After analysis tiny Makrodactylus is a Skiphosaura juvenile pterosaur
Hone, Lauer, Lauer and Spindler 2025
thought they had a new genus of pterosaur they named Makrodactylus (Figs 1–4, Lauer Foundation for Paleontology, Science and Education – LF 1370). After analysis in the large pterosaur tree (LPT, 266 taxa, subset Fig 3) the authors had something much more rare and newsworthy: a juvenile Skiphosaura pterosaur (Fig 2) – also described by most of the same authors a year ago – from the same Mörnsheim Formation.
Figure 1. Makrodactylus = Skiphosaura juvenile reconstructed.
” data-medium-file=”https://pterosaurheresies.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/makrodactylus-postcrania-recon588.jpg?w=199″ data-large-file=”https://pterosaurheresies.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/makrodactylus-postcrania-recon588.jpg?w=584″ class=”size-full wp-image-94682″ src=”https://pterosaurheresies.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/makrodactylus-postcrania-recon588.jpg” alt=”Figure 1. Makrodactylus = Skiphosaura juvenile reconstructed. ” width=”584″ height=”879″ srcset=”https://pterosaurheresies.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/makrodactylus-postcrania-recon588.jpg?w=584&h=879 584w, https://pterosaurheresies.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/makrodactylus-postcrania-recon588.jpg?w=100&h=150 100w, https://pterosaurheresies.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/makrodactylus-postcrania-recon588.jpg?w=199&h=300 199w, https://pterosaurheresies.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/makrodactylus-postcrania-recon588.jpg 588w” sizes=”(max-width: 584px) 100vw, 584px” />
Figure 1. Makrodactylus = Skiphosaura juvenile reconstructed using DGS methods. The wing is shown open and folded.
According to Wikipedia – Makrodactylus:
“the Makrodactylus holotype belongs to an adult individual. This can be determined based on the extent of fusion between the skull bones (characteristic of mature specimens), as well as the absence of the fine-grained texture seen on the bones of young specimens. As such, Makrodactylus represents the smallest known member of the non-pterodactyloid monofenestratan grade known from a mature specimen.”
Hone et al did not perform a phylogenetic analysis for their Makrodactylus paper, but wrote, “Skiphosoura is recovered among taxa that are closest
to, but not within, Pterodactyloidea” in Hone et al 2024.
Bone texture and sutures correspond to ontogenetic status in archosaurormorphs, not in lepidosaurs.
Due to taxon exclusion, Hone et al were not aware that pterodactyloid grade pterosaurs appeared 4x by convergence in the LPT (also in Peters 2007). In the LPT (Fig 4) Skiphosaura appears within Pterodactylidae, which is one of those convergent grades.
Figure 2. Skiphosaura reconstruction from Hone et al 2024 here compared to scale with the juvenile, named Makrodactylus by Hone et al 2025.
” data-medium-file=”https://pterosaurheresies.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/skiphosoura.recon588.jpg?w=218″ data-large-file=”https://pterosaurheresies.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/skiphosoura.recon588.jpg?w=584″ class=”size-full wp-image-94684″ src=”https://pterosaurheresies.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/skiphosoura.recon588.jpg” alt=”Figure 2. Skiphosaura reconstruction from Hone et al 2024 here compared to scale with the juvenile, named Makrodactylus by Hone et al 2025. ” width=”584″ height=”803″ srcset=”https://pterosaurheresies.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/skiphosoura.recon588.jpg?w=584&h=803 584w, https://pterosaurheresies.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/skiphosoura.recon588.jpg?w=109&h=150 109w, https://pterosaurheresies.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/skiphosoura.recon588.jpg?w=218&h=300 218w, https://pterosaurheresies.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/skiphosoura.recon588.jpg 588w” sizes=”(max-width: 584px) 100vw, 584px” />
Figure 2. Skiphosaura reconstruction from Hone et al 2024 here compared to scale with the juvenile, named Makrodactylus by Hone et al 2025.
This is the second juvenile pterosaur
recovered by phylogenetic analysis and recovered from Solnhofen limestones. The first was a juvenile of one of the largest species of Rhamphorhynchus, unfortunately kept out of the literature by lead author David Hone who refereed that manuscript, now available as a preprint on ResearchGate.net.
Figure 3. Subset of the Large Pterosaur Tree (LPT, 266- taxa) highlighting the nesting of Skiphosaura and its misnamed juvenile, Makrodactylus.
