator foramen. The proximal part of the bone is damaged, but the shape is clearly visible. The specimen is visible only in one plane, the other being embedded in the matrix.

The specimen measures 9mm in its longest plane. The bone’s size may indicate a juvenile or a representative of a small taxon. The latter may be supported by the degree of bone development – ​​the well-defined shape and clearly visible obturator foramen do not indicate a developing bone.These features may indicate that the bone belonged to an adult individual belonging to a small taxon probably Pachypleurosauria.

References

• Xu, G.-H., Shang, Q.-H., Wang, W., Ren, Y., Lei, H., Liao, J.-L., Zhao, L.-J., & Li, C. (2023). A new long-snouted marine reptile from the Middle Triassic of China illuminates pachypleurosauroid evolution. Scientific Reports, 13(1), 16. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-022-24930-y
• Klein, N., Furrer, H., Ehrbar, I., Torres Ladeira, M., Richter, H., & Scheyer, T. M. (2022). A new pachypleurosaur from the Early Ladinian Prosanto Formation in the Eastern Alps of Switzerland. Swiss Journal of Palaeontology, 141(1), 12. https://doi.org/10.1186/s13358-022-00254-2