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Timeline of pterosaur origin studies updated to 2026

Tuesday, May 26, 2026 16:01

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The original
“timeline of pterosaur origin studies” post was uploaded about four years ago in 2022. As of this morning an appended and expanded timeline was posted to ResearchGate.net. The review process provided an update and a fresh perspective on the situation.

You can view the entire 2026 preprint here.

Figure 1. The ancestry of Scleromochlus going back to Lewisuchus, Saltoposuchus, Terrestrisuchus, SMNS 12591 and Gracilisuchus.

What I learned while expanding the timeline
to the present day was the near constant reference to, and unflagging study of, the small basal bipedal crocodylomorph, Scleromochlus (Fig 1)… AND the universal avoidance of the bipedal tiny tanystropheids, precede by the lepidosaur, Huehuecetzpalli Fig 2), recovered 20ish years ago as tanystropheid outgroup.

Figure 2. The lineage of pterosaurs recovered from the large reptile tree. Huehuecuetzpalli. Cosesaurus. Longisquama. MPUM 6009 – Bergamodactylus

In the last several years
both pterosaurs and Scleromochlus have been associated with lagerpetids by several authors. Since lagerpetidae are bipedal proterochampsids and therefore close to parasuchians = phytosaurs, that might explain why Nesbitt 20011 nested pterosaurs so close to phytosaurs.

The most understudied sub-clade in vertpaleo may be the base of the Crocodylomorpha (Fig 1). Only rarely do these bipedal dino cousins appear on cladograms.

As the LRT keeps showing us over and over again,
adding taxa resolves ALL – and I mean ALL – phylogenetic issues. That’s a lot of work to build an LRT (15+ years in my case), but try it out yourself sometime,. Do it for the next generation of paleontologists. When I’m gone, the LRT will expire a few years after that. Given that probability that is why I uploaded the preprint to ResarchGate.net at this late stage in the game of life.

Meanwhile, omitting relevant taxa is never good science.
That’s why the LRT is here: To minimize taxon exclusion.
PLUS the scientific method compels us to test all new and old hypotheses.

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esearchgate.net/publication/405288558_timeline_of_pterosaur_origins_2026

Source: https://pterosaurheresies.wordpress.com/2026/05/27/timeline-of-pterosaur-origin-studies-updated-to-2026/

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