” data-medium-file=”https://pterosaurheresies.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/makrodactylus.cladogram588.jpg?w=129″ data-large-file=”https://pterosaurheresies.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/makrodactylus.cladogram588.jpg?w=440″ class=”size-full wp-image-94687″ src=”https://pterosaurheresies.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/makrodactylus.cladogram588.jpg” alt=”Figure 3. Subset of the Large Pterosaur Tree (LPT, 266- taxa) highlighting the nesting of Skiphosaura and its misnamed juvenile, Makrodactylus.” width=”584″ height=”1359″ srcset=”https://pterosaurheresies.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/makrodactylus.cladogram588.jpg?w=584&h=1359 584w, https://pterosaurheresies.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/makrodactylus.cladogram588.jpg?w=64&h=150 64w, https://pterosaurheresies.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/makrodactylus.cladogram588.jpg?w=129&h=300 129w, https://pterosaurheresies.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/makrodactylus.cladogram588.jpg 588w” sizes=”(max-width: 584px) 100vw, 584px” />
Figure 3. Subset of the Large Pterosaur Tree (LPT, 266- taxa) highlighting the nesting of Skiphosaura and its misnamed juvenile, Makrodactylus.
Pterosaurs grew isometrically, like many lepidosaurs do.
Late-term embryos, hatchlings and juveniles had nearly identical skulls and skeletons relative to adults. Skiphosaurua is 3x taller than its newly described juvenile and had a low rostral crest absent in the juvenile (Fig 1). Otherwise scores are identical.
Figure 4. Skull of Skiphosaura juvenile in situ. A few elements are mislabeled here.
” data-medium-file=”https://pterosaurheresies.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/makrodactylus_oligodontus_skull588.jpg?w=214″ data-large-file=”https://pterosaurheresies.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/makrodactylus_oligodontus_skull588.jpg?w=584″ class=”size-full wp-image-94689″ src=”https://pterosaurheresies.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/makrodactylus_oligodontus_skull588.jpg” alt=”Figure 4. Skull of Skiphosaura juvenile in situ. A few elements are mislabeled here. ” width=”584″ height=”818″ srcset=”https://pterosaurheresies.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/makrodactylus_oligodontus_skull588.jpg?w=584&h=818 584w, https://pterosaurheresies.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/makrodactylus_oligodontus_skull588.jpg?w=107&h=150 107w, https://pterosaurheresies.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/makrodactylus_oligodontus_skull588.jpg?w=214&h=300 214w, https://pterosaurheresies.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/makrodactylus_oligodontus_skull588.jpg 588w” sizes=”(max-width: 584px) 100vw, 584px” />
Figure 4. Skull of Skiphosaura juvenile in situ. A few elements are mislabeled here. DGS colors added here.
Hone et al reported,
“Among other features, this animal has unusual proportions to its wing metacarpal and
wing finger which define it as a unique taxon.”
These traits scored identical to Skiphosaura in the LPT.
The in situ skull image of the juvenile
(Fig 4) misidentified a few elements. The nasals were misidentified as anterior frontals. A lacrimal was misidentfied as a nasal. The palatal portion of the maxilla was misidentified as a palatine. One jugal was correctly identified. The other jugal was misidentified as a lacrimal.
It is indeed unfortunate
that pterosaur workers do not perform a phylogenetic analysis for each and every new taxon they describe. Don’t make that same mistake. Analysis is essential.
Paleontologists also continue to believe
in the myth that pterosaurs grew allometrically, with a short rostrum and large orbit, like growing birds and crocs, due to a continuing belief that pterosaurs were archosaurs. Don’t make that same mistake. Pterosaurs were lepidosaurs (Peters 2007). That changes the game.
References
Hone DWE, Fitch A, Selzer S, Lauer R and Lauer B 2024. A new and large monofenestratan reveals the evolutionary transition to the pterodactyloid pterosaurs. Current Biology 34, 1–8
Hone DWE, Lauer R, Lauer B and Spindler F 2025. A new non-pterodactyloid monofenestratan pterosaur from the Mörnsheim Formation of southern Germany. Palaeontologia Electronica, 28(3):a42. https://doi.org/10.26879/1543
Peters D 2007. The origin and radiation of the Pterosauria.
Flugsaurier. The Wellnhofer Pterosaur Meeting, Munich 27
Peters D 2018. First juvenile Rhamphorhynchus recovered by phylogenetic analysis DOI: 10.13140/RG.2.2.28636.03206
Publicity
palaeo-electronica.org/content/blog/5681-mornsheim-monofenestran
Hone reported, “Makrodactylus is much smaller than Skiphosoura, and indeed is smaller than any of the adult early monofenestratans that we know of. It is an adult animal, or at least is likely close to being full grown,”
Source: https://pterosaurheresies.wordpress.com/2025/09/26/after-analysis-tiny-makrodactylus-is-a-skiphosaura-juvenile-pterosaur/
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