Scientists from Switzerland and Germany have described a new ichthyosaur species from Upper Franconia, Germany. Named Eurhinosaurus mistelgauensis after the fossil-rich clay pit of Mistelgau, the discovery is based on specimens excavated and curated by the Urwelt-Museum Oberfranken, which has conducted regular fieldwork at the site since 1998.
An international research team from Switzerland and Germany, led by Gaël Spicher (JURASSICA Museum, Porrentruy, Switzerland), has described a new ichthyosaur species based on fossils curated at the Urwelt-Museum Oberfranken (Bayreuth, Germany). The study was published in Museum für Naturkunde Berlin’s open-access journal Fossil Record.
The new species was named Eurhinosaurus mistelgauensis, in reference to the clay pit of Mistelgau in Upper Franconia – a fossil site that has yielded numerous important finds. “We wanted to highlight the scientific importance of the Mistelgau locality,” explains lead author and doctoral student Gaël Spicher.
Excavations in the clay pit have been conducted regularly since 1998 by the Urwelt-Museum Oberfranken, which recovered and prepared the fossils prior to their scientific study. One specimen originates from a so-called “belemnite battleground” – dense accumulations of Jurassic cephalopod remains that are characteristic of the site.
Ichthyosaurs – marine reptiles that lived during the time of the dinosaurs – show striking similarities in body shape to dolphins or tuna. The newly described species shares the elongation of the upper jaw typical for eurhinosaurs, producing a pronounced “overbite” similar to that of modern swordfish. Eurhinosaurus mistelgauensis differs from previously known species by its notably robust ribs and special features in the joint connecting the skull and the neck.
“The naming of a new species emphasizes the significance of the Urwelt-Museum Oberfranken’s fossil collections for understanding Jurassic marine ecosystems,” says museum director Dr. Serjoscha Evers, who was not involved in the study. “The Mistelgau site continues to provide rare insights into a time period that is otherwise scarcely documented worldwide.”
Further studies on the Mistelgau material are in preparation. These include analyses of injuries preserved in the ichthyosaur skeletons, which may shed light on the ecology and life history of these ancient marine reptiles.
Original source
Spicher GE, Miedema F, Heijne J, Klein N (2025) A new Eurhinosaurus (Ichthyosauria) species from the Lower Jurassic (Toarcian) of Mistelgau (Bavaria, Southern Germany). Fossil Record 28(2): 249-291. https://doi.org/10.3897/fr.28.154203
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