The first gravid ichthyosaur from the Hauterivian (Early Cretaceous): a complete Myobradypterygius hauthali von Huene, 1927 excavated from the border of the Tyndall Glacier, Torres del Paine National Park, southernmost Chile
Maxwell, Erin E.
- 1
- 2University of Texas System
- 3Septos Asesorias Geol
- 4University of Bristol
- 5State Museum Nat Hist Stuttgart
- 6Fdn Felix Azara
- 7
- 8Estratoterra SpA
- 9Consejo Monumentos Nacl
- 10Museo Hist Nat Rio Seco
- 11Universidad Austral de Chile
- 12Pole Univ Minho
Journal
Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology
ISSN
0272-4634
1937-2809
Open Access
closed
Volume
44
Ichthyosaurs were pelagic marine reptiles with a global distribution through most of the Mesozoic. Cretaceous Ichthyosauria are mostly known from the northern hemisphere, although findings from the southern hemisphere have been reported from Australia, Argentina, Chile, and New Zealand. Despite these findings that have contributed to knowledge of the clade, there is still a dearth of information about the evolution, phylogenetics, and ecology of Cretaceous ichthyosaurs from the Southernmost Pacific margin of Gondwana. A Lower Cretaceous locality next to the Tyndall Glacier, inside Torres del Paine National Park, southernmost Chile, has yielded 87 ichthyosaur skeletons to date. Most of the specimens recorded from this area are complete and articulated, however, they are affected by recent weathering and the constant erosion. Here we describe a complete platypterygiine ichthyosaur, which we provisionally assign to Myobradypterygius hauthali von Huene, 1927. The specimen was excavated from the border of the glacier in Patagonia during March and April 2022 and corresponds to the first complete excavated ichthyosaur from Chile. This specimen additionally preserves gastrointestinal contents and is the only Hauterivian (131 Ma) ichthyosaur documented to date containing the articulated skeleton of a preserved fetus. This research increases the knowledge of the paleobiology of the species. In addition to morphology, it contributes information regarding paleoecology and paleopathology, diet, and reproduction in M. hauthali, a taxon potentially restricted to the Pacific margin of Gondwana.