Article (Scientific journals)
Ichthyosaurs from the Jurassic of Skye, Scotland
Brusatte, S. L.; Young, M. T.; Challands, T. J. et al.
2015In Scottish Journal of Geology, 51 (1), p. 43–55
Peer reviewed
 

Files


Full Text
Brusatte et al 2015 Ichthyosaurs from the Jurassic of Skye, Scotland.pdf
Publisher postprint (2.78 MB)
Download

All documents in ORBi are protected by a user license.

Send to



Details



Abstract :
[en] Fossils of Mesozoic vertebrates are rare in Scotland, particularly specimens of marine reptiles such as plesiosaurs and ichthyosaurs. We describe a suite of ichthyosaur fossils from the Early to Middle Jurassic of Skye, which to our knowledge are the first ichthyosaurs from Scotland to be described and figured in detail. These fossils span approximately 30 million years, from the Sinemurian to the Bathonian, and indicate that ichthyosaurs were a major component of Scottish marine faunas during this time. The specimens include isolated teeth that could represent the most northerly known occurrences of the widespread Sinemurian species Ichthyosaurus communis, a characteristic component of the famous Lyme Regis faunas of England, suggesting that such faunas were also present in Scotland during the Early Jurassic. An associated humerus and vertebrae from Toarcian–Bajocian-aged deposits are named as a new genus and species of basal neoichthyosaurian, Dearcmhara shawcrossi. The taxonomic affinities of this taxon, which comes from a critical but poorly sampled interval in the fossil record, suggest that non-ophthalmosaurid neoichthyosaurians dominated European assemblages around the Early–Middle Jurassic boundary, and were later replaced by ophthalmosaurids, whose radiation likely took place outside Europe. Many of these specimens were collected by amateurs and donated to museum collections, a co-operative relationship essential to the preservation of Scotland’s fossil heritage.
Disciplines :
Earth sciences & physical geography
Zoology
Author, co-author :
Brusatte, S. L.
Young, M. T.
Challands, T. J.
Clark, N. D. L.
Fischer, Valentin  ;  Université de Liège - ULiège > Département de géologie > Paléontologie animale
Fraser, N. C.
Liston, J. J.
MacFadyen, C. C. J.
Ross, D. A
Walsh, S.
Wilkinson, M.
Language :
English
Title :
Ichthyosaurs from the Jurassic of Skye, Scotland
Publication date :
2015
Journal title :
Scottish Journal of Geology
ISSN :
0036-9276
Publisher :
Geological Society Publishing House, United Kingdom
Volume :
51
Issue :
1
Pages :
43–55
Peer reviewed :
Peer reviewed
Funders :
F.R.S.-FNRS - Fonds de la Recherche Scientifique [BE]
Available on ORBi :
since 12 January 2015

Statistics


Number of views
207 (5 by ULiège)
Number of downloads
850 (1 by ULiège)

Scopus citations®
 
12
Scopus citations®
without self-citations
4
OpenCitations
 
12

Bibliography


Similar publications



Contact ORBi