In spite of a fossil record spanning over 150 million years, pelvic girdle evolution in Ichthyopterygia is poorly known. Here, we examine pelvic girdle size relationships using quantitative methods and new ophthalmosaurid material from the Slottsmøya Member Lagerstätte of Svalbard, Norway. One of these new specimens, which preserves the most complete ichthyosaur pelvic girdle from the Cretaceous, is described herein as a new taxon, Keilhauia nui gen. et sp. nov. It represents the most complete Berriasian ichthyosaur known and the youngest yet described from the Slottsmøya Member. It is diagnosed on the basis of two autapomorphies from the pelvic girdle, including an ilium that is anteroposteriorly expanded at its dorsal end and an ischiopubis that is shorter or subequal in length to the femur, as well as a unique character combination. The Slottsmøya Member Lagerstätte ichthyosaurs are significant in that they represent a diverse assemblage of ophthalmosaurids that existed immediately preceding and across the Jurassic–Cretaceous boundary. They also exhibit considerable variation in pelvic girdle morphology, and expand the known range in size variation of pelvic girdle elements in the clade.
Natural History Museum, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway;Natural History Museum, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway;The National Oceanography Centre, Department of Ocean and Earth Science, University of Southampton, Southampton, Hampshire, United Kingdom;University of Alaska Museum, Fairbanks, Alaska;Department of Geoscience, University of Alaska Fairbanks, Fairbanks, Alaska;Natural History Museum, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
Recommended Citation:
Lene Liebe Delsett,Aubrey J. Roberts,Patrick S. Druckenmiller,et al. A New Ophthalmosaurid (Ichthyosauria) from Svalbard, Norway, and Evolution of the Ichthyopterygian Pelvic Girdle[J]. PLOS ONE,2017-01-01,12(1